We've mentioned it briefly already, but you'll need valid photo ID to vote today.

Since May 2023, voters have had to show a valid form of photo ID at polling stations to vote in person at most elections.

There are 22 acceptable forms of ID in England, Scotland and Wales, including passports, driving licences, older or disabled person's bus passes and Oyster 60+ cards.

Voters in England, Scotland and Wales whose ID has been lost or stolen can apply for an emergency proxy vote, external - that is someone to vote on your behalf - until 17:00 today. Both you and your proxy must be registered to vote.

The rules are different in Northern Ireland, external, where voters have had to show photo ID since 2003.

Read more on what photo ID you need to vote here.

Nathan Williams
Live page editor

Image source, Reuters

After a six-week election campaign, it's over to you to decide: polls are now open across the country.

Millions of you will be able to choose your new MPs at 40,000 polling stations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

And remember, for the first time in a UK general election, if you're casting your ballot in person you will need to bring photo ID.

Polls will remain open until 22:00 BST - and then counting will begin straight away. We're expecting the first seat declarations an hour after that. You'll be able to follow live coverage throughout today, overnight and into the weekend right here.

As we mentioned earlier, while polls are open the BBC is restricted about what we can report - essentially we can't report on any of the campaigns. We can talk about politicians popping up at polling stations. And the weather. And dogs (at said polling stations).

What matters most is how many "seats" - constituencies - each party wins.

For things to change in Parliament, political parties need to win seats from each other.

Because winning seats from each other is so important, a special language is used to show this.

Seats that are won fall into two categories: hold or gain.

• Hold: If a party wins a seat that the notional results show they would have won in 2019, this is described as a "hold"
• Gain: If a party wins a seat that the notional results show they would not have won in 2019, this is called a "gain".

Image source, Getty Images

Do I need my polling card to vote? No, but it might speed up the process.

Do I have to take a valid photo ID? Yes, valid types are listed here, external.

What about taking a selfie? You’re not allowed to take photos inside a polling station but can do so outside.

Can I bring my pet? Animals, apart from assistance dogs, are not usually allowed in polling stations (they can be left outside), but other dogs can be admitted at the discretion of the local authority.

I've been drinking - can I vote? People who have been drinking or are drunk can vote, unless they are disruptive.

Finally, do I have to vote? Voting in UK elections is not compulsory. It is entirely up to you whether or not to vote.

Read more here: polling stations dos and don'ts

After the polls close at 22:00 BST, ballot boxes for the 650 constituencies are taken from polling stations to counting centres and counts begin immediately.

The first seats declare some time close to 23:00 and the vast majority are declared before 09:00 on Friday morning.

We estimate 20 results will come in before 02:00 and the pace will pick up after that.

Between 02:00 and 04:00 there will be 325 seats declared and between 04:00 and 06:00 another 275. The last few results come in later on Friday morning.

It is hard to say when we will know if any party has won the election, with enough MPs elected to form a majority in the House of Commons.

If a party wins in 326 constituencies - that's just over half the number of seats in the Commons - it will have gained a majority.

It depends on how close the contest is, but it is likely to be sometime after 03:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

This is the first time since December 2019 that the whole country has a say on who will sit as MPs in the House of Commons and which party will form the next government.

Ballot boxes will open at 07:00 BST across the UK and you can cast your vote until 22:00.

At that point, counting begins immediately and we’ll get an exit poll - which is used to estimate the election result before all the votes are counted.

The first seats will be declared some time close to 23:00 - but we'll know most by 09:00 tomorrow.

Ric Bailey
BBC chief adviser, politics

The BBC, like other broadcasters, isn't allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are open on the day of the general election.

Today, we won't report on any of the election campaigns from 06:00 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio or bbc.co.uk, or on social media and other channels.

However, online sites don't have to remove archived reports, including, for instance, programmes on iPlayer.

The lists of candidates, as well as the manifesto guides, remain available online during polling day.

Coverage of what's happening on the day will usually be restricted to uncontroversial factual accounts, such as the appearance of politicians at polling stations or the weather.

It'll tend to focus on giving information that will help voters with the process of going to polling stations.

You can read more about this here.

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and thanks for joining our live coverage as we wait for the polls to open in the UK general election.

Polling stations in 650 constituencies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will open at 07:00 BST.

Our coverage is going to be a bit different today. That's because the BBC, like other broadcasters, is limited in what can be reported when the polls are open. Expect speeches to be replaced by pictures of dogs at polling stations.

But we’ve still got lots to bring you throughout the day until the polls close at 22:00 - including all you need to know about voting and when we can expect the results.

Just 15 hours, countless cups of coffee and stacks of sweets until we get the all-important exit poll. Here we go!