Registering to vote in 2028? Here’s what you need to know

MANILA, Philippines — Planning to vote in the 2028 elections but have yet to register? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you complete your voter registration, including the qualifications, requirements and documents you need to prepare.

Step 1: Ensure your eligibility

To register as a voter, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Be at least 18 years old on or before election day on May 8, 2028. This means applicants must have been born on or before May 8, 2010.
• Have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place where they intend to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the elections.
• Not be disqualified by law from registering as a voter.

Eligible Filipinos may file applications at their local Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices and designated registration sites.

The poll body is accepting applications for first-time registration, transfer of registration records, reactivation of deactivated records, and correction or updating of personal information.

Step 2: Prepare the necessary documents

Applicants must bring at least one valid identification document, along with its original copy and a photocopy.

The ID must bear the applicant’s photograph, full name and address. Comelec accepts the following documents:

• National ID card
• Senior citizen ID card
• Postal ID card
• Student ID or library card signed by a school authority
• PWD ID card
• Land Transportation Office (LTO) driver’s license or student permit
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
• Philippine passport
• Social Security System (SSS) or Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) ID, or other Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID)
• Integrated Bar of the Philippines ID card
• Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license
• Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, for members of Indigenous Cultural Communities or Indigenous Peoples
• Other valid government-issued IDs that meet Comelec’s requirements

An electronic Philippine Identification (ePhilID) may also be presented, provided it can be accessed through the eGovPH app.

READ: Comelec says barangay residency certificate, cedula not valid IDs

Comelec reminds applicants that barangay residency certificates, community tax certificates or cedulas, police clearances and company IDs are not accepted as proof of identity or residency.

Applicants who do not have any of the accepted identification documents may instead be identified under oath by either:

• A registered voter in the precinct where they intend to register; or
• A relative within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity, such as a parent, sibling or cousin.

Each registered voter or qualified relative may serve as a guarantor for up to three applicants only.

Step 3: Proceed to a registration site

Applicants may register at the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) with jurisdiction over the area where they intend to register or update their registration records.

Other designated registration venues include satellite offices, mall registration sites, the Special Registration Anywhere/Anytime Program (SRAP) and the Registration Anywhere Program.

Registration sites are open from Tuesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The sites are also open Saturdays and holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Step 4: Complete the registration process

Before visiting a registration site, applicants may download and complete the application form from the Comelec website. The form must be printed back-to-back on legal-size paper.

At the registration site, applicants will undergo the following procedures:

• Interview and verification — Comelec personnel will interview applicants to verify the information provided in their application forms.
• Encoding of information — Personnel will encode the applicants’ demographic information.
• Biometrics capture — Applicants will have their photographs, fingerprints and other required biometric information recorded.
• Oath-taking — Applicants will take an oath before the Election Officer.
• Issuance of acknowledgment receipt — Applicants will receive a receipt as proof that they have filed their applications.

The applications will then undergo the necessary evaluation and approval process before applicants are officially included in the voters’ list.

The voter registration period runs from Nov. 10, 2026, to July 30, 2027. Comelec encourages eligible Filipinos to take advantage of the registration period and complete their applications before the deadline. /ms

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