To vote in the elections taking place on Thursday 4 May you must be registered to vote and have photographic identification.
Voters are now required to show an accepted form of photographic ID to receive their ballot paper and cast their vote in a polling station.
If you do not have any of the accepted photo ID available, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate specific for the purpose of voting.
Accepted forms of photo identification
Accepted forms of photo identification can be found here.
This list includes an electoral identity document commonly known as a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). This is a new document which is provided, free of charge, to eligible electors who successfully complete an application before Tuesday 25 April 2023.
Apply
If you don't already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you think your photo ID no longer looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC).
Alternatively, you can pop into The Public Service Plaza, with your National Insurance number, and a member of the Electoral Service team will take your photo for you, and go through the application with you.
It only takes a couple of minutes.
Your Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) will then arrive in the post to your home address.
Watch this video that shows how quick and easy it is to apply.
Did you know
You can use any of the public access points in The Public Service Plaza reception to register to vote, or a member of the team can help you through this process if you are unsure.
To register to vote online please visit: Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For any enquiries, please phone Electoral Services on 023 9244 6225.