Want to vote in the general election? You MUST be registered by Monday

Prime Minister Theresa May's call for a general election means the UK will go to the polls on Thursday 8 June.

You're eligible to vote in next month's general election if:

• You're a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen aged 18 or over currently living in the UK.

• You're a British citizen aged 18 or over who's been registered to vote in the UK in the past 15 years.

However, simply being eligible to vote doesn't mean you're actually able to – you have to register (see below) by 11.59pm on 22 May, otherwise you won't be able to.

This year we're working with campaigning organisation Bite The Ballot to encourage 18 to 24-year-olds – the age category least likely to participate in elections – to register to vote.

You can search for #TurnUp on social media to see more of this campaign in action.

How to register

Check if you're registered to vote by getting in touch with your local authority. Enter your postcode on Gov.uk to find your local electoral registration office and contact it directly.

If you were registered for last June's Brexit referendum or for the local elections on 4 May this year, AND you still live at the same address, you should already be registered to vote – but if not, you need to register by Monday 22 May.

If you're not on the electoral roll, visit Gov.uk to register to vote in England, Scotland and Wales. Registering online takes about three minutes.

Or you can download a form to register by post, which you'll need to send to your local electoral registration office, but make sure it arrives by 22 May.

To register in Northern Ireland, visit the Your Vote Matters website to download the form and return it to your local area electoral office.

Why is it important to register to vote?

We've got five key reasons why you should register to vote if you haven't done so already:

We've also got a little more information on why it's so essential to register to vote if you want a good credit score. Plus we've the lowdown on accessing your credit report to see how your credit score stacks up, for free.

'Have a say in the biggest consumer decision of the year, so you and your generation won't be ignored'

The UK's leading consumer rights campaigner Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert.com founder, gave us his view of why you should register to vote, whatever your age.

Postal and proxy votes

If you're already registered to vote in person and you wish to switch to a postal vote or a proxy vote (where a voter nominates a trusted person to cast a vote on their behalf) in time for the general election, there are separate deadlines for changing your voting method.

To switch to a postal vote, you'll need to register by 5pm on Tuesday 23 May. If you're opting for a proxy vote, the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 31 May.

If you're in England, Scotland or Wales, you can change your voting preferences by downloading a postal vote or proxy vote form from Gov.uk. To do this in Northern Ireland, different forms are required.