Open Register UK: What It Is and How to Opt Out

The open register can be bought by anyone. Opting out does not affect your vote.

By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 22, 2026

When you register to vote in the UK, your name and address can end up on a list that businesses can buy. That list is the open register, and you can opt out.

Full register and open register

The Information Commissioner’s Office explains the two lists.

The full register. It is used for elections and referendums. Electoral registration officers and returning officers use it, and political parties, MPs and public libraries may hold it. Local authorities, the police for law enforcement and the courts for jury summons also use it. The ICO says it is published once a year and updated every month, and that sharing its contents without a lawful reason is a crime.

The open (edited) register. It contains the same information but is not used for elections or referendums. The ICO says it can be sold to any person, organisation or company for a wide range of purposes, including direct marketing firms and online directory firms.

You are included unless you opt out

The ICO says your details are included by default unless you indicate otherwise.

How to opt out

You can ask your local electoral registration officer to remove your details at any time. Include your full name and address, and you can make the request in writing, by email or by phone. When you register online or on paper in England, Scotland or Wales you can opt out at the same time. In Northern Ireland you must use a hard copy form.

Your preference carries forward, so you do not need to restate it every year.

Will opting out affect me?

• Voting. The ICO says removing your details from the open register will not affect your right to vote.
• The full register. Opting out only changes your open register status. You remain on the full register. A council page makes the same point: to remove your name from the electoral register itself you must contact the elections team.
• Credit checks. The ICO says credit reference agencies may buy the full register, and lenders can use it to verify names and addresses and to support identity checks.

If registering could put you at risk

If registration could put you or someone you live with at risk, the ICO says you can apply for anonymous registration.

What the open register has to do with your footprint

Lists like this are one of the ways your name and address reach marketing databases and people-search sites. Opting out cuts one source. It does not remove existing listings. Read what data brokers are and how to opt out of people-search websites.

Other UK steps

Cut junk post with the Mailing Preference Service and cold calls with the Telephone Preference Service. If a company holds your data, you can use your right to ask a UK organisation to erase it.