The British Embassy in Paris is supporting the Electoral Commission’s Overseas Voter Registration Day (#OVRD), a special day of activity designed to encourage British expatriates in France and around the world to register to vote ahead of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

A referendum on the EU is due to take place before the end of 2017. As the Prime Minister has said this will be “the most important decision the British people will have to take at the ballot box in our lifetimes”.

With the exact date still to be decided, the British Embassy in Paris is encouraging British expatriates in France to register as soon as possible. There are approximately half a million Brits living in France, many of whom are eligible to vote, and it is important that your voices are heard in the forthcoming EU referendum.

To register, you must have been registered to vote before you left the UK and have lived abroad for less than 15 years. It really only takes five minutes (the time it takes to boil an egg or to eat a croissant) and can be done online now at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

While today is not the only day British expatriates can register, it is an ideal moment for you to raise awareness of #OVRD among other Brits and to encourage them to register.

If you’re a Brit in France (or elsewhere in the world) – #YourVoteMatters! So don’t forget to register to vote.