Register of voters (European elections) - Apply for registration of EU citizens living in Germany

You can only exercise your right to vote if you are entered in the electoral roll. An official electoral roll is kept for each electoral district.

Please note: If you have been entered in the electoral roll since the European elections in 1999 or a later European election, you do not need to submit a new application. This only applies if you have lived in Germany without interruption since you were registered.

You can only vote once in the European elections.

Prerequisite

You assume that you are entitled to vote in the European elections and are not taking part in the election in any other EU member state.

You are entitled to vote if you

  • Are a national or citizen of another EU member state,
  • are at least 16 years old on election day,
  • have a home in Germany or otherwise usually reside in Germany and
  • have been resident or otherwise ordinarily resident in Germany or in the other member states of the European Union (EU) for at least three months on election day and
  • are not excluded from the right to vote either in Germany or in their country of origin.

Responsible department

the municipality in which you have your home

if you have more than one home: the municipality in which you have your main home

Procedure

You must apply for registration in writing using a form with an affidavit.

You must sign the application in person and send the original to the relevant office.

E-mail or fax is not sufficient.

If you wish to vote in Germany, you must declare on oath that you are not voting in any other EU member state.

Note: If you are unable to submit the application yourself, you can get help from other people. This may be necessary, for example, if you cannot read or are physically impaired. The person helping you must then also sign the application and the declaration in lieu of an oath.

Deadlines

You must submit the application by 19 May 2024 (21st day before the election) at the latest.

Required documents

none

Costs

The corresponding postage will be charged for sending the application for entry in the electoral roll by post to the municipality.

Miscellaneous

If you move within Germany after submitting your application, the municipal administration of your old place of residence will decide on your application.

It will inform the municipal administration of your new place of residence of its decision as soon as possible.

Appeal

You can inspect the electoral roll from 20 May 2024 to 24 May 2024 (20th to 16th day before the election) during the opening hours of your municipality. Please note that 20 May 2024 (Whit Monday) is not a working day and it is not possible to inspect the electoral roll on this day.

If you have not been included in the electoral roll, you can lodge an objection within these five days. You can lodge your objection in writing or in person (for recording). You must enclose evidence with your objection that the electoral roll is obviously incorrect.

You will receive the decision on your objection no later than 10 days before the election, i.e. by 30 May 2024 at the latest.

Legal basis

Europawahlgesetz

Europawahlordnung

Release note

machine generated, based on the German release by: 26.02.2024 Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg