This information should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer.

In some elections voters in a polling station need to show identification before being given a ballot paper. This briefing summarises the types of ID allowed and the elections where it must be shown.

Which elections need voter ID?

Voter ID is required at the following:

  • UK Parliament elections.
  • Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
  • Mayoral elections in England.
  • Local council elections in England and Northern Ireland.
  • Police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales.

Elections that do not need voter ID

  • Scottish Parliament elections.
  • Senedd Cymru elections.
  • Local council elections in Scotland and Wales.

What ID is allowed?

At the moment ID shown in a polling station must have a photo. The allowable types of photo ID are listed in full on the Electoral Commission’s Accepted forms of photo ID page. They include:

  • Driving licences or provisional driving licences issued by the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state.
  • Some concessionary travel cards for older or disabled voters issued by the UK Government or devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Check the Electoral Commission page for the full list.
  • Other government issued documents including an MOD ID card, Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card), also known as the Veterans card, and biometric immigration documents and national identity cards issued by any EEA state.

Voters who are registered as anonymous voters must produce their Anonymous Elector’s Document as their form of photographic ID in order to vote.

Polling station staff cannot issue a ballot paper if someone does not have photo ID from the approved list.

If someone turns up without ID they will be asked to return later in the day with an ID from the approved list.

What if a person doesn’t have ID

The Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) is a free type of voter identity document introduced at the same time as the voter ID requirements were introduced in Great Britain (by the Elections Act 2022).

It is aimed at people who do not have any other type of approved ID so that they can vote in person if they want.

VACs are free of charge. Electors can apply for a VAC online.

See the Commons Library briefing, Voter Authority Certificate: a quick guide.

Expired ID

Out of date/expired ID is acceptable if the photo is still a true likeness. 

Digital ID

Voter ID shown in a polling station must be an original. A photo of a passport shown on someone’s phone is not allowed.

If an approved type of ID listed is available in a digital format then the digital version of the ID is allowed. Currently only two types of approved voter ID are available in digital format:

  • The MOD Veterans’ card.
  • E-visas.

What if my ID is refused?

Polling station staff can refuse to issue a ballot paper if they have reasonable doubt that the person is not who they say they are because the photo in the ID is not a good likeness.

The polling clerks, the people issuing ballot papers, will refer any cases to their presiding officer, the person in charge of the polling station.

The presiding officer’s decision is final. There is no way of a voter appealing the decision.

If a person is refused a ballot paper, either because they have no ID with them or the ID they wanted to use is not an approved type, they can return later in the day with one of the other approved pieces of ID.

What about face coverings?

People wearing face coverings, for religious reasons, health reasons or other reasons, must remove their covering for a short time for the ID check.

Voters can request that the ID check is conducted in private. A mirror should be provided for replacing face coverings.

Female voters can also request that a female member of staff conducts the check.

Why are some travel cards accepted and not others?

When the voter ID scheme was introduced in Great Britain in 2022 the UK Government assessed the security of different forms of ID. Passports and driving licences are the most secure.

Some travel cards were added even though they had lower security scores, such as Oyster 60+ and Freedom passes and Blue Badges. They were included because they are held by people less likely to have other forms of ID. These types of cards have some form of proof of address and proof of eligibility as part of the application (using evidence such as passports, driving licences and utility bills).

Other railcards, including the 18+ Oyster card in London, were rejected because the current application processes are not as secure. For example, an 18+ Oyster application needs to have an email address, student enrolment ID from your course, an address in London, and a digital photo.

What about bank cards?

Bank cards are not currently allowed for use as voter ID.

The UK Government has proposed adding bank cards to the list of approved ID. This requires legislation and a bill is currently before Parliament. Implementing any change is unlikely before the end of 2026.

Further information

The Electoral Commission’s pages for voters has a section on voter ID.

The Library briefing, Voter ID, has more detail on the background to the introduction of voter ID.

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