“From 3 November onwards” voters in Scottish Parliament and council elections will be able to apply online for postal or proxy votes, Minister Graeme Dey told MSPs. For northern families with work, study or care ties across the border, that’s a change worth clocking now. (parliament.scot)

The Absent Voting (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 and a linked Order open up the UK Government’s online absent vote application service (OAVA) to devolved polls. The system goes live on 3 November 2026 and moves records to a single digital account per voter across elections. (parliament.scot)

Important caveat for this spring: the online route will not be in place for the Holyrood vote on Thursday 7 May 2026. For that election, applications stay paper‑based. The Electoral Commission lists 5pm Tuesday 21 April for postal vote applications, 5pm Tuesday 28 April for standard proxies, and 5pm on polling day for emergency proxies. (electoralcommission.org.uk)

Identity checks tighten in tandem with the move online. Applicants will normally give a National Insurance number; where that isn’t possible, other evidence or an attestation can be used, with details checked against Department for Work and Pensions records via the UK service-mirroring the model used at UK elections. (parliament.scot)

Postal votes for devolved elections will roll onto a three‑year renewal cycle. The era of open‑ended postal votes ends; after three years, voters will need to reapply to keep arrangements in place. (parliament.scot)

Ministers confirmed the system “can hold only one matching absent voting record” per person across elections. Where someone currently has, say, a postal vote for Westminster and a proxy for Holyrood, electoral registration officers will contact them to align records. If there’s no response, “the UK Parliament record will prevail” and the devolved arrangement may lapse. (parliament.scot)

This tidy‑up follows confusion flagged last year. Around 75,000 voters were due to be asked for fresh signatures ahead of May 2026; ministers pushed that exercise into 2027 to reduce mixed messages as the online service expands. (parliament.scot)

What does this mean up here? Cross‑border lives are common-from Berwick and north Northumberland folk renting in Eyemouth to students from Newcastle or Leeds in Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you’re on the Scottish register, expect contact about aligning any postal/proxy set‑up and make sure your address is current well before autumn. (parliament.scot)

Administrators are already gearing up. Parliament’s report points to a one‑off cost in the region of £1m to adapt the shared online service, split with Wales. The Minister told MSPs the Electoral Commission is preparing guidance ahead of the 3 November switch‑on. (parliament.scot)

Practical next steps: if you vote in Scotland or have recently moved north, check you’re on the right roll, keep your NI number handy for applications, and plan for a three‑year renewal rhythm. For the 7 May election it’s still paper forms-remember the 21 April and 28 April cut‑offs, with emergency proxies to 5pm on polling day. (electoralcommission.org.uk)