MPs from across the political spectrum voted 522-13 for a return to the polls - well above the two-thirds majority required under British law.
May formally notified the European Union on March 29 of Britain's intention to leave, and has said she is confident of reaching a deal on the terms of withdrawal in the two years available.
Now that lawmakers have approved the election, Parliament will be dissolved at midnight on May 2, 25 working days before election day.
But May won the day with a commanding majority.
An early ballot, which May wants to hold June 8, will give the prime minister - or her replacement - more time to implement Brexit before another election.
Calling a snap election is a risk, as Robert Muldoon found in 1984.
Matt Brief, head of dealing at IG, said: "This seven week campaign is set to be unlike any other previous election".
Brexit will dominate the campaign, with May - who took office after David Cameron resigned following the European Union vote - seeking public backing for her plan to pull Britain out of Europe's single market.
Downing Street said the June election will not affect May's Brexit timetable.
During the exchanges in the House, Corbyn sought to turn the debate to non-Brexit issues such as health, employment, funding cuts and education, while May and her party's focus was on Brexit. Her plan comes as the main opposition Labour Party faces record lows in approval ratings.
Britain urges North Korea to stop nuclear weapons drive
The official said plans could change in the unlikely event a North Korean missile targets South Korea, Japan or US territory. North Korean schoolgirls perform at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace on Friday, April 14, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea .
Elections took place in May 2015 and were not expected until May 2020. The snap elections will likely shift those numbers to 389 seats for the Conservative Party and just 170 seats for the Labour Party.
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall accused May of putting party politics ahead of the national interest - but the party now does not have any MPs in the House of Commons.
British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone Tuesday with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
"I believe that at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in Westminster, not division", May told the parliament. The election would enable the parties to "make our respective cases to the country and then to respect the result and the mandate it provides to give Britain the strongest possible hand in the negotiations to come".
"We will announce more details in due course".
"There isn't time to organise a formal progressive alliance", she said.
There has been widespread public support for Monday's decision, while political experts have given mixed responses.
Earlier, Mr Corbyn dismissed Mrs May's argument that she needs a fresh mandate to deliver Brexit, and said it was "extremely interesting" that she had chosen to call an election as the Crown Prosecution Service prepares to decide whether to press charges against a string of Tory MPs over allegations relating to 2015 general election expenses. "The election will be dominated by Brexit, and the Labour Party will have to finally clarify its position".
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