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Where and how to vote?
Primary method: Voters in Spain have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address.
Alternative methods: If voters are unable to vote at the polling station where they are registered, they can apply to vote by post via the national postal service website (https://www.correos.es/es/en/individuals), authenticating their identity with the electronic ID card or a valid digital certificate.
Alternatively, voters can collect an application form from the post office. On the form, they must indicate the postal address to which the electoral documents should be sent. It is not possible to vote online or by proxy.
Polling day requirements: Voters are required to prove their identity upon arrival at the polling station by showing a valid proof of identity and citizenship (ID, passport or driver license). Mobile EU citizens must identify themselves at the polling station by means of their residence card.
Who can vote?
General. An individual must meet the following requirements to vote in EP elections in Spain:
- be a Spanish citizen or a citizen of another EU Member State;
- be at least 18 years old on the day of the election.
Mobile EU citizens. EU citizens must be resident in Spain to vote there. They must be registered as a resident in their municipality of habitual residence (padrón municipal) (empadronamiento).
Registration requirements.
Nationals. Spanish voters are automatically registered to vote by the Spanish authorities.
Spanish nationals residing outside Spain may choose to vote abroad provided they are listed on the consular register for Spanish citizens abroad (CERA). They must request their inclusion on this register at least two or three months before elections are called. Once elections are called, they must apply to vote at the consulate no later than 25 days after the date of the announcement. Voting takes place at the Spanish consulate of the country where they reside.
Spanish who are staying abroad temporarily must register as non-residents at the consulate competent for the place where they are staying. When elections are called, they must apply to vote at the consulate no later than 25 days after the announcement of the election.
Mobile EU citizens. Mobile EU citizens are entitled to vote in in Spain provided that they have previously registered with the register of the municipality where they habitually reside (padrón municipal). Once they have been registered on the municipal register, they must then declare their intention to vote in Spain to the either through the Cl@ve system accessible online (https://sede.ine.gob.es/manifestacion_voluntad_voto_en) or by returning the specific application form to the Provincial Delegation of the Electoral Census Office or to the municipality where they are registered. (https://sede.ine.gob.es/manifestacionVotoPermanente/impresoDFA/CERE.DFA_ES.pdf) registrations in the municipal registers and formal declarations must be made no later than January 30, 2024.
Exclusions
Spanish nationals or mobile EU citizens who have been deprived of the right to vote by a final judicial decision in Spain or mobile EU citizens who have lost their right to vote in their home State are not allowed to vote for as long as the penalty applies.