European Union (EU) Citizens’ voting and candidacy rights
EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to register to vote and stand for election.
Two groups of EU citizens will retain their rights:
- 'Qualifying EU citizens' from countries with reciprocal agreements, and who have leave, or do not require it, to remain in the UK - currently Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain
- 'EU citizens with retained rights' who were residents in the UK before 1 January 2021 - i.e. before the UK left the EU
The changes to EU citizens' voting and candidacy rights will apply to all local elections and referendums in England and to the Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.