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Procedure descriptions
Register of voters (Bundestag election) - applying for registration of Germans living abroad
An official electoral roll is kept for each electoral district.
As a rule, only those who are entered in the voters' register can exercise their right to vote.
Germans living abroad who are not registered with any registration authority in Germany are only included in the voters' register upon application.
Responsible authority
The municipality in which you were last registered before leaving Germany
Details
Prerequisite
- You are not registered with any registration authority in Germany 42 days before the Bundestag election.
- You assume that you are eligible to vote in the Bundestag election.
All Germans within the meaning of the Basic Law who
- are 18 years old or older on election day and
- are not excluded from the right to vote and
- either have had an uninterrupted residence in the Federal Republic of Germany for at least three months after turning 14 years of age or have otherwise habitually resided in Germany and this residence does not date back more than 25 years, or
- have, for other reasons, become personally and directly familiar with the political situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and are affected by it.
Procedure
You must apply for registration using a form. You must sign the application in person.
Forms and information sheets for the application can be obtained from:
- the Federal Returning Officer,
- the diplomatic and consular missions of the Federal Republic of Germany abroad and
- the district returning officers.
Please note: Persons who are unable to complete the application themselves may be assisted by another person. This may be necessary, for example, if the applicant cannot read or is physically impaired. The assisting person must then also sign the application and the And the declaration in lieu of an oath.
The original application must be sent to the responsible municipality. If you have lived in the Federal Republic of Germany for an uninterrupted period of at least three months after reaching the age of 14 and this residence was no longer than 25 years ago, you can also send the personally signed application to the competent municipal authority by fax, e-mail or other documentable electronic transmission.
The application for entry in the voters' register also serves as an application for a polling card.
When you receive the polling card, you therefore know that you are entered in the electoral roll. You will also receive your postal voting documents with it.
If the competent authority rejects your application, you will be informed.
Deadlines
You must submit the application at least 21 days before the election.
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
It is possible to inspect the electoral roll from the 20th to the 16th day before the election on working days during the general opening hours of your municipality.
Legal basis
Artikel 116 Absatz 1 Grundgesetz (GG) (Deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit)
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg, 16.01.2025