Voters can now apply for a free photo ID needed to cast a ballot in elections from this May.

From May 4 2023 voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in a host of different elections, including local, parliamentary, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and referendums.

The plans will see voters being turned away from polling stations across the North East under the new rules if they are unable to provide a valid photo ID.

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Votes in local elections across Teesside, Darlington, and Tyne and Wear are due to take place on May 4.

Fears have been raised that the new rules will see thousands of residents excluded from voting, including those in poorer communities who may be least likely to have a valid photo ID.

Census data released recently revealed that 20.5% of residents in County Durham do not hold a passport, with some parts of the county returning higher percentages.

The county is among areas of the UK identified as an ‘ID blackspot’ with 107,031 holding no passport. In the Peterlee East ward, 31.5 per cent of residents do not have a passport – the third highest figure in the North East.

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A new free photo ID, called a Voter Authority Certificate, which can only be used to vote has now been launched ahead of the policy coming into force on May 4.

Applications for the ID are now open with the Electoral Commission launching a campaign to prepare voters for the changes.

How to apply online for a free photo ID to vote

If your current photo ID is not accepted, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online by clicking HERE. You can check whether your current ID is accepted below.

To apply you will need a recent photo of yourself and your National Insurance number.

How to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate by post

You can also apply for a free photo ID by post by downloading a form from the link above and returning it, completed, to your local Electoral Registration Office.

Is my current photo ID accepted to vote?

If you have any of the following types of photo ID or travel pass you will be able to vote:

  • a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
  • a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
  • a UK passport
  • a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
  • a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
  • a Blue Badge
  • a biometric residence permit (BRP)
  • a Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
  • a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
  • a Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
  • a Voter Authority Certificate
  • an Anonymous Elector’s Document
  • an older person’s bus pass
  • a disabled person’s bus pass
  • an Oyster 60+ card
  • a Freedom Pass
  • a Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
  • a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
  • a Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
  • a Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass

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