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Where and how to vote?
Primary method.
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
Alternative methods
While postal voting is available for Belgians living abroad, it is not possible for voters who reside in Belgium to vote by post. Proxy voting is, however, possible and the necessary forms can be obtained from municipal authorities. Online voting is not possible in Belgium.
Polling day requirements
Voters need to bring two documents to the polling station : ( i ) their identity card and (ii) the letter of the municipal administration instructing them to vote at that specific station. The same requirements apply to both nationals and mobile EU citizens.
Who can vote?
General
An individual must meet the following requirements to vote in EP elections in Belgium :
- hold Belgian nationality or be a citizen of another EU Member State;
- be at least 16 years of age; and
- not be excluded from voting
Mobile EU citizens
EU citizens must be entered on the population register, or the register of foreign nationals, in their municipality of residence in Belgium. This condition must be fulfilled by 1 st April 2024 at the latest.
Registration requirements
Nationals. Belgian citizens do not need to register in advance, as this is done automatically by the authorities. However, if they changed their home address recently, they should confirm whether their registration on the voting lists is correct.
Belgians residing abroad can vote (i) in person in Belgium, (ii) by proxy in Belgium, (ii) in person at the consulate abroad, (iv) by proxy at the consulate, (vi) by post, and (vii) via email. Belgian citizens who instead choose to vote for candidates in the host Member State where they are resident must be registered in the Belgian consular population register where they reside and enroll to vote via the consular post where they are registered.
Mobile EU citizens. Mobile EU citizens with their main place of residence in Belgium have to register in order to vote. EU citizens must be registered on the electoral roll of the municipality where they have their main residence. In order to do so, they must complete the C/1 form online (https://www.inscription.elections.fgov.be) or they can obtain the form from the municipal authorities where they have their main residence. As part of their registration, mobile EU citizens have to confirm their decision to abstain from voting in the EP elections in their home country and that they have not been divested of their right to vote in their home country.
Exclusions
Belgians and mobile EU citizens can lose their right to vote in Belgium if they have been excluded from voting by a judicial decision following a criminal offense. In addition, EU citizens must not have had their right to vote revoked in their home State following a court judgment or administrative decision.