Register a political party

Recent High Court decision - Hopper & Anor v State of Victoria

This page, including linked files, is under review following a recent High Court decision affecting Victoria’s political finance laws.

The information on this page may be impacted by this decision and may not be accurate.

We'll make these updates as soon as we can.

Read our statement on this matter

This page explains the steps to register a political party. We assess applications for registration under the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic).

To register a party, please read the information on this page. If you would like a briefing from us about the registration process and application requirements, please contact us at rppregistration@vec.vic.gov.au.

2026 state election

The deadline to apply to register a political party for the 2026 state election is Monday 1 June. Under new electoral laws soon to commence, the deadline to apply for registration as a political party is now closing 180 days before a general election. This deadline will also apply to existing registered political parties to apply to change their names or logos.

The new laws will also change the names and logos the VEC must refuse. This includes that the VEC cannot register:

  • a name that has been used by a registered party in the past 10 years
  • a name that resembles a name of a party in use in the past 10 years
  • a name or logo that suggests a connection or relationship between the party and another party that has been registered in the past 10 years.

This includes de-registered parties and former names and logos of registered parties.

The political party and previous party registers provide information about names and logos that are currently or have previously been in use.

On this page

Benefits of registration

A registered political party:

  • can have its name printed on ballot papers next to its candidates
  • can nominate all candidates and register how-to-vote cards through a central process, instead of with an individual election manager
  • can register its logo
  • can receive public funding
  • can access enrolment information for permitted uses. This does not include phone numbers or email addresses.

An unregistered party can still participate in elections but without these benefits.

How to register a party

You must apply in writing and include:

  • the name and address of the proposed registered officer. The registered officer manages the party's administration and is our main contact during the registration process
  • a copy of the party's constitution
  • a statutory declaration confirming the number of eligible members
  • a list of at least 500 eligible members, including names and enrolled addresses
  • an application fee of $840.50 (50 fee units at 1 July 2025).

Please read the Applicants handbook for the full party registration instructions. The full application checklist is in Appendix A of the Applicants handbook.

A party must show it has at least 500 eligible members. An eligible member is a person who is:

  • enrolled to vote in Victoria
  • a member of the proposed party according to any party rules
  • not a member of any other registered political party.

Each party must make sure its member list is correct and current. We do not fix incorrect member information.

Logo registration

Registering a logo is optional. To register a party logo you must:

  1. complete a logo application form
  2. send us the form with electronic copies of the logo.

Logo specifications are in Appendix D of the Applicants handbook.

We cannot register:

  • a name that has been used by a registered party in the past 10 years
  • a name that resembles a name that has been used by a registered party in the past 10 years
  • a name or logo that suggests a connection or relationship between the party and another party that has been registered in the past 10 years
  • acronyms suggesting a parliamentary office (MP, MLA, MLC).

This includes de-registered parties and former names and logos of registered parties.

The political party register provides information about names and logos that are currently or have previously been in use.

Some exceptions to these restrictions may apply under the law.  Parties should consider sections 47 and 47A of the Electoral Act before making an application.

Our assessment process

It can take a few months to assess your application. You can help by:

  • providing accurate and complete documents
  • encouraging your members to complete and return their response forms as soon as possible (step 3 below).

Step 1: application

Send your application for party registration and supporting documents to us.

We'll check all documents are valid and complete.

We may contact you if your documents are incomplete or need to be updated.

Step 2: consultation stage

We advertise valid applications in the Victoria Government Gazette, our website and through media releases. Members of the public can submit objections to applications.

Step 3: member verification

We contact people on the member list you provide and ask them to complete a form saying they are eligible members.

We must confirm the party has at least 500 eligible members and that the application meets all legislative requirements before registering it.

This step can sometimes take many months. You can help us with verification by reminding your members to complete this form.

Step 4: registration outcome

If we decide the party must be registered, we will:

  • notify you of the outcome
  • publish a notice in the Victorian Government Gazette and send a media release about the party's registration
  • notify anyone who objected to your application
  • update the register of political parties to include the party

If we decide a party must not be registered, we will notify you. You will not be able to reapply for 6 months.

Review of decisions

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) can review our decision to:

  • register a party
  • not register a party

You can apply to VCAT for a review within 28 days of our decision.

VCAT cannot review decisions between the day the writ is issued and the day it is returned.

Information for party members

Political parties share the personal information of their members so we can check each person is an eligible member.

We handle all personal information in line with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).

We do not share any individual responses we receive during the verification step with political parties. For more information, please visit our privacy page.

If you need to confirm your membership status, please contact the political party.

More information

For more information about the registration process, see our handbook or contact us at rppregistration@vec.vic.gov.au.

Registration of political parties handbook

Download the Applicants handbook for detailed registration instructions, application forms, checklists and more.

Political party registration forms