Word of mouth is not our preferred channel. It is the only one that works.

Subject: You can vote in UK elections again — did you know?

Hello,

I wanted to pass this on because a lot of British people abroad still haven't heard.

The 15-year rule was abolished on 16 January 2024. If you were ever resident or registered to vote in the UK, you can now vote in UK parliamentary elections — for life, however long ago you left.

About 3.4 million of us are eligible. At the 2024 general election only around 191,000 were registered. That's roughly 5%. In France the equivalent figure is about 68%.

It takes a few minutes. This walks you through it, including working out which UK council handles your registration:

https://bovf.org.uk/

Registration does lapse after three years, so it's worth checking even if you did it a while ago.

Best wishes

Subject: Thought of you — this is the group working on it

Hello,

You mentioned the problem you've been having, and I came across the British Overseas Voters Forum, which works on exactly this — frozen pensions, spouse and family visas, university fee status, UK bank account closures, and how overseas voting actually works.

They're non-partisan and volunteer-run, and supporter registration is free.

https://bovf.org.uk/

The thing they'd say first is: make sure you're registered to vote. Politicians respond to electors.

Best wishes

Did you know the 15-year rule went in Jan 2024? If you ever lived in the UK you can vote in UK elections again — for life. Only about 5% of the 3.4m eligible are actually registered. Takes a few minutes: https://bovf.org.uk/

For anyone here on a frozen UK state pension — you can vote in UK elections again since Jan 2024, whatever the old 15-year rule said. 450,000+ of us are affected by the freeze and we're all electors now. That's the only leverage that's ever going to shift it. Register here: https://bovf.org.uk/

A quick public service announcement for British expats.

The 15-year rule was abolished on 16 January 2024. If you were ever resident or registered to vote in the UK, you can vote in UK parliamentary elections again — for life.

Around 3.4 million of us are eligible. At the 2024 general election about 191,000 were registered. That is roughly 5%, against about 68% of French citizens abroad.

The British Overseas Voters Forum is a non-partisan volunteer group working on the issues that affect us — frozen pensions, spouse and family visas, university fees, bank account closures, and the fact that only 52% of overseas postal ballots were returned in time to be counted in 2024.

Free to register as a supporter, and there's a step-by-step guide to registering to vote:

https://bovf.org.uk/

3.4 million Britons abroad can now vote in UK elections. Only ~191,000 are registered. Are you one of them? https://bovf.org.uk/