Participation in elections to the European Parliament

Participation in elections to the European Parliament

EU citizens from other EU Member States can vote either in their country of origin, depending on their electoral law, either by postal vote or by ballot box in their diplomatic missions abroad, or in the Federal Republic of Germany.

EU citizens from other EU member states who are voting in Germany for the first time must register on the electoral roll for the European elections. The application should be submitted as early as possible. It must be received by the German municipality of residence by the 21st day before the election at the latest.

You will then be entered on the electoral roll for future elections to the European Parliament. This is valid until you move to another member state or until you apply to have your entry removed.

EU citizens from other EU member states should contact their German municipality of residence to let them know where they will be voting in the European Parliament elections.

Voting is not compulsory in Germany.

EU citizens from other EU Member States who are candidates in the European Parliament elections must declare that they are not standing for election in any other country and that they are not excluded from the right to stand as a candidate.

In Germany, Members of the European Parliament are elected on the basis of list nominations. The nominations must be submitted to the Federal Returning Officer by political parties or other political associations. Several documents must be submitted together with the list nominations, including a form with the aforementioned declarations for candidates from other EU member states (no candidacy in another member state, no exclusion from the right to stand as a candidate). Forms are available from the respective Land returning officer or the Federal Returning Officer.

European elections 2024

From June 6 to 9, 2024, the European Parliament will be elected for the 10th time by the citizens of the European Union. The Federal Government has set June 9, 2024 as the election date for the European elections in Germany. The minimum age for voting in European elections has been lowered from 18 to 16 for the first time for the 2024 election.

All Germans within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law and all nationals of the other Member States of the European Union (EU citizens) resident in Germany who have reached the age of 16 on election day are eligible to vote.

Germans abroad

Germans living abroad who are not registered in Germany are referred to as Germans living abroad. They are not automatically included in the electoral roll. Only those who are entered in a voters' register can vote. Therefore, if Germans living abroad wish to vote in European elections, they must submit a formal application for entry in the electoral roll before each election.

German citizens can either:

• exercise their right to vote by submitting an application in the Federal Republic of Germany, or
• participate in the European elections in their Member State of residence, provided that this is a member of the EU. In this case, the provisions of the respective member state apply. For further information, it is recommended that you contact the competent authority in the Member State of residence.

Otherwise, German nationals outside the EU must apply to be entered on the electoral roll.

Requirements

In order to vote or stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament in Germany, the following requirements must be met:

• Citizenship of an EU member state
• Residence in Germany
• be 16 years of age by election day
• permanent residence in Germany or the other EU member states for at least 3 months.
• No exclusion from the right to vote or to stand as a candidate

What documents do I need?

• Not applicable