Whether it's Brexit or Remain, it will almost certainly be a long and nail-biting night as we wait to find out the outcome of the historic EU referendum on Thursday (June 23).

But just how late will we have to stay up? And what happens to our votes after we cast them?

Here's our guide on the whens, whats and wheres of this landmark vote.

When and where does voting take place?

Between 7am and 10pm at your designated polling station, which will be printed on your poll card.

Registered voters will be asked: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?".

The Electoral Commission has forecast that turnout could be as high as 80% so it may be wise to cast your vote sooner rather than later.

EU Referendum

The polls open in

What happens when the polls close?

Sealed ballot boxes will be collected from polling stations and taken to one of the 380 counting centres across the UK.

Each ballot will first be verified, so turnout can be announced by each centre, and then the counting will get underway.

When will Cheshire West declare?

The verification and count for Cheshire West will take place at Ellesmere Port Sports Village.

The estimated time for completing the verification of votes cast in the area is 3.30am, while the estimated time for the completion of the count is 5am.

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How will you be voting?

When and where will the overall result be declared?

The chair of the Electoral Commission and the referendum's chief counting officer Jenny Watson will declare the result right here in the North West, at Manchester Town Hall.

The majority of the local results should come in between 3am and 4am on Friday morning (June 24), but with some areas expected to declare as late as 7am, we probably won't know Britain's fate until after 7am.

So it may be a better idea to be the early bird who catches the worm by setting an early alarm rather than being a night owl so sleepy they may not be awake for the final declaration.

Will there be exit polls?

Unfortunately, no. Major broadcasters usually commission exit polls for general elections but that will not be the case for the EU referendum, because of fears about accuracy.

So it's just a waiting game for Jenny Watson to declare that final result.