You need to show an accepted form of photographic identification (ID) when voting at a polling station in:
- UK Parliament elections, including general elections, by-elections and recall petitions
- local elections and by-elections (including councils, the Mayor of London and the London Assembly)
- neighbourhood planning referendums
- local authority referendums in England (including Council Tax increase referendums)
If you’re a proxy voter (voting on behalf of someone else), you’ll need to show your own photo ID, not that of the person you’re voting on behalf of.
If you vote by post, you won’t need to provide photo ID, as your identity is verified by your signature and date of birth.
Accepted photo ID
We can accept the following types of photo ID when you vote:
- passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state, or a Commonwealth country
- driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state
- biometric immigration document
- identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
- Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
- Blue Badge
- national identity card issued by an EEA state
- Older Person’s Bus Pass
- Disabled Person’s Bus Pass
- Oyster 60+ Card
- Freedom Pass
- Scottish National Entitlement Card issued in Scotland
- 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
- Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
- Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland
- Voter Authority Certificate (see below)
You must show the original version of your ID, not a copy or photograph.
The photo on your ID must look like you.
You can still use your ID even if it has expired.
Voter Authority Certificates
If you don’t have, or don’t wish to use, one of the other accepted forms of photographic ID listed above, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC).
Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate
This document is free of charge and contains your name and photograph.
You can’t use a Voter Authority Certificate as proof of identity for any purpose other than for voting.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for use in time for the London Mayoral and Assembly elections on 2 May is 5pm on 24 April 2024.
If you’ve changed your name
The name on your ID must match your name on the electoral register. If it does not, you’ll need to either:
- register to vote again with your new details, or
- take a document with you to vote that proves you’ve changed your name (for example, a marriage certificate)
Small differences do not matter – for example, if your ID says ‘Jim Smith’ instead of ‘James Smith’.