Does the name on my ID have to match the register?#
Yes. GOV.UK's voting guidance says the name on your ID must match your name on the electoral register, and the Electoral Commission tells voters the same. The register is the reference point: polling station staff check that you are on it, that your ID is an accepted kind and looks like you, and that it has the right name on it.
Three things do not matter: small differences in the name (GOV.UK's example is Jim Smith on the ID and James Smith on the register), the address on the ID, and its expiry date, since out-of-date ID is accepted as long as the photo still looks like you.
What if the names are different?#
GOV.UK gives two answers: register to vote again with your new details, or take a document to the polling station that proves you have changed your name. Its example is a marriage certificate. The Electoral Commission puts them in order: register again, and if the registration deadline for the election has passed, bring the document.
Neither mentions a deed poll by name, but GOV.UK's deed poll guidance describes one as a legal document that proves a change of name. After a change by deed poll, the deed is what links the two names.
The decision on the day belongs to the presiding officer. When photo ID was first required in England, in May 2023, the Electoral Commission set out what happens to a voter who had updated the register after marrying but not their ID. The presiding officer should discuss the difference, may ask for more evidence connecting the ID to the registered name, "such as a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, or a utility bill", and issues the ballot paper if satisfied. If not, the voter is asked to come back with photo ID in the registered name. The Commission's guidance to returning officers also has every polling station display a notice that further proof of identity may be needed where the name on the register and the name on the ID differ.
Which way round are your names?#
| On the register | On your photo ID | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Former name | Former name | Nothing: they match. But GOV.UK says to register again after a change of name, and then the third row applies until your ID catches up. |
| Former name | New name | Register again before the registration deadline, or take the document that proves the change. |
| New name | Former name | Take the document that proves the change, or get a free Voter Authority Certificate in your new name. |
| New name | New name | Nothing: they match. |
Which elections need photo ID?#
The Electoral Commission sets it out nation by nation:
- England: every election at a polling station, including UK Parliament elections, by-elections and recall petitions, local elections, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
- Wales: UK Parliament elections and recall petitions, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections; not Senedd or local council elections.
- Scotland: UK Parliament elections and recall petitions; not Scottish Parliament or council elections.
- Northern Ireland: every election, under rules of its own (below).
GOV.UK's list adds neighbourhood planning and local authority referendums in England.
A free Voter Authority Certificate in your new name#
GOV.UK lists three reasons to apply for this free photo document if you vote in person, and one is that the name on your photo ID differs from your name on the electoral register. You must be registered to vote first, and the Electoral Commission says to apply in the same name you registered with; the certificate states your full name. So register in the new name, then apply in it.
- How: online at GOV.UK with a digital photo and your National Insurance number (or other proof of identity without one), or on a paper form to your electoral registration office.
- Deadline: 5pm on the sixth working day before polling day. The Voter Identification Regulations 2022 hold any later application back until polling day itself. For the elections of 7 May 2026, GOV.UK gave the date as 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
- How long it lasts: GOV.UK says it is valid for as long as you still look like the photo, and the Commission says it has no expiry date. It works only for voting in England, Scotland and Wales, and not as proof of identity for anything else.
The Commission adds that you can apply if you are worried about using existing ID for another reason, such as its gender marker; the certificate has none. Changing your name when you transition covers your other records.
Updating your name on the register#
GOV.UK says you need to register again if you change your name. The online service usually takes about five minutes and asks for your National Insurance number, though you can register without one. The Electoral Commission gives a second route: ask your council's electoral services team for a change of name form. To reach your electoral registration office, use GOV.UK's contact service or the Commission's postcode search. The electoral register covers the rest, including the open register.
Postal and proxy votes#
A postal vote needs no photo ID. The Electoral Commission says, though, that if you have changed your name since applying for a postal vote, you need to apply again.
If someone votes for you by proxy, GOV.UK says they take their own photo ID, not yours, so the name on your ID does not come into it. In England, Scotland and Wales you apply by 5pm six working days before polling day; in Northern Ireland, 14 working days.
Northern Ireland#
Photo ID has been needed at every election in Northern Ireland since 2003, and some form of ID since 1985. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland keeps its own list of accepted ID, and the ID does not need to be current.
Its rule on names is the same in substance: the name on your passport or licence must be the same as your name on the register, and the photo must look like you. If it is not, you can apply for an Electoral Identity Card; allow up to six weeks. The Electoral Office also says to register to vote again when you change your name. Its pages say nothing about bringing a document that links the names, so in Northern Ireland aim for matching names or the card.
Questions people ask
Is a deed poll accepted as voter ID?
No. It is not on the list of accepted photo ID. It is the document that links your names: take it with you, alongside accepted photo ID in your former name, when the register already holds your new one.
What happens if my photo ID is refused because of my name?
The Electoral Commission says you cannot appeal the presiding officer's decision, but you can go back later the same day with a different accepted ID and ask again. If you think the ID was wrongly refused, tell the presiding officer, and then the Returning Officer at your council.
Can I vote while my passport is away for a name change?
Yes, with any other accepted photo ID; in Great Britain that includes a photocard driving licence, a Blue Badge or an older person's bus pass. If you have none, GOV.UK allows an emergency proxy vote in Great Britain, applied for by 5pm on polling day, when a new photo ID you ordered has not yet arrived.
How do I change the name on my voter ID card?
In Great Britain, register to vote again in your new name and apply for a Voter Authority Certificate in that name; GOV.UK lists photo ID in a name that differs from the register as a reason to apply. In Northern Ireland, the Electoral Office says you need to update an Electoral Identity Card if you change your name.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
