Please note that you may exercise your right to vote only once.

German citizens may either

1. exercise their right to vote in the Federal Republic of Germany upon application, if they have lived for at least three months in the territories of the other European Union member states

or

2. participate in the European election in their member state of residence.

In that case, the regulations of the member state apply. For more information please contact the competent agency of the member state you live in.

Information on member states of the European Union is provided on the official website of the European Union.

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Germans permanently living abroad who are not disqualified from voting are entitled to go to the polls if,

1. after reaching the age of 14 (which means from their 14^th birthday), they were either resident in the Federal Republic of Germany for an uninterrupted period of at least three months and this stay dates back not more than 25 years

or

2. for other reasons, they have become familiar, personally and directly, with the political situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and are affected by it.

You must have become “familiar” personally “with the political situation” in the Federal Republic of Germany directly and because of what you have experienced. Passively participating in communication, for instance by consuming German-language media abroad, does not suffice.

Your being “affected by the political situation” may result from the fact that you are currently subject to German sovereignty, but it is not restricted to that.

The municipal authority in charge decides whether someone is eligible to vote. An objection to this decision may be lodged in writing with the municipal authority or it may be dictated. A complaint about the decision then taken may be lodged with the district returning officer.

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You may download the application form from this webpage as pdf file. It contains an information leaflet with instructions for completing the form.

Application form:

Application for entry in the voters’ register for Germans living abroad

Printed application forms will be available about half a year before the election from the diplomatic and full-time consular missions of the Federal Republic of Germany abroad, from the district and town returning officers in the Federal Republic of Germany and from the Bundeswahlleiterin (Federal Returning Officer).

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For Germans without a place of residence in the Federal Republic of Germany, the municipality in charge is the one they were last registered with before moving abroad.

A municipal authority in Berlin (‘Bezirksamt Mitte’) is responsible for German expatriates who have never lived in the domestic territory for a minimum of three months.

For the address of the respective municipal authority (except Hamburg and Berlin) please refer to the official List of Municipalities of the Federal Statistical Office or the homepage of your municipality. In Hamburg and Berlin, the authority in charge is the “Bezirksamt”.

The application has to bear the applicant’s personal handwritten signature; its original must be submitted to the competent municipal authority. The application must not be sent by e-mail or fax.

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The application for entry into the voters’ register must have been received by the municipality in charge in Germany on the 21^st day before election at the latest (= 19 May 2024). This period cannot be extended.

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Usually, the municipalities do not confirm receipt of the application by post. Your application for entry into the voters’ register also is an application for a polling card to be issued. You will automatically receive the postal ballot documents together with the polling card.

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A ballot-box poll at the German missions would involve disproportionate effort for the missions and especially for German expatriates who are entitled to vote. For most of them it is much easier to cast their votes by postal ballot than at embassies or consulates as they might have to travel long distances to get to these German missions.

In addition, polling would have to end earlier than in Germany or delays be accepted when the provisional election result is established.

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Germans living abroad may support a nomination of a party or political association with their supporting signature subject to the same conditions as persons entitled to vote who live in Germany.

As any other supporter, they must be eligible to vote for a list for all Länder in the federal territory or for a list for an individual Land in the respective Land. Therefore, to be able to vote in the European Parliament election in the first place, they have to file an application for entry in the voters’ register of the municipality where they had their last registered main residence before moving abroad.

After checking, the municipal authority of that municipality can confirm on the official form for supporting signatures (Annexes 14 of the European Electoral Regulations) that the German living abroad has the right to vote. There are no separate forms for that purpose.

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This is the only way to ensure that current addresses are available for the mailing of postal voting documents. Such documents could only be posted automatically without prior application if the correct foreign addresses of those entitled to vote were known to the German authorities in charge before each election.

German expatriates are not obliged to inform the German authorities about residential moves, births of children, or deaths. Consequently, the population register data are not reliable. Part of the postal ballot documents sent by post may not be received by the addressees when addresses have changed or they may even fall into the wrong hands.

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You may register with the Federal Foreign Office to be on a ‘List of Germans’ and provide an e-mail address.

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/-krisenvorsorgeliste/387662

Another option would be leaving your address abroad with the registration authority of the municipality where your last main residence was.

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