Voting in a UK general election depends on age, citizenship, registration and legal eligibility. Being resident in the UK does not by itself mean someone can vote in a Westminster election.
The basic rules
To vote in a UK parliamentary election, you must be registered to vote and aged 18 or over on polling day. You must also be a British citizen, an Irish citizen or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, and you must not be legally excluded from voting.
What about British citizens overseas?
British citizens living overseas can register for UK parliamentary elections if they were previously registered to vote in the UK or previously lived in the UK. Overseas registration is tied to the last place in the UK where the voter was registered or resident.
Can EU citizens vote?
Citizenship rules vary between different types of election. For a UK parliamentary election, most EU citizens cannot vote solely on the basis of EU citizenship. Irish citizens and qualifying citizens of Cyprus and Malta fall within the relevant parliamentary franchise through the Irish/Commonwealth rules.
Who cannot vote?
Among those excluded from voting in UK parliamentary elections are members of the House of Lords and most convicted prisoners detained while serving their sentence. The detailed legal rules contain exceptions, so eligibility should be checked against current Electoral Commission guidance.
Why the election type matters
The franchise is not identical across every election in the UK. Scotland and Wales, for example, use age 16 for their devolved parliamentary elections, while the voting age for UK parliamentary elections remains 18.