I live in Cyprus and have been here for the last 21 years and yes we should be allowed to vote.
Pam manning - 9 years ago
I live in uk but own property in Spain planning to retire there so want all ex pats to have the right to vote on something that could greatly affect them
Suzie Thomas - 9 years ago
I live in Finland and in the last election never received my postal voting material.
David Sketchley - 9 years ago
I have lived in Spain since 1992 and can't vote.
sarah Perez Keefe - 9 years ago
I have lived outside the U.K for nearly fifteen years. I have always voted by proxy or post. As a woman I was taught just how important my right to vote is. Here I am fighting to retain my vote! Not quite ready to throw mysef infront of the Queens horse or burn my precious M&S bras but I have written to the Prime Minister as well as my local M.P.
I will be fighting all the way on this one!
Thankyou to all the people who are taking on this matter! Good luck, Sarah Perez-Keefe. France & Spain
David Parker - 9 years ago
Particularly scandalous in the case of the EU Referendum. My 15 years are up in early 2016 but my understanding is that the 15-year rule will not be abrogated in time for the referendum. Where there's a will there's a way - surely it's not beyond the government to find a solution for this key occasion.
Country of Residence: France
ANNE WILLIAMS BONNET - 9 years ago
Delighted to discover this website. I live in France & have been scandalised for years that I haven't had the right to vote in my own country. I haven't taken on the French nationality. I'm British and proud to be so.
As you say, we British expats have the right to pay taxes in our country of residence but not to vote. This means I haven't voted in a general election now for most of my life !
Thank you for this possibility to make our voices heard at last !
Lorraine & Pat McKie - 9 years ago
We've been living in France for 13 years now, so no more voting for us. Having paid UK tax all our working lives and now in receipt of State Pensions, we feel we have a right to vote in our country of birth.
Penelope Carter - 9 years ago
Living in USA
Ian Jones - 9 years ago
Worked in Luxembourg and Belgium. Now retired in Belgium. I wish above all to be able to vote in the EU in-out referendum.
I live in Spain and have a way to go before the 15 year rule kicks in but as our postal votes are sent so late we are effectively disenfranchised anyway at the moment. Waiting to hear from our M.P. about both matters.
Douglas Craigie - 9 years ago
I live in Australia and still receive a part British Pension, about 46 years now. The only problem is the utter refusal by the British Government to index this pension in accordance with the British cost of living each year. This applies to expats living in Commonwealth countries. Ironically, if I lived in Europe or America or non Commonwealth countries, I would receive a 6 monthly uprate like everybody else. This blatant discrimination was apparently invented by Sir Humphrey Appleby for reasons only he would understand.
Britain prides itself on treating it's people with decency, honesty and respect. Sorry, but you don't!!
Thomas Shearer - 9 years ago
I have lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the last 12 years and strongly agree that British citizens should be allowed to vote in ANY referendum or election in the UK.
Penelope Lim - 9 years ago
I live in Malaysia and am one of many disenfranchised expats who cannot vote in our country of nationality or our country of residence. We deserve a voice in the democratic process too.
Sue - 9 years ago
I live in Portugal and like many expats I still pay tax to the UK Exchequer. In 1776 the Americans went to war with England over no taxation without representation. As if this isn't bad enough we are now refused a say in our own future so this is why I'm signing up to this poll. If the UK should leave the EU the UK government may live to regret their decision when 2 million of us arrive back in the UK and start to use the NHS and benefit system. If they want a 'yes' vote wouldn't it make sense to allow us to vote?
Leonard Harvey - 9 years ago
I have written to David Cameron the UK Prime Minister several times voicing my discontent and my failure to understand his reasons for not wanting 15 year Expats to vote.
Dennis Newman - 9 years ago
Living in Canada for 50 years with a frozen pension
Graham Gilbert - 9 years ago
I am a Brit who has worked in Africa and now live in France, and pay UK Council Tax and UK Income Tax. I therefore "enjoy" UK taxation with NO representation. Perhaps I should go to war with Britain like the original thirteen American States!
Josephine Kalinauckas - 9 years ago
Brussels - lived abroad for over 15 years. I cannot vote in the upcoming referendum nor in a national election in the UK nor in Belgium. I find it unacceptable that I have no democratic voice. It is rather ironic that working for the EU and thus living in Brussels has led me to be in this situation.
Rex English - 9 years ago
Madrid, Spain.
What kind of democracy refuses to let its citizens vote? Well, obviously NOT a democracy. The fact I don't live there doesn't mean UK government policy doesn't affect me. It does. It doesn't mean there aren't people who live there who I love and care about who aren't affected by UK government policy. It doesn't mean I don't have interests there that are affected by government policy. More urgently, it means that in the forthcoming referendum on British membership of the EU, I am VERY MUCH an interested party, who, in the event of a Brexit, would be directly affected, more so than British citizens living in Britain (those being the people who do have a right to vote on this issue). Just because I don't live there shouldn't give British state to treat me like a 2nd class citizen!
Richard H. - 9 years ago
A Yorkshireman, I left England when Margaret T. made it clear that there would be no immediate future. I have lived and worked in various EU countries, learned their languages, gained many skills. Now resident in the US, I need to be able to vote on this.
Richard - 9 years ago
I have lived and worked in France for over 30 years, so disenfranchised by the scandalous and anachronistic 15-year rule. As British citizens we should be allowed to vote in UK general elections, and especially in the forthcoming EU referendum.
Many EU countries allow their expat nationals to vote in their national elections, and some (like France) even have MPs to represent them in their assemblies, so why not us?
Surely we as (expat) British citizens are more entitled to vote than foreigners resident in the UK or foreign sportsmen and women who have been "fast-tracked" to British citizenship simply because they are potential medal-winners?
Stephane Catelain - 9 years ago
I am French and have lived in the UK for 29 years. My wife is English and so is my daughter.
I have always worked and paid may taxes. I have never been able to vote for MPs which I would like to but understand I cannot do as I am French. However this time the decision of the EU referendum similarly to UK citizens living outside of the UK has a direct bearing on me.
What annoys me the most is that Commonwealth citizens that live in the UK have the right to vote on an issue that really does not concern them.
So for instance someone can just arrived from Sri Lanka , has no real understanding of what the European Union means, is not British nor European and yet has the right to vote on this issue and I cannot.
Why are Commonwealth allowed to vote on this issue? Especially when there is no reciprocal agreements. For instance a British person living in Sri Lanka would not get the right to in any Sri Lankan elections. I have picked Sri Lanka as an example but this could be any other Commonwealth country.
I also find it wrong that somebody who is British but has lived away from the UK for more than 15 years has no right of vote. The amount of time that you have lived abroad should make no difference to your right of vote on this matter. At the end of the day it will affect you and you should be entitled to vote.
Yet at the same time someone who is from Gibraltar has never lived in the UK has right of vote. Surely they should not be entitled to vote because they have lived outside of the UK for more than 15 years and they are not part of the UK. They are a British Overseas Territory and in that case if they can vote then to be logical to the extreme then so should the Pitcairn Islands, the Cayman islands, Bermuda etc....
I find the whole situation completely absurd and am very disappointed at all these arbitrary nonsensical eligibility rules.
Having lived for so long in England, I guess I could apply for British citizenship in order to vote. Only problem is I was brought up French with republican ideals. I could not do the bit where you swear allegiance to the queen (and I am sure she is a lovely lady) as this is against my principal that the head of state should be voted in rather than through birth.
Anyway I am French and will remain so, so sadly will not get to vote.
I do feel for all of you, that are going to be excluded because you have lived outside of the UK for more than 15 years.
The Frenchman
Andrew Sharp - 9 years ago
I live in Hamburg, Germany.
I find it unbelievable that UK citizens living abroad, particularly those who are exercising their "right to freedom of movement" within the EU, are denied the right to vote ANYWHERE, except of course for local and European elections. Most of us still retain close links to the UK and have a very real interest in what happens there. Otherwise, I suspect, we would vote to change our nationality to the country of residence.
German citizens living abroad, as with most other EU nationals, retain their voting rights no matter where they live or for how long.
It is about time that the UK caught up with our countries and stop denying us this fundamental democratic right.
I find it even more perverse that expatriates living in the EU are also being denied the chance to vote in the EU referendum. This issue is probably even more critical for us than for people living in the UK.
The embryonic YES camp would be well advised to see about changing this discriminatory law in time for the referendum.
Stuart Thomas - 9 years ago
Currently an NL resident - I strongly oppose any restrictions on my and other British citizens' democratic rights to vote on UK issues.
Stephen Ward - 9 years ago
Live in Austria and fully support campaign for UK nationals to be able to vote on UK issues.
Peter Bagshaw - 9 years ago
I have lived in Ireland since 2011 and have always exercised my right to vote in UK elections and wish to do so however long I live outside the UK. I am lucky in as much that at least I can vote in general elections in Ireland, being a British citizen but I can consider it important for me to keep on voting in my home country for several reasons. 1. It is still the place I call my geographical "home" even if I do not reside there; 2. I still have close family and friends living there; 3. Am still closely culturally connected to England. 4. May live there again at some point in the future, who knows? 4. The British government control my right to travel I.e my passport. I should be able to vote for anybody who has that privilege.
Nigel Munisamy - 9 years ago
I fully support all the above comments which closely mirror my own views. The UK governmen's position resembles breach of contract. Yes, in the political climate of the 1970s I was encouraged to get on my bike and look for work which in the current climate makes me an economic migrant without ever having been part of a marauding hoard deliberately seeking to undercut local wages! I live in Belgium with a Flemish wife living in the French speaking region. I am so lucky that I have been in full employment in a Europe which lives in peace with itself but am denied a voice in its future development. My decision to live where I do was economic and social, not political. I resent being potentially forced into changing nationality, a political act which was never my intention.
Maria Vatanen - 9 years ago
I'm a Brit, married to a Finn, living in Finland since 2007. Our children were born in 2005 & 2009 and both have automatic dual citizenship.
We pay our taxes to Finland and I have a vote in the local & European elections. I recently voted in the UK General Election via proxy (when my postal vote went AWOL).
My UK vote was in a constituency where I have no family or business ties. I requested a change to a different constituency but was told it's not possible. How about an MP to specifically represent the interests of British expats?
I support the campaign for lifelong votes for British Nationals living outside UK especially for EU residents in the EU referendum.
I am very active in the Finnish-British Society, the IESAF (International English Speakers Association of Finland) and I am an Usborne Lady - selling children's books in English. I am also an English Storyteller, working with English Language teachers and students.
PAMELA GRANT-STEVENSON - 9 years ago
I LIVE IN FRANCE, IN THE AUDE....THE SOUTH WEST
I am entitled to vote in local elections & I do, but knowing that it will make no difference as a very strong majority always wins here!
I shall try to get a vote for the EU referendum but as I have been here since late 2001 it will depend on when it occurs. So, you see, I am anxious for UK voting to be open to all UK expats as our roots & hearts, not to mention family interests, always lie in the UK. We all have an opinion and that based on experience, often very wide, well educated, literate and intelligent we have much to contribute!
James Dinnage - 9 years ago
I live in Wilmington Delaware (USA), having moved here from the UK in 2000 for work and family reasons (married to a U.S. National). I was born, raised and educated in England and spent most of my working life there. Whatever the justification may be for disenfranchisement in UK elections, it surely doesn't apply to the referendum, the result of which could dramatically change the direction and character of the country. I'm particularly incensed that Commonwealth citizens resident In the UK will be able to vote while I cannot.
Robert Brewster - 9 years ago
I have lived in Italy and France for 35 years working for French and Italian import and export companies and have gained some insight into what works and what needs changing in the EU, yet as an expat Brit I will not be allowed to vote in the IN-OUT referendum. Our Prime Minister thinks he can gain such insight and make major changes to the EU in a one-week lightening trip round Europe. Has he been watching the Greek’s attempt at making the EU change its ways?
Rod - 9 years ago
The UK government could be 'shooting themselves in the foot', just imagine if 2 million ex-pats descended on the UK burdening the NHS with all our various ailments, claiming benefits, etc. etc.
Seriously though, as a loyal English subject I feel totally let down by Cameron and his cohorts, we should have the right to vote in the EU referendum.
Currently in Portugal.
Valerie Stacey - 9 years ago
I am a British national married to a Spaniard and have lived in Madrid for over 30 years, although I'm in close touch with the UK and go back several times a year. I was disenfranchised years ago in Britian, and am unable to vote in general and regional elections in Spain precisely because my nationality is British, not Spanish. There is no justification whatever for denying long-term British residents in other EU countries the right to vote in a referendum whose outcome will affect us directly - and possibly negatively. How is it possible that a Briton who has lived, say, for 10 years in Canada or New Zealand is given the chance to have their say on Britain's future relationship with Europe but not those of us who actually live in the EU?
David H. - 9 years ago
I live in Germany. As others have mentioned, as a Brit I'm not allowed to vote in German national elections, and due to having lived here now for 25 years, it seems I have no say in an election that is being trumpeted as ultimately sealing the fate of Britain's (and consequently my) membership of the EU. This is just wrong.
Alexander Maisner - 9 years ago
Have been living in Germany for almost 40 years. Incensed that I cannot vote in the referendum. Have been incensed for years that I cannot vote in either UK or German national elections. Let's hope the government finally fulfills its pledge. See my letter to the FT of 28 May 2015.
Verity Peterson - 9 years ago
Have been living in Spain for 35 years. Of course we should be allowed to vote in an EU referendum. And all foreign nationals living in the EU should be able to vote in the national and regional elections of the country they live and work in. At the moment we're effectively disenfranchised, although as many others have already said, the governments we can't vote for are very happy to collect our taxes.
Adrian Cook - 9 years ago
Resident in Sweden since 1996. Worked for an international company and retired in 2007. As a British citizen I consider that it is my right to vote in any referendum concerning UK membership of the EU.
Caroline Johnston - 9 years ago
I have lived and worked in Rome, Italy for over 40 years. I am a British Citizen with a British passport and strong links with Britain. Here in Italy I can only vote in municipal elections or for the European Parliament while the country of my birth denies me the vote. The 15 year rule must be abolished so that we expat British are no longer disenfranchised.
Alastair McNeil - 9 years ago
I have been living in Milan for 8 years, prior to which I lived for a total of 12 years on Paris and 2 and a half years in Brussels. When I initially lived in Brussels and sought to vote in UK general elections I learned of this unfair rule (which is astounding when seeing how other European countries permit their citizens overseas/abroad to vote) and as a consequence I disengaged completely from UK politics. I am however incensed that on the EU referendum the UK government is proposing to apply these same rules - the potential decision of the UK to leave the EU would open up significant legal uncertainty to all those UK nationals outside the UK in other member states, it is clearly wrong that our voice is not heard.
Shane Swift - 9 years ago
Resident in Spain since 1991. Paid UK tax for the first few years as a British Council employee, Spanish tax ever since. I voted for as long as I could. Proud to be 'Promoting Britain Abroad' and part of what is probably Britain's most successful export industry - the English language. Now betrayed by my own government. We all know this is wrong, so what can we do about it?
I have lived in France for the last 24 years, I pay taxes here but cannot vote except in municipal elections, nor can I vote in UK. In short I'm disenfranchized. I am a British citizen, have never wanted to change my nationality, and have spent my life teaching English Literature to foreign students. The referendum on whether to stay in the European Union is of vital concern to all British Citizens, particularly those of us who live within the European Union. It is surely not difficult to correct this injustice.
Paul Harper - 9 years ago
Switzerland
AD - 9 years ago
Austria
Graham - 9 years ago
I moved to the Netherlands in 1980 at the age of 24, and apart from 5 years in Denmark and 3 years in Belgium, I have lived all that time in the Netherlands. I live with my partner - who is from Spain and works for a company in Germany. In many senses we represent the European 'dream' which, for me at least, could be shattered without my even having had the chance to cast my vote in the proposed referendum.
It is bad enough that I have no franchise in the country that collects my taxes or in the country of my citizenship, but to be excluded from such a referendum which could potentially turn my life upside down is fundamentally wrong.
James Marrs - 9 years ago
Bielefeld, Germany
Ax an ex serviceman living in germany i am really annoyed about losing my right to vote. Hell i served for this country but a big referendum about what may happen to me im not allowed to have a say. Getting a german passport would mean giving up my UK passport. I may live here but i dont feel german and im NOT german.
My grandad faught aginst the Nazis to defend the right to vote but my vote has been taken away!
David Pritchard - 9 years ago
Madrid, Spain.
I can't vote in national elections in Spain without getting Spanish citizenship. If I do that, I lose British citizenship.
Philip Webber - 9 years ago
No vote in England and No vote in Spain
Can someone explain the reason for this
Don't I have any rights
What about DEMOCRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!?????
Daniel Holmes - 9 years ago
Bielefeld, Germany.
Iain Young Sharron Young - 9 years ago
Myself and my wife have lived in Spain for the last 12 years, we both voted at the last election and wish to keep our voting rights after 15 years.
I must add it was very difficult and time consuming to get registered for this year's election, it was as though stumbling blocks were in place to stop you getting a vote, our papers only came through 5 days before the election date. I am sure it was a ploy to stop us having a registered vote on time. Avery poor show
Joanne Berrer - 9 years ago
I have lived in Germany for 18 years and am starting to wonder why I bother paying 147 Euro to renew my British passport when I have no right to vote. Because I remain British I am not allowed to vote in Germany either.
Karen Donald - 9 years ago
I have done a short survey of Expats in my area . None received their overseas postal vote in time to send back and vote. Some had to courier it back and still don't know whether it got there in time because they were received Friday or Saturday and Monday was a holiday so they didn't leave Malaysia till Tuesday. The cost was about £30. The rest didn't receive theirs at all. Two couples one ballot paper arrived , the other didn't. Some if not all didn't have the correct return postage on the envelope which meant going to a post office ( again closed Monday ) instead of straight into a post box. Multiply that by the number of ex pats entitled to vote across the world.
Jody - 9 years ago
If, or better said, when there is a referendum on the EU, they need to send the ballot papers out weeks in advance, or make it possible to vote at the embassies and consulates.
S Pennington - 9 years ago
I live in the Netherlands. While this upcoming referendum will have implications on my rights to live and work within the EU, as well as pensions I paid into during my working life in Britain, then as a British national I should have someone to represent my opinion in parliament and speak on issues which will impact me directly, despite no longer living there.
Bruce - 9 years ago
I am resident in the Netherlands. I want to be able to vote to keep the UK in the EU.
Jule - 9 years ago
Philadelphia, U.S.A
I am referred to as a naturalized legal resident alien here in the United States. I have lived here since II was 18 so I never voted back home. I can do everything here except serve as a Juror or vote in elections. I believe that my voice should be heard as a British Citizen who should have the legal right to vote no matter where I live without the restrictions imposing the number of years (15) which I have clearly surpassed preventing me from voting.
I never gave up my British Citizenship to live here, I choose to keep it because of loyalty to my nationality and my heritage. That should count for something!
Let all British nationals who live overseas vote. This should be our birth-rite with no restrictions.
Alpha & Chris Mason - 9 years ago
France, since 2001. We lose our right to vote next year under current legislation, so will have no say if there is an in/out EU referendum. To add insult to injury, for this (probably our last) election - like many others - our council did not send the ballots out until a few days before the vote, so we have been disenfranchised. We are still British taxpayers. Another point: who can really say whether or not they may wish to return to their native country for some reason in the future? Even if we take dual nationality (to have some say in the world!), we will still take a keen interest in what happens in the UK.
Emma - 9 years ago
I have lived in France for twenty years and would never consider giving up my British citizenship to be able vote there. I am British through and through. I hope the law is changed
Mike - 9 years ago
Welcome everyone to UK government classification of a 2nd class citizen.
I, like many have voted for the past 15yrs but now that period has passed my application to vote has been ignored. I wrote to my MP who also ignored my request for her to vote in the recent Commons debate on the matter.
My wife and I pay UK taxes on pensions, receive the state pension and enjoy health cover paid for by the UK.
We are, therefore, closely linked to UK matters and cannot understand why we are now classed as unwanted, to be ignored and deemed to be 2nd class citizens. Immigrants have more say in the UK than we do and many of them retain the right, no matter how long, to vote in their country of origin.
Come on UK - join the digital age and give UK patriots a right in the say as how the UK shouid be run.
The daft thing is that many patriots own homes in the UK which gives them the right to a vote, yet are residents for tax purposes as living abroad. My friends enjoy that privalege and they live here all year round. Something is not right.
Unless I become a French citizen I have no vote here for national elections, again despite paying the French Government a substantial tax bill each year.
Perhaps I didn't know it but perhaps I have become stateless! I am unloved, unwanted and obviously considerd unkept, unwashed and a pain in the backside by either Government yet they are happy to receive money from me.
David Jackson - 9 years ago
I live in MALTA and have been registered to vote from here for years.
This time my wife and I have not received our forms, livid!!
We kept our side by posting our required eligibility forms back within hours of them being received.
Our mail service via RM & Malta post is terrific with transit times virtually the same as UK internal never had one problem in eight years so hope they do not pull that one.
emailed Gt Yarmouth on Monday, no reply so far
David Jackson
Vivienne Wilkinson - 9 years ago
Ridiculous. I live in Spain and I can't vote here either. I pay my taxes and have no say on how they are spent. Perhaps european residents should be able to vote in their country of residence after 15 years. We are left with no democratic rights and have become second class citizens.
Brian Plews - 9 years ago
France, just over 15 years, so cannot add my democratic voice to any national issues anywhere.
Stef - 9 years ago
I have lived in Ireland for the past 14 years. I applied to vote by post in the general election, received the necessary paperwork and returned it the same day and yesterday received a letter from Lewisham Council that I had not returned the paperwork in time and therefore could not vote by post but could attend at the local polling station, i.e. Lewisham. I explained I lived in Ireland and this was not possible. The letter advising me I was out of time took 5 days to reach Ireland????
L Sherlock - 9 years ago
USA for 15+ years. Frustrating watching the coverage on Sky News and unable to vote!
With ties to the UK, still have a vested interest in what happens. Just plain wrong for it to be made so difficult to vote.
I truly hope if there is a referendum about the EU that this situation is resolved, so all Expats get a chance to voice their opinion. In my opinion if you are a British National ....you should be able to vote regardless of the time you have been out of the country!
Gill - 9 years ago
Costa Blanca, Spain
Keridwen Cheetham - 9 years ago
I could understand something on the lines of "you can't vote if you're not a UK domicile" as to avoid being UK domiciled you need to pretty much sever all links with the UK. As it is, it seems wholly arbitrary that I'm a British citizen, have property in the UK and pay UK taxes but I'll not be able to vote.
After all the efforts of the suffrage movement to give equality of franchise, the government can just drop our right to vote on a random whim.
Currently based in Canada.
Howard - 9 years ago
I have lived as a Brit in NL for 22 years and I discovered today that am no longer eligable to vote in the UK. I am also not allowed to vote for the Dutch elections as I am a British citizen. As such I now have less rights than a sentenced detainee of HMP in the UK! I also feel as though a part of my national identity has been removed. Sad day.
I have lived in the USA for fourteen years. Disenfranchisement because of an arbitrary number of years is undemocratic.
Nigel Sarginson - 9 years ago
Live in Belgium - since 1982
Sandra Pocher - 9 years ago
In Germany since 1992. Have even thought of giving up my citizenship in order to be able to vote in national elections but being a matter of the heart, I couldn't do it.
Norman - 9 years ago
Living in Japan since 1978
Catherine - 9 years ago
Australia. I feel it's vital for me to be able to vote back in the UK, at least until such time as I'm naturalised and able to vote here in Australia, and perhaps in both countries if I'm paying tax in both.
N. Mills - 9 years ago
I've lived in the Netherlands for most of my life, but I remain a British citizen. I have many ties to the UK, not least of all my family and friends, so British politics have a tangible effect on me. I recently reached voting age, and while I've long been aware that my British passport prevents me from voting in Dutch elections, it came as a shock to discover that my absence from the UK prevents me from voting in British ones. The fact that it seems to be for no good reason makes it all the more infuriating. Please abandon this arbitrary and discriminatory policy without delay!
Anne Wilding - 9 years ago
Even though I have lived in France since 2000 I remain a uk tax payer. At the moment I cannot vote in national elections in either france or the uk and surely this cannot be right. I am totally disenfranchised
raymond ward - 9 years ago
We have lived in Alcalali since 1999 ,and have recieved the winter allowance every year.
anybody who lives in this area will know how cold our winters are or can be.
Our heating expences this year far outstrip the allowance and it rankles to hear some
bright spark in UK alledge that our allowance is to be terminated deemed to be extravigant
expenditure by the powers to be.Wonderfull stuff coming from a government that wastes money,
and hands out unbelievable sums to you all know who.
COME THE REVOLUTION I WILL BE ON THE BARRICADES
RAY AND WENDY WARD
Richard Prowse - 9 years ago
We live in Spain and vote here but only have 4 more years to vote in the UK. Also losing the winter fuel allowance from this year. Stuffed all ends up
Jennifer Stasyna - 9 years ago
Live in Canada, can't vote as I'm a British citizen and will always be. Not fair I can't vote in Britain either.
I still carry a British passport, British decisions can still affect my life.
Janette Heap Koliai - 9 years ago
Greece for 15years
Carol - 9 years ago
Likving in Netherlands 6 years now.
Colin Bloodworth - 9 years ago
23 years in Indonesia. Still subject to UK tax.
Alan Thomas - 9 years ago
I have created an e-petition to the UK Parliament petition web site.
In the event that Parliament does not remove the 15 year limit on the right to register to vote in the UK, or excludes the Referendum from that right, the petition seeks to let British passport holders for those resident in the EU be able to register to take part in the Referendum.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/74848
Brian Rennie - 9 years ago
living in Germany for the last ca 30 years
William Main - 9 years ago
I have lived and worked in France since 1994. I think the law of not being allowed to vote after 15 years absence is unjust, particularly as French citizens who have lived outside their country for more than 15 years can vote.
Lee Gilbert - 9 years ago
8 years in Bulgaria. Very worried what will happen to us if the UK pulls out of the EU! Will we not get a chance to vote in a referendum?
Richard - 9 years ago
Yacht Crew...living in Paradise outside the EU for 30 years. Don't make me come home to vote!
Sheila - 9 years ago
Resident in various EU countries for more than 15 years.
Shocked to discover the right to vote has been taken away from me.
Ken Halshaw - 9 years ago
26 years in Germany.
kenneth basham - 9 years ago
I find it incredible that an expat like myself cannot vote in a General Election because of the 15 year rule.
I am proud to be British but my country does not let me vote...really disappointing. If this is democracy!
Johno - 9 years ago
No vote, no winter heating allowance, frozen pensions for those in Commonwealth countries - incredible discriminatory treatment. What happened to British democracy? I live in Spain, with a fire blazing in winter!
Dennis Coleman - 9 years ago
My wife and I are now resident in Malta. Having had to leave the UK to find work we have lived in various countries and now have no say about our lives in either the UK or in Malta. Not right, give us the vote!
Mr and Mrs K R A Quinnell - 9 years ago
We have lived in Spain since 2002 and have exercised our UK vote at every opportunity since then using our last UK electoral roll residence address. Those in a similar position should do the same and also take the trouble to contact their MP, as we have done, to make them aware of this situation. I am advised by my MP that should a Conservative government be returned to office at the next, (2015), election, the current restriction of 15 years, that was imposed by the previous Labour government, be changed to allow UK overseas voters the right to vote for life.
I am appalled, but not surprised, to learn that the Labour party do not have a policy decision on this issue.
Do not moan about our democratic system of government if you are not prepared to vote or even support it!
Sarah Nicholson - 9 years ago
I have lived in Italy for almost thirty years. I return to Britain at least twice a year for work and to visit my family. I am not eligible to vote in general elections in Italy (while Italian ex-pats are) and am not eligible to vote in elections in Britain.
AnneNicola - 9 years ago
My husband and I live in France and have done so for 9 years. I am still proud to British and may wish to return to the UK sometime, although not planning to, (but you can never say never). I have paid considerable taxes in the UK, my husband still works and pays taxes in the UK, commutes back and forth to france.
We do want the choice to be able to vote on National issues in the UK. We do want to be able to vote on serious matters such as Immigration, Health and Pensions, and or course any Referendum Vote to stay in the UK. It should be my right as a British Citizen, living in the EU, or anywhere in the world.
We only left the uK because it is expensive to own property, over crowded and impossible to commute by car anywhere and public transport is either unreliable or over crowded. France has cheeper property and more space and excellent rail links back to the UK. Also we still have excellent local public transport.
Al - 9 years ago
Sweden 25 years.
I believe we should be able to vote in British elections as long as I have citizenship there.
Spain
I live in Cyprus and have been here for the last 21 years and yes we should be allowed to vote.
I live in uk but own property in Spain planning to retire there so want all ex pats to have the right to vote on something that could greatly affect them
I live in Finland and in the last election never received my postal voting material.
I have lived in Spain since 1992 and can't vote.
I have lived outside the U.K for nearly fifteen years. I have always voted by proxy or post. As a woman I was taught just how important my right to vote is. Here I am fighting to retain my vote! Not quite ready to throw mysef infront of the Queens horse or burn my precious M&S bras but I have written to the Prime Minister as well as my local M.P.
I will be fighting all the way on this one!
Thankyou to all the people who are taking on this matter! Good luck, Sarah Perez-Keefe. France & Spain
Particularly scandalous in the case of the EU Referendum. My 15 years are up in early 2016 but my understanding is that the 15-year rule will not be abrogated in time for the referendum. Where there's a will there's a way - surely it's not beyond the government to find a solution for this key occasion.
Country of Residence: France
Delighted to discover this website. I live in France & have been scandalised for years that I haven't had the right to vote in my own country. I haven't taken on the French nationality. I'm British and proud to be so.
As you say, we British expats have the right to pay taxes in our country of residence but not to vote. This means I haven't voted in a general election now for most of my life !
Thank you for this possibility to make our voices heard at last !
We've been living in France for 13 years now, so no more voting for us. Having paid UK tax all our working lives and now in receipt of State Pensions, we feel we have a right to vote in our country of birth.
Living in USA
Worked in Luxembourg and Belgium. Now retired in Belgium. I wish above all to be able to vote in the EU in-out referendum.
Spain
I live in Spain and have a way to go before the 15 year rule kicks in but as our postal votes are sent so late we are effectively disenfranchised anyway at the moment. Waiting to hear from our M.P. about both matters.
I live in Australia and still receive a part British Pension, about 46 years now. The only problem is the utter refusal by the British Government to index this pension in accordance with the British cost of living each year. This applies to expats living in Commonwealth countries. Ironically, if I lived in Europe or America or non Commonwealth countries, I would receive a 6 monthly uprate like everybody else. This blatant discrimination was apparently invented by Sir Humphrey Appleby for reasons only he would understand.
Britain prides itself on treating it's people with decency, honesty and respect. Sorry, but you don't!!
I have lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the last 12 years and strongly agree that British citizens should be allowed to vote in ANY referendum or election in the UK.
I live in Malaysia and am one of many disenfranchised expats who cannot vote in our country of nationality or our country of residence. We deserve a voice in the democratic process too.
I live in Portugal and like many expats I still pay tax to the UK Exchequer. In 1776 the Americans went to war with England over no taxation without representation. As if this isn't bad enough we are now refused a say in our own future so this is why I'm signing up to this poll. If the UK should leave the EU the UK government may live to regret their decision when 2 million of us arrive back in the UK and start to use the NHS and benefit system. If they want a 'yes' vote wouldn't it make sense to allow us to vote?
I have written to David Cameron the UK Prime Minister several times voicing my discontent and my failure to understand his reasons for not wanting 15 year Expats to vote.
Living in Canada for 50 years with a frozen pension
I am a Brit who has worked in Africa and now live in France, and pay UK Council Tax and UK Income Tax. I therefore "enjoy" UK taxation with NO representation. Perhaps I should go to war with Britain like the original thirteen American States!
Brussels - lived abroad for over 15 years. I cannot vote in the upcoming referendum nor in a national election in the UK nor in Belgium. I find it unacceptable that I have no democratic voice. It is rather ironic that working for the EU and thus living in Brussels has led me to be in this situation.
Madrid, Spain.
What kind of democracy refuses to let its citizens vote? Well, obviously NOT a democracy. The fact I don't live there doesn't mean UK government policy doesn't affect me. It does. It doesn't mean there aren't people who live there who I love and care about who aren't affected by UK government policy. It doesn't mean I don't have interests there that are affected by government policy. More urgently, it means that in the forthcoming referendum on British membership of the EU, I am VERY MUCH an interested party, who, in the event of a Brexit, would be directly affected, more so than British citizens living in Britain (those being the people who do have a right to vote on this issue). Just because I don't live there shouldn't give British state to treat me like a 2nd class citizen!
A Yorkshireman, I left England when Margaret T. made it clear that there would be no immediate future. I have lived and worked in various EU countries, learned their languages, gained many skills. Now resident in the US, I need to be able to vote on this.
I have lived and worked in France for over 30 years, so disenfranchised by the scandalous and anachronistic 15-year rule. As British citizens we should be allowed to vote in UK general elections, and especially in the forthcoming EU referendum.
Many EU countries allow their expat nationals to vote in their national elections, and some (like France) even have MPs to represent them in their assemblies, so why not us?
Surely we as (expat) British citizens are more entitled to vote than foreigners resident in the UK or foreign sportsmen and women who have been "fast-tracked" to British citizenship simply because they are potential medal-winners?
I am French and have lived in the UK for 29 years. My wife is English and so is my daughter.
I have always worked and paid may taxes. I have never been able to vote for MPs which I would like to but understand I cannot do as I am French. However this time the decision of the EU referendum similarly to UK citizens living outside of the UK has a direct bearing on me.
What annoys me the most is that Commonwealth citizens that live in the UK have the right to vote on an issue that really does not concern them.
So for instance someone can just arrived from Sri Lanka , has no real understanding of what the European Union means, is not British nor European and yet has the right to vote on this issue and I cannot.
Why are Commonwealth allowed to vote on this issue? Especially when there is no reciprocal agreements. For instance a British person living in Sri Lanka would not get the right to in any Sri Lankan elections. I have picked Sri Lanka as an example but this could be any other Commonwealth country.
I also find it wrong that somebody who is British but has lived away from the UK for more than 15 years has no right of vote. The amount of time that you have lived abroad should make no difference to your right of vote on this matter. At the end of the day it will affect you and you should be entitled to vote.
Yet at the same time someone who is from Gibraltar has never lived in the UK has right of vote. Surely they should not be entitled to vote because they have lived outside of the UK for more than 15 years and they are not part of the UK. They are a British Overseas Territory and in that case if they can vote then to be logical to the extreme then so should the Pitcairn Islands, the Cayman islands, Bermuda etc....
I find the whole situation completely absurd and am very disappointed at all these arbitrary nonsensical eligibility rules.
Having lived for so long in England, I guess I could apply for British citizenship in order to vote. Only problem is I was brought up French with republican ideals. I could not do the bit where you swear allegiance to the queen (and I am sure she is a lovely lady) as this is against my principal that the head of state should be voted in rather than through birth.
Anyway I am French and will remain so, so sadly will not get to vote.
I do feel for all of you, that are going to be excluded because you have lived outside of the UK for more than 15 years.
The Frenchman
I live in Hamburg, Germany.
I find it unbelievable that UK citizens living abroad, particularly those who are exercising their "right to freedom of movement" within the EU, are denied the right to vote ANYWHERE, except of course for local and European elections. Most of us still retain close links to the UK and have a very real interest in what happens there. Otherwise, I suspect, we would vote to change our nationality to the country of residence.
German citizens living abroad, as with most other EU nationals, retain their voting rights no matter where they live or for how long.
It is about time that the UK caught up with our countries and stop denying us this fundamental democratic right.
I find it even more perverse that expatriates living in the EU are also being denied the chance to vote in the EU referendum. This issue is probably even more critical for us than for people living in the UK.
The embryonic YES camp would be well advised to see about changing this discriminatory law in time for the referendum.
Currently an NL resident - I strongly oppose any restrictions on my and other British citizens' democratic rights to vote on UK issues.
Live in Austria and fully support campaign for UK nationals to be able to vote on UK issues.
I have lived in Ireland since 2011 and have always exercised my right to vote in UK elections and wish to do so however long I live outside the UK. I am lucky in as much that at least I can vote in general elections in Ireland, being a British citizen but I can consider it important for me to keep on voting in my home country for several reasons. 1. It is still the place I call my geographical "home" even if I do not reside there; 2. I still have close family and friends living there; 3. Am still closely culturally connected to England. 4. May live there again at some point in the future, who knows? 4. The British government control my right to travel I.e my passport. I should be able to vote for anybody who has that privilege.
I fully support all the above comments which closely mirror my own views. The UK governmen's position resembles breach of contract. Yes, in the political climate of the 1970s I was encouraged to get on my bike and look for work which in the current climate makes me an economic migrant without ever having been part of a marauding hoard deliberately seeking to undercut local wages! I live in Belgium with a Flemish wife living in the French speaking region. I am so lucky that I have been in full employment in a Europe which lives in peace with itself but am denied a voice in its future development. My decision to live where I do was economic and social, not political. I resent being potentially forced into changing nationality, a political act which was never my intention.
I'm a Brit, married to a Finn, living in Finland since 2007. Our children were born in 2005 & 2009 and both have automatic dual citizenship.
We pay our taxes to Finland and I have a vote in the local & European elections. I recently voted in the UK General Election via proxy (when my postal vote went AWOL).
My UK vote was in a constituency where I have no family or business ties. I requested a change to a different constituency but was told it's not possible. How about an MP to specifically represent the interests of British expats?
I support the campaign for lifelong votes for British Nationals living outside UK especially for EU residents in the EU referendum.
I am very active in the Finnish-British Society, the IESAF (International English Speakers Association of Finland) and I am an Usborne Lady - selling children's books in English. I am also an English Storyteller, working with English Language teachers and students.
I LIVE IN FRANCE, IN THE AUDE....THE SOUTH WEST
I am entitled to vote in local elections & I do, but knowing that it will make no difference as a very strong majority always wins here!
I shall try to get a vote for the EU referendum but as I have been here since late 2001 it will depend on when it occurs. So, you see, I am anxious for UK voting to be open to all UK expats as our roots & hearts, not to mention family interests, always lie in the UK. We all have an opinion and that based on experience, often very wide, well educated, literate and intelligent we have much to contribute!
I live in Wilmington Delaware (USA), having moved here from the UK in 2000 for work and family reasons (married to a U.S. National). I was born, raised and educated in England and spent most of my working life there. Whatever the justification may be for disenfranchisement in UK elections, it surely doesn't apply to the referendum, the result of which could dramatically change the direction and character of the country. I'm particularly incensed that Commonwealth citizens resident In the UK will be able to vote while I cannot.
I have lived in Italy and France for 35 years working for French and Italian import and export companies and have gained some insight into what works and what needs changing in the EU, yet as an expat Brit I will not be allowed to vote in the IN-OUT referendum. Our Prime Minister thinks he can gain such insight and make major changes to the EU in a one-week lightening trip round Europe. Has he been watching the Greek’s attempt at making the EU change its ways?
The UK government could be 'shooting themselves in the foot', just imagine if 2 million ex-pats descended on the UK burdening the NHS with all our various ailments, claiming benefits, etc. etc.
Seriously though, as a loyal English subject I feel totally let down by Cameron and his cohorts, we should have the right to vote in the EU referendum.
Currently in Portugal.
I am a British national married to a Spaniard and have lived in Madrid for over 30 years, although I'm in close touch with the UK and go back several times a year. I was disenfranchised years ago in Britian, and am unable to vote in general and regional elections in Spain precisely because my nationality is British, not Spanish. There is no justification whatever for denying long-term British residents in other EU countries the right to vote in a referendum whose outcome will affect us directly - and possibly negatively. How is it possible that a Briton who has lived, say, for 10 years in Canada or New Zealand is given the chance to have their say on Britain's future relationship with Europe but not those of us who actually live in the EU?
I live in Germany. As others have mentioned, as a Brit I'm not allowed to vote in German national elections, and due to having lived here now for 25 years, it seems I have no say in an election that is being trumpeted as ultimately sealing the fate of Britain's (and consequently my) membership of the EU. This is just wrong.
Have been living in Germany for almost 40 years. Incensed that I cannot vote in the referendum. Have been incensed for years that I cannot vote in either UK or German national elections. Let's hope the government finally fulfills its pledge. See my letter to the FT of 28 May 2015.
Have been living in Spain for 35 years. Of course we should be allowed to vote in an EU referendum. And all foreign nationals living in the EU should be able to vote in the national and regional elections of the country they live and work in. At the moment we're effectively disenfranchised, although as many others have already said, the governments we can't vote for are very happy to collect our taxes.
Resident in Sweden since 1996. Worked for an international company and retired in 2007. As a British citizen I consider that it is my right to vote in any referendum concerning UK membership of the EU.
I have lived and worked in Rome, Italy for over 40 years. I am a British Citizen with a British passport and strong links with Britain. Here in Italy I can only vote in municipal elections or for the European Parliament while the country of my birth denies me the vote. The 15 year rule must be abolished so that we expat British are no longer disenfranchised.
I have been living in Milan for 8 years, prior to which I lived for a total of 12 years on Paris and 2 and a half years in Brussels. When I initially lived in Brussels and sought to vote in UK general elections I learned of this unfair rule (which is astounding when seeing how other European countries permit their citizens overseas/abroad to vote) and as a consequence I disengaged completely from UK politics. I am however incensed that on the EU referendum the UK government is proposing to apply these same rules - the potential decision of the UK to leave the EU would open up significant legal uncertainty to all those UK nationals outside the UK in other member states, it is clearly wrong that our voice is not heard.
Resident in Spain since 1991. Paid UK tax for the first few years as a British Council employee, Spanish tax ever since. I voted for as long as I could. Proud to be 'Promoting Britain Abroad' and part of what is probably Britain's most successful export industry - the English language. Now betrayed by my own government. We all know this is wrong, so what can we do about it?
Heerlen, the Netherlands. NL resident since 1984
I have lived in France for the last 24 years, I pay taxes here but cannot vote except in municipal elections, nor can I vote in UK. In short I'm disenfranchized. I am a British citizen, have never wanted to change my nationality, and have spent my life teaching English Literature to foreign students. The referendum on whether to stay in the European Union is of vital concern to all British Citizens, particularly those of us who live within the European Union. It is surely not difficult to correct this injustice.
Switzerland
Austria
I moved to the Netherlands in 1980 at the age of 24, and apart from 5 years in Denmark and 3 years in Belgium, I have lived all that time in the Netherlands. I live with my partner - who is from Spain and works for a company in Germany. In many senses we represent the European 'dream' which, for me at least, could be shattered without my even having had the chance to cast my vote in the proposed referendum.
It is bad enough that I have no franchise in the country that collects my taxes or in the country of my citizenship, but to be excluded from such a referendum which could potentially turn my life upside down is fundamentally wrong.
Bielefeld, Germany
Ax an ex serviceman living in germany i am really annoyed about losing my right to vote. Hell i served for this country but a big referendum about what may happen to me im not allowed to have a say. Getting a german passport would mean giving up my UK passport. I may live here but i dont feel german and im NOT german.
My grandad faught aginst the Nazis to defend the right to vote but my vote has been taken away!
Madrid, Spain.
I can't vote in national elections in Spain without getting Spanish citizenship. If I do that, I lose British citizenship.
No vote in England and No vote in Spain
Can someone explain the reason for this
Don't I have any rights
What about DEMOCRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!?????
Bielefeld, Germany.
Myself and my wife have lived in Spain for the last 12 years, we both voted at the last election and wish to keep our voting rights after 15 years.
I must add it was very difficult and time consuming to get registered for this year's election, it was as though stumbling blocks were in place to stop you getting a vote, our papers only came through 5 days before the election date. I am sure it was a ploy to stop us having a registered vote on time. Avery poor show
I have lived in Germany for 18 years and am starting to wonder why I bother paying 147 Euro to renew my British passport when I have no right to vote. Because I remain British I am not allowed to vote in Germany either.
I have done a short survey of Expats in my area . None received their overseas postal vote in time to send back and vote. Some had to courier it back and still don't know whether it got there in time because they were received Friday or Saturday and Monday was a holiday so they didn't leave Malaysia till Tuesday. The cost was about £30. The rest didn't receive theirs at all. Two couples one ballot paper arrived , the other didn't. Some if not all didn't have the correct return postage on the envelope which meant going to a post office ( again closed Monday ) instead of straight into a post box. Multiply that by the number of ex pats entitled to vote across the world.
If, or better said, when there is a referendum on the EU, they need to send the ballot papers out weeks in advance, or make it possible to vote at the embassies and consulates.
I live in the Netherlands. While this upcoming referendum will have implications on my rights to live and work within the EU, as well as pensions I paid into during my working life in Britain, then as a British national I should have someone to represent my opinion in parliament and speak on issues which will impact me directly, despite no longer living there.
I am resident in the Netherlands. I want to be able to vote to keep the UK in the EU.
Philadelphia, U.S.A
I am referred to as a naturalized legal resident alien here in the United States. I have lived here since II was 18 so I never voted back home. I can do everything here except serve as a Juror or vote in elections. I believe that my voice should be heard as a British Citizen who should have the legal right to vote no matter where I live without the restrictions imposing the number of years (15) which I have clearly surpassed preventing me from voting.
I never gave up my British Citizenship to live here, I choose to keep it because of loyalty to my nationality and my heritage. That should count for something!
Let all British nationals who live overseas vote. This should be our birth-rite with no restrictions.
France, since 2001. We lose our right to vote next year under current legislation, so will have no say if there is an in/out EU referendum. To add insult to injury, for this (probably our last) election - like many others - our council did not send the ballots out until a few days before the vote, so we have been disenfranchised. We are still British taxpayers. Another point: who can really say whether or not they may wish to return to their native country for some reason in the future? Even if we take dual nationality (to have some say in the world!), we will still take a keen interest in what happens in the UK.
I have lived in France for twenty years and would never consider giving up my British citizenship to be able vote there. I am British through and through. I hope the law is changed
Welcome everyone to UK government classification of a 2nd class citizen.
I, like many have voted for the past 15yrs but now that period has passed my application to vote has been ignored. I wrote to my MP who also ignored my request for her to vote in the recent Commons debate on the matter.
My wife and I pay UK taxes on pensions, receive the state pension and enjoy health cover paid for by the UK.
We are, therefore, closely linked to UK matters and cannot understand why we are now classed as unwanted, to be ignored and deemed to be 2nd class citizens. Immigrants have more say in the UK than we do and many of them retain the right, no matter how long, to vote in their country of origin.
Come on UK - join the digital age and give UK patriots a right in the say as how the UK shouid be run.
The daft thing is that many patriots own homes in the UK which gives them the right to a vote, yet are residents for tax purposes as living abroad. My friends enjoy that privalege and they live here all year round. Something is not right.
Unless I become a French citizen I have no vote here for national elections, again despite paying the French Government a substantial tax bill each year.
Perhaps I didn't know it but perhaps I have become stateless! I am unloved, unwanted and obviously considerd unkept, unwashed and a pain in the backside by either Government yet they are happy to receive money from me.
I live in MALTA and have been registered to vote from here for years.
This time my wife and I have not received our forms, livid!!
We kept our side by posting our required eligibility forms back within hours of them being received.
Our mail service via RM & Malta post is terrific with transit times virtually the same as UK internal never had one problem in eight years so hope they do not pull that one.
emailed Gt Yarmouth on Monday, no reply so far
David Jackson
Ridiculous. I live in Spain and I can't vote here either. I pay my taxes and have no say on how they are spent. Perhaps european residents should be able to vote in their country of residence after 15 years. We are left with no democratic rights and have become second class citizens.
France, just over 15 years, so cannot add my democratic voice to any national issues anywhere.
I have lived in Ireland for the past 14 years. I applied to vote by post in the general election, received the necessary paperwork and returned it the same day and yesterday received a letter from Lewisham Council that I had not returned the paperwork in time and therefore could not vote by post but could attend at the local polling station, i.e. Lewisham. I explained I lived in Ireland and this was not possible. The letter advising me I was out of time took 5 days to reach Ireland????
USA for 15+ years. Frustrating watching the coverage on Sky News and unable to vote!
With ties to the UK, still have a vested interest in what happens. Just plain wrong for it to be made so difficult to vote.
I truly hope if there is a referendum about the EU that this situation is resolved, so all Expats get a chance to voice their opinion. In my opinion if you are a British National ....you should be able to vote regardless of the time you have been out of the country!
Costa Blanca, Spain
I could understand something on the lines of "you can't vote if you're not a UK domicile" as to avoid being UK domiciled you need to pretty much sever all links with the UK. As it is, it seems wholly arbitrary that I'm a British citizen, have property in the UK and pay UK taxes but I'll not be able to vote.
After all the efforts of the suffrage movement to give equality of franchise, the government can just drop our right to vote on a random whim.
Currently based in Canada.
I have lived as a Brit in NL for 22 years and I discovered today that am no longer eligable to vote in the UK. I am also not allowed to vote for the Dutch elections as I am a British citizen. As such I now have less rights than a sentenced detainee of HMP in the UK! I also feel as though a part of my national identity has been removed. Sad day.
Finland
I have lived in the USA for fourteen years. Disenfranchisement because of an arbitrary number of years is undemocratic.
Live in Belgium - since 1982
In Germany since 1992. Have even thought of giving up my citizenship in order to be able to vote in national elections but being a matter of the heart, I couldn't do it.
Living in Japan since 1978
Australia. I feel it's vital for me to be able to vote back in the UK, at least until such time as I'm naturalised and able to vote here in Australia, and perhaps in both countries if I'm paying tax in both.
I've lived in the Netherlands for most of my life, but I remain a British citizen. I have many ties to the UK, not least of all my family and friends, so British politics have a tangible effect on me. I recently reached voting age, and while I've long been aware that my British passport prevents me from voting in Dutch elections, it came as a shock to discover that my absence from the UK prevents me from voting in British ones. The fact that it seems to be for no good reason makes it all the more infuriating. Please abandon this arbitrary and discriminatory policy without delay!
Even though I have lived in France since 2000 I remain a uk tax payer. At the moment I cannot vote in national elections in either france or the uk and surely this cannot be right. I am totally disenfranchised
We have lived in Alcalali since 1999 ,and have recieved the winter allowance every year.
anybody who lives in this area will know how cold our winters are or can be.
Our heating expences this year far outstrip the allowance and it rankles to hear some
bright spark in UK alledge that our allowance is to be terminated deemed to be extravigant
expenditure by the powers to be.Wonderfull stuff coming from a government that wastes money,
and hands out unbelievable sums to you all know who.
COME THE REVOLUTION I WILL BE ON THE BARRICADES
RAY AND WENDY WARD
We live in Spain and vote here but only have 4 more years to vote in the UK. Also losing the winter fuel allowance from this year. Stuffed all ends up
Live in Canada, can't vote as I'm a British citizen and will always be. Not fair I can't vote in Britain either.
I have lived in Greece for 15 years.
I still carry a British passport, British decisions can still affect my life.
Greece for 15years
Likving in Netherlands 6 years now.
23 years in Indonesia. Still subject to UK tax.
I have created an e-petition to the UK Parliament petition web site.
In the event that Parliament does not remove the 15 year limit on the right to register to vote in the UK, or excludes the Referendum from that right, the petition seeks to let British passport holders for those resident in the EU be able to register to take part in the Referendum.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/74848
living in Germany for the last ca 30 years
I have lived and worked in France since 1994. I think the law of not being allowed to vote after 15 years absence is unjust, particularly as French citizens who have lived outside their country for more than 15 years can vote.
8 years in Bulgaria. Very worried what will happen to us if the UK pulls out of the EU! Will we not get a chance to vote in a referendum?
Yacht Crew...living in Paradise outside the EU for 30 years. Don't make me come home to vote!
Resident in various EU countries for more than 15 years.
Shocked to discover the right to vote has been taken away from me.
26 years in Germany.
I find it incredible that an expat like myself cannot vote in a General Election because of the 15 year rule.
I am proud to be British but my country does not let me vote...really disappointing. If this is democracy!
No vote, no winter heating allowance, frozen pensions for those in Commonwealth countries - incredible discriminatory treatment. What happened to British democracy? I live in Spain, with a fire blazing in winter!
My wife and I are now resident in Malta. Having had to leave the UK to find work we have lived in various countries and now have no say about our lives in either the UK or in Malta. Not right, give us the vote!
We have lived in Spain since 2002 and have exercised our UK vote at every opportunity since then using our last UK electoral roll residence address. Those in a similar position should do the same and also take the trouble to contact their MP, as we have done, to make them aware of this situation. I am advised by my MP that should a Conservative government be returned to office at the next, (2015), election, the current restriction of 15 years, that was imposed by the previous Labour government, be changed to allow UK overseas voters the right to vote for life.
I am appalled, but not surprised, to learn that the Labour party do not have a policy decision on this issue.
Do not moan about our democratic system of government if you are not prepared to vote or even support it!
I have lived in Italy for almost thirty years. I return to Britain at least twice a year for work and to visit my family. I am not eligible to vote in general elections in Italy (while Italian ex-pats are) and am not eligible to vote in elections in Britain.
My husband and I live in France and have done so for 9 years. I am still proud to British and may wish to return to the UK sometime, although not planning to, (but you can never say never). I have paid considerable taxes in the UK, my husband still works and pays taxes in the UK, commutes back and forth to france.
We do want the choice to be able to vote on National issues in the UK. We do want to be able to vote on serious matters such as Immigration, Health and Pensions, and or course any Referendum Vote to stay in the UK. It should be my right as a British Citizen, living in the EU, or anywhere in the world.
We only left the uK because it is expensive to own property, over crowded and impossible to commute by car anywhere and public transport is either unreliable or over crowded. France has cheeper property and more space and excellent rail links back to the UK. Also we still have excellent local public transport.
Sweden 25 years.
I believe we should be able to vote in British elections as long as I have citizenship there.