Uk Voting Rights Of Thai Citizens With Settlement Visa

[potter09]

As far as I know, Thai citizens with settlement visas(ILR etc) in the UK do not have voting rights given Thailand is not a commonwealth nation. I would appreciate if others could comment whether that is the correct position or not.

Thanks in advance.

[bangkockney]

No voting rights.

You can register to vote if you are:

• 16 years old or over and a British citizen or an Irish, qualifying Commonwealth or European Union citizen who is resident in the UK

[7by7]

Indeed.

To make it absolutely clear, from Directgov

Who can vote in UK general elections

You can vote in UK general elections once you are on the electoral register and provided that you are also:

• aged 18 or over on polling day
• a British citizen, or a Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Irish Republic (living in the UK)
• not legally excluded from voting (for example, if you are in prison)

Who can't vote at a general election

At a general election, the following people can't vote:

• anyone under 18 years old
• members of the House of Lords
• European Union citizens
• citizens of any country apart from the Irish Republic and Commonwealth countries
• people serving a sentence in prison
• anyone found guilty of breaking election law in the last five years

[bangkockney]

There are also local and European elections in the UK which do have different criteria:

To qualify, Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and either have leave to remain in the UK or not require such leave. The definition of a 'Commonwealth citizen' includes citizens of British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. British Crown Dependencies are the Isle of Man and The Channel Islands (including Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, Herm and the other inhabited Channel Islands).

Citizens of the European Union who are not Commonwealth citizens can vote in European and local elections in the UK, but are not able to vote in UK Parliamentary general elections.

Two exceptions to the rules already quoted in this thread:

1) Although also EU member states, citizens of Cyprus and Malta are eligible to be registered to vote in respect of all elections held in the UK.

2) Citizens of Fiji and Zimbabwe retain their voting rights despite the countries having been suspended from the Commonwealth.

Have a read of About My Vote

Edited October 24, 2010 by bangkockney