Press release no. 18/24 of 26. April 2024
2024 European election: right to vote of Germans living abroad
WIESBADEN – Germans who permanently live abroad and no longer have a place of residence in Germany may also vote in the European election on 9 June 2024. The Federal Returning Officer reports that to do so they must meet the conditions laid down in electoral legislation and
- either have had an abode or have otherwise been habitually resident in the territories of the other European Union Member States for a minimum of three months on election day, wherein time spent in the Federal Republic of Germany immediately before the election is considered in the three-month period,
- or have had an abode or have been habitually resident in the Federal Republic of Germany for a minimum of three months without interruption after reaching the age of 14, provided that this stay took place within the last 25 years,
- or, for other reasons, have become familiar, personally and directly, with the political situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and are affected by it.
Germans who live abroad on a permanent basis and wish to vote in Germany in the 2024 European election must have their names entered in good time in the electoral register of the municipality in Germany where they last lived. For this purpose, they are required to complete a form, affirming in lieu of an oath that they are entitled to vote. This form is available on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.
The application for inclusion in the electoral register must bear the applicant's personal handwritten signature, and the original must be submitted to the appropriate municipality. It must not be sent by e-mail or fax. The relevant municipal authority in Germany must receive the application by 19 May 2024 at the latest. This deadline cannot be extended. Therefore the completed application should be sent to the relevant municipality as early as possible.
Once on the electoral register, Germans living abroad will receive the postal ballot documents from their municipality approximately one month before election day.
Voters must return the completed postal ballot documents (polling card with affirmation in lieu of an oath and ballot paper in the sealed ballot paper envelope) to the authority indicated on the official return envelope in good time so that the postal ballot return letter reaches the authority by the close of polls at 6 p.m. on election day (9 June 2024) at the latest.
Some diplomatic missions of the Federal Republic of Germany abroad offer a forwarding service for postal ballot return letters from the foreign country to Germany. For more information, please contact the mission abroad directly or see the website of the Federal Returning Officer.
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