Electoral Register

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For information on how to register to vote or to find out if you are listed on the Northern Ireland Electoral Register please visit the Registration page. You can download a registration form from the Forms and Leaflets page or contact us and we will post one out to you.

The Electoral Office maintains two versions of the Electoral Register - the full Register and the edited Register. The only details shown on the Registers are the elector's name and address, their electoral number and, if they are under 18, the date they will turn 18.

The Full Register

The full Register lists everyone who is entitled to vote. Only certain people and organisations may obtain copies of the full Register and they may only use it for specified purposes. These include:

electoral purposes;
crime prevention and detection;
to enable credit reference agencies to fulfil their obligations under Money Laundering Regulations and to allow for the vetting of applicants for credit or applications which could result in granting credit.

The law specifies who may have a copy of the full Register and for what purpose it may be used (The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008). It is a criminal offence for it to be passed on to anyone else or be used for any unauthorised purpose. The penalty is a fine of up to level 5 (Currently £5,000).

Issue of the Full Register Free of Charge on Publication

The following bodies each receive a copy of the full Register upon publication:

The British Library
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Electoral Commission
The Boundary Commission

Issue of the Full Register Free of Charge upon Request

The following persons/bodies are entitled to receive a copy of the full Register free of charge upon request:

Elected representatives (MPs, MEPs, MLAs and Councillors)
Holders of relevant elective offices and candidates
Local constituency parties
Registered political parties
Candidates (when they have submitted nomination papers)
Police forces

Sale of the Full Register

The following bodies are entitled to purchase the full Register:

Government Departments (for the purposes of crime prevention or vetting of employees)
Credit Reference Agencies registered under Part III of the Consumer Credit Act 1974

The cost of the full (and edited) Register and any notices is calculated as follows:

on CD-ROM - £20 fee plus £1.50 per 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries)
in printed form - £10 fee plus £5 per 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries)

Criteria for full Register Requests

Requests for a full Register, whether to receive it free of charge or to purchase it, must be made in writing and should:

specify for which area(s) the Register is required and if any other documents (overseas elector lists, monthly revisions) are also required;
specify whether only the current version is required or if subsequent versions will also be required (does not apply to candidates);
specify whether the documents are to be supplied in paper format or on CD-ROM (the Register will automatically be issued on CD- ROM if it is not specifically requested on paper).

The Register may be purchased from Headquarters (for the whole of Northern Ireland) or Area Electoral Offices (for the area covered by that office). See the Contact Us page for contact details and a list of areas covered by each office.

Inspection of the Full Register in Person

One copy of the full Register for the whole of Northern Ireland is available in the Belfast Area Office for inspection. All other Area Offices hold the full Register for the area covered by that office.

Inspection of the full Register is carried out under supervision. It is not permitted to take photocopies of any part of it; the only copying allowed is by means of hand written notes and these should be of a reasonable number. Information taken from the full Register must not be used for commercial purposes.

The Edited Register

The edited Register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked to be excluded from that version of the Register (i.e. ticked the relevant box on the registration form).

Sale of the Edited Register

The edited Register is available for sale to any person or organisation for any purpose, including commercial purposes. It may be purchased from Headquarters (for the whole of Northern Ireland) or Area Electoral Offices (for the area covered by that office). See the Contact Us page for contact details and a list of areas covered by each office.

Inspection of the Edited Register in Person

One copy of the edited Register for the whole of Northern Ireland is available in the Belfast Area Office for inspection. All other Area Offices hold the edited Register for the area covered by that office.

The edited Register may be inspected by any person at any Area Electoral Office and for any purpose. Supervision is not required when the edited Register is being inspected and it can be copied or notes taken from it at will.