Open Register Opt Out: How to Take Your Name Off the UK’s For-Sale Register

To opt out of the open register, tell your local council’s electoral registration office that you don’t want your details included. You can tick the opt-out box when you register to vote online on gov.uk, or contact the electoral registration office directly if you’re already registered. Opting out only removes you from the version of the register that anyone can buy. You stay on the full electoral register, so it doesn’t affect your right to vote.

The open register is one of the quieter ways a UK home address ends up in marketing lists and people-search sites. This guide explains what the open register is, how the open register opt out works, what it can’t undo, and the other steps worth taking at the same time.

The full register versus the open register

Every person registered to vote in the UK appears on the electoral register. There are two versions of it, and the difference matters for your privacy.

	Full electoral register	Open register
Who is on it	Everyone registered to vote	Everyone registered to vote, except people who have opted out
Who can use it	Only for purposes set out in law, such as running elections, preventing and detecting crime, checking credit applications and summoning juries	Anyone who buys a copy, for any lawful purpose
Typical buyers	Election officials, political parties, police, credit reference agencies	Marketing companies, data brokers, directory and people-search services, and other businesses
Can you opt out?	No, if you want to vote	Yes, at any time

In Northern Ireland the equivalent list is usually called the edited register and is run by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) rather than local councils. The principle is the same.

The open register is sometimes called the edited register in other parts of the UK too. Whatever the name, it’s the version sold commercially, and your name and address are on it by default unless you opt out.

Why the open register matters for your privacy

Because the open register can be bought by anyone, your name and address can travel a long way from the council that collected them. Businesses buy it to build mailing lists, check addresses and enrich customer databases. Directory and people-search services can combine it with other sources to show where someone lives, who else lives there and how long they’ve been at the address.

For most people that means more junk mail. For some it’s a real safety issue: someone leaving an abusive relationship, a person being harassed or stalked, a public-facing professional who gets angry messages, or anyone whose job makes them a target. If you’re in that group, the open register opt out is one of the easiest protective steps you can take, and there are stronger options described below.

How to opt out of the open register

There are two main routes, depending on whether you’re already registered to vote.

If you’re registering to vote

1. Go to the official register to vote service on gov.uk. Use the gov.uk site itself; you never need to pay a third party to register.
2. Fill in your details as normal.
3. When the form asks whether you want your name and address included in the open register, choose the option to leave them out.
4. Submit the form. Your council’s electoral registration office processes it and may contact you to confirm your identity.

Gov.uk says you can use the register to vote service even if you’re already registered, so this route can also work as a way to change your open register choice.

If you’re already registered

1. Find your local council’s electoral registration office. The gov.uk site has a postcode lookup that gives you the right contact details. In Northern Ireland, contact EONI.
2. Contact the office by its preferred method, which may be an online form, email, letter or phone.
3. Give your full name and address and say clearly that you want to be removed from the open register. If other adults in the household also want to opt out, each person usually needs to make their own request, since the choice is individual.
4. Keep a copy of your request and any reply confirming the change.

You’ll also see the open register question on the household forms councils send out during the annual canvass. Check what you tick there, so you don’t opt back in by accident.

When the opt-out takes effect

Once your electoral registration office has processed the request, your details are left out of future versions of the open register. Councils publish updates to the register during the year, and your change is reflected when the next update is produced. Your council can tell you when that will be.

The important limit is this: opting out doesn’t recall copies that have already been sold. A company that bought an earlier version of the open register may still hold your name and address in its own database. That’s why the next section matters.

What opting out won’t remove

• Existing marketing lists. Businesses that bought older copies may keep using them. You can ask them to stop.
• People-search and directory sites. Sites that already show your address won’t update automatically. Each one has to be dealt with directly.
• Other public records. Your address can also appear through Companies House filings, Land Registry records, planning applications, court listings and old news stories. The open register opt out doesn’t touch any of these.
• Search engine results. Pages that already show your address stay in Google until they change or are removed.

If your address appears on company filings because you’re a director or run a small business from home, our guide on how to remove your address from Companies House covers that separately.

Following up with companies that already have your details

UK data protection law gives you rights over how companies use your personal data. If a business holds your details from the open register, you can generally object to it using them for direct marketing, and you can ask for your data to be erased where the conditions apply. A short written request is usually enough.

Hello, I recently opted out of the open register. Please stop using my personal data for direct marketing and erase my name and address from your records where you have no other legal reason to keep them. Please confirm when this is done. Name: [your name]. Address: [the address you hold for me].

Our guides to the UK GDPR and the right to erasure explain what these rights cover and when a company can refuse. If a company ignores you, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, as explained in our guide to making an ICO complaint.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. Priya moves to a new flat in Leeds after a difficult break-up. She registers to vote and, a few months later, her former partner turns up at her door. She finds her new address on a directory website that lets anyone search by name.

1. She contacts her council’s electoral registration office and asks to be removed from the open register, and asks about anonymous registration because she’s worried about her safety.
2. She submits removal requests to the directory site and two people-search sites that list her, using each site’s own opt-out process.
3. She sends an objection and erasure request to a marketing company whose leaflets started arriving at the new address.
4. She searches her name in Google weekly. When one of the directory pages is taken down but still shows in results, she asks Google to refresh the outdated result.
5. Because her ex has shown up in person, she also reports it to the police and keeps a record of every contact.

The open register opt out was the first step, not the whole fix. Its value was in stopping her address from being sold again in future.

Anonymous registration if you’re at risk

If your safety, or the safety of someone in your household, would be at risk if your name and address were known, opting out of the open register may not be enough. The UK has a separate anonymous registration scheme that keeps your name and address off the full register as well, while still letting you vote.

Anonymous registration usually needs supporting evidence, such as a relevant court order or an attestation from a qualifying official, for example a senior police officer or certain other professionals. Your electoral registration office can explain what it needs. If you’re dealing with stalking, harassment or domestic abuse, our help resources page lists support organizations, and a specialist adviser can help you plan the safest order of steps.

Other ways to reduce what’s public about your address

The open register is one source among many. A practical clean-up usually includes:

• Opting out of people-search and directory sites one by one. Our guide on how to remove your address from the internet covers the main routes.
• Using Google’s removal options for results that show your home address alongside your contact details, where they qualify.
• Checking Companies House, charity and professional registers if you appear on them.
• Reviewing old social media posts and profiles that mention your street, neighborhood or house.
• Asking family members not to post photos that show your front door or house number.

If your address or personal details are spread across many sites and you want help working out what can realistically be removed, our content removal service can look at it with you.

Common mistakes

• Thinking opting out means you can’t vote. It doesn’t. You stay on the full register.
• Assuming it removes your address everywhere. It only affects future copies of the open register.
• Ticking the wrong box on the annual canvass form. Check the open register question every time you update your registration.
• Opting out only for yourself. Other adults at the address need to make their own choice, or their names still point to the property.
• Paying a website to register or opt out. Registering to vote and opting out through your council are free. Be wary of sites that charge for either.

Frequently asked questions

Does opting out of the open register affect my credit score?

No. Credit reference agencies use the full electoral register, which you stay on after opting out. Being on the full register is what helps lenders confirm your address.

Can I opt out of the open register at any time?

Yes. You can ask your local electoral registration office to remove you whenever you like, not only when you first register. The change applies from the next update of the register.

Will opting out stop junk mail?

It helps over time, because your details won’t be included in copies sold in future. Companies that already bought an earlier copy may keep mailing you until you ask them to stop, and the Mailing Preference Service can reduce addressed marketing mail too.

Is the open register the same as the edited register?

Yes, they’re two names for the same thing: the version of the electoral register that can be sold. In Northern Ireland it’s usually called the edited register and is managed by EONI.

Does opting out remove me from 192.com and similar sites?

Not automatically. Sites that already hold your details need a separate removal request. Opting out mainly stops your details from being included in future copies they might buy.