Know your voting rights as an EU citizen

Voters in Austria usually have to vote in a polling station at their principal place of residence.

Voters residing in Belgium have to vote in person at a designated polling station in the municipality where they have their official residential address. Every municipality has at least one polling station. Voting is compulsory for Belgian citizens. Failure to do so may entail the imposition of fines (€10 the first time and up to €25) and the loss of the right to vote for 10 years whenever the citizen fails to vote at least four times in 15 years

Voters in Bulgaria have to vote in person at the polling station of the municipality in which their permanent address is registered, as shown on their identity cards. Voting is compulsory in Bulgaria. However, since the Bulgarian Constitutional Court overturned the article containing sanctions for failing to vote in 2017, this obligation is virtually unenforced.

Voters in Croatia have to vote in person in a specific polling station based on their home address. The nearest polling booth can be identified at the website ( https://biraci.gov.hr/RegistarBiraca/ ) after the elections have been officially announced. Voting by mail, by proxy, and online is not possible.

Voters in Cyprus have to vote in person in a specific polling station based on their home address. Information about a person’s allocated polling station is published 15 days before the elections ( http://elections.gov.cy/moi/elections/elections.nsf/elections01ag_el/elections01ag_el?OpenDocument ). Voting is compulsory for nationals and also for non-Cypriots who are registered in Cyprus.

Voting takes place in person at polling stations in the municipal district in which the voter is registered.

Voters in Denmark have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address. The designated polling station is indicated on the ballot.

Voters in Estonia can vote in person on election day at the polling station that suits them best within their electoral district.

Voters in Finland can vote in person on election day at the polling station indicated in the electoral roll and on the notification card sent to them before the elections.

Voters in France have to vote in a specific polling station in the town hall of their municipality , based on their domicile , or their residen ce there for at least 6 months or on where they have been paying local taxes for the past 2 years. The commune or municipality where they will vote can be :

• the municipality where they are genuinely domiciled or have been living for at least the past 6 months without interruption;
• the municipality where they have been subject to paying local taxes for at least the past 2 years; in addition the spouse (but not the civil partner) can also register in that municipality according to this rule;
• the municipality where the company, of which they have been the director or the majority shareholder for at least two years, has been subject to local taxes for at least the past 2 years;
• for civil servants, their residence of a mandatory assignment.
• additional rules apply for military personnel, seafarers and those without a fixed domicile.

Voters in Greece have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address.

Voters may be informed about the polling station in which they have to vote by consulting the decision published by the respective Deputy Head of the Region at least 15 days after the start of the pre-election period, which is sent to the Municipalities within the Prefecture. Information about allocated polling stations is also published online on the website of the Ministry of the Interior  (www.ypes.gr/ no information is currently available).

Voters who live in Hungary have to vote in person in the polling station allocated according to the voter’s address and as indicated in the letter of notification.

Most voters have to vote in person at an official voting centre.

Voters can cast their vote in persons at the polling station corresponding to their registered address and indicated on the voting card.

Voters must vote in person at the polling station on election day, or alternatively in the days preceding the election when the polling station is open.

Voters are informed of their assigned polling station at least 70 days before election day by written notice sent to their residential address in Latvia.

Voters must vote in person at the polling station indicated on the poll card received from the Central Electoral Commission. In the event the voter has not received a poll card, the voter can also print their poll card from the government’s website.

Voters in Luxembourg have to vote in person in the main polling station based on their municipality of residence or at the voting locations set by a Grand Ducal ruling.

Voting in Luxembourg is mandatory for all registered voters (Luxembourg nationals and mobile EU citizens). Those who are unable to vote in the election must explain the reason for their absence to their local State Prosecutor and provide the necessary supporting documents. Unjustified abstentions are punishable by a fine. In the event of repeat offences, the penalty is increased.

People exempted from the obligation to vote are those living in a different commune than the one where they are requested to vote at the time of the election and voters above 75 years of age.

Maltese citizens and mobile EU citizens must vote in person at the polling station indicated on their voting card.

Voters in the Netherlands may cast their vote in person at the polling station of their choice anywhere in the Netherland s.

Voters can vote in person in EP elections in the polling district in which they are registered as a temporary or permanent resident ,. Citizens wishing to vote outside their place of permanent residence can either ( i ) appl y for a voting right certificate from their municipal authority (in person or electronically) that allows the person to vote in any polling station, or (ii) apply to be registered in a new municipality at least 5 days before election day. The application must include the voter ’ s personal details and permanent address.

Voters have to vote in person in a specific polling station based on their home address. Aside from a few exceptions (see below), voting must be done in person.

It is only possible to find out the place of voting in the 15 days before each election. Outside this period, individuals can only check in which municipality they are registered. Individuals can find out where their voting location is in online (https://www.recenseamento.mai.gov.pt/) or in person at their municipality or by SMS (instructions available here: https://eportugal.gov.pt/en-GB/servicos/saber-onde-votar).

Voters can vote in person anywhere in Romania and not only at their designated polling stations.  The electoral register and the address of the polling stations are available online (https://www.roaep.ro/prezentare/#).

Voters in Slovakia have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address. The municipality of voters’ permanent residence in Slovakia will notify them of the date and time of elections, the number of their polling district and the address of the polling station, together with the information about the voting procedure itself.

Slovak voters may vote at the polling station in the area of their residence where they are registered in the electoral register.

EU citizens residing in the Slovenia may vote at the polling station assigned to the area where their residence is registered in Slovenia.

Voters in Spain have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address.

In Sweden, voters must cast their vote at a designated polling station. The voting card contains information about the electoral district, the polling station’s name, address, and opening hours.