FAQ

Are voting rights protected as part of the Withdrawal Agreement?

No. However, EU citizens who lived in the UK before 31 December 2020, and who have pre-settled or settled status, retain their local election voting rights. For EU citizens who arrived on or after 1 January 2021, local election voting rights are currently being negotiated bilaterally. As of January 2025, the only bilateral agreements the UK has reached are with Denmark, Portugal, Luxembourg, Spain and Poland. We support Migrant Democracy Project who are campaigning for residence based voting rights for all migrants with leave to remain, as Wales and Scotland have done.

NOTE: EU citizens cannot vote in the UK’s general elections - except citizens from Ireland, and from those EU member states who are also members of the Commonwealth, namely Malta and Cyprus.

See also Migrant Democracy Project's website.