Tynwald – the Parliament of the Isle of Man

Crown Dependency

The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown Dependency. This means that the constitutional relationship of the Isle of Man with the United Kingdom is maintained through the Crown, the British Monarch.

Tynwald and the Branches

The High Court of Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man and has an unlimited, but not necessarily exclusive, legislative competence. It has two Branches, the Legislative Council and the House of Keys. Today the Branches sit alone primarily to consider legislation, and sit together as Tynwald Court to consider matters of policy and finance. In most cases whilst in Tynwald Court, the Branches still vote separately.

The business of Tynwald Court is set out in Order and Question Papers, decisions are recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and the full record of everything said is set out in the Official Report known as Hansard.

More information: https://www.tynwald.org.im/business

Isle of Man Government

The Chief Minister is the head of the Executive, known as the Council of Ministers. The Chief Minister is elected by and from the Members of the House of Keys following a General Election. The Chief Minister then selects other Members to be Ministers of the Government Departments; together they form the Council of Ministers.

Other Members of Tynwald may also be Members of Departments. They assist the Minister in their role.

More information: https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/

Tynwald Day

Each year Tynwald Members participate at the Tynwald Day Ceremony at St John's. After a religious service in the Royal Chapel, the Members of Tynwald process to Tynwald Hill, one of the ancient open-air sites of Tynwald. By statute, each Act of Tynwald must be promulgated on Tynwald Hill within eighteen months of enactment or it ceases to have effect. Promulgation of the Acts takes place on Tynwald Day and the promulgation is certified at the sitting of Tynwald at St John's.

Tynwald Day is usually celebrated on 5th July  but if Tynwald Day occurs on a Saturday or Sunday, the Tynwald Ceremony is normally held on the following Monday.

 
Representation

There are 35 members of Tynwald Court. 24 Members of the House of Keys are directly elected by the people of the Isle of Man to represent their interests in the parliament and the government. Although the Members of the Legislative Council are not directly elected, they also represent the people of the Isle of Man.

More information: https://www.tynwald.org.im/members-officers

General Election

2026 is election year in the Isle of Man, with voting taking place to elect 24 Members of the House of Keys. Polling in the General Election scheduled to take place between 8am and 8pm on Thursday 24th September 2026.

Voting

The electoral register is a list of all the people that are eligible to vote in elections in the Isle of Man. It is a legal requirement for someone to individually register themselves when they qualify to do so and to also to ensure that their personal data is updated so as to be current.

The electoral register includes your name, address and an electoral number that is unique to you. To enable you to take part in elections in the Isle of Man you must be registered.

You qualify to register to vote if you:

• Have reached the age of 16 years,
• have had your usual place of abode in the Isle of Man for the preceding 12 months and;
• are not subject to any legal incapacity to vote

If, when you are registered there are any differences in your circumstances e.g. you change address, then you must also ensure that you update your information as soon as you can.

Registration can be done online at https://services.gov.im/electoral-register

If you are unable to register online, other support can be provided. Contact the Crown and Elections Team on 01624 685754.

More information: https://www.gov.im/vote