For foreigners - voters
published August 4th, 2022
Can I vote if I am a non-national?
| I am a citizen of non-European union country. Can I vote? - No. There is currently no agreement with any third country for its citizens to vote. I am a citizen of another EU Member State. Can I vote? - Yes, in the elections to the European Parliament and in the municipal assembly elections. However, the conditions for registration in the electoral roll and the consequences of registration are different. |
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If you are a non-national / a foreigner and you are interested in running as a candidate, you can find more information here.
I want to vote in the municipal assembly elections
The municipal assembly elections are held in each municipality.
In large municipalities, which are further divided into city districts, elections to the council of the entire city are held, as well as elections to the councils of each city districts. This applies to Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, Pardubice, Opava, Liberec and the Capital City of Prague.
A voter may be anyone who:
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is a citizen of a different EU Member State,
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is at least 18 years of age on the second day of the election,
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has residence in the Czech Republic as on the election day (has a permanent residence permit or certificate of temporary residence / registration certificate),
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has residence in the municipality in which he/she intends to run as a candidate (for example, a non-national with permanent residence in Humpolec may run only for the Humpolec City Assembly).
If you meet all conditions, you can apply for registration in the voter list (specifically in its annex) at the municipal office in your place of residence. In municipalities that are divided into city districts (Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, Pardubice, Opava and Liberec), you can apply at the office of the relevant city district or city district office.
Although a person may be a voter and be registered to vote, some facts may prevent him or her from voting. The following are legal impediments:
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statutory restriction of personal liberty due to a custodial sentence (you are in prison);
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restriction of the right to exercise the right to vote (a court has explicitly ruled that you are not able to vote);
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statutory restriction on personal liberty for reasons of public health protection (you are, for example, in quarantine or in the infectious disease department of a hospital at the time of the election).
Application for entry in the annex to the voter list
You can apply for registration in person or in writing form. A sample application can be found here (docx, 21 kB).
In the case of a submitting application in person, you must prove your identity, citizenship of an EU state and residence in the Czech Republic. You can prove your identity and citizenship, in particular, with a valid ID card or travel document from your state of origin. The residence is then a certificate of permanent residence of a citizen of the European Union or a certificate of temporary residence within the Czech Republic / a registration certificate.
In the case of a written application, you must state at least your name, surname and date of birth, for further identification also the address of residence in the Czech Republic. Other data can be verified by the municipal authority in the register of foreigners.
If the municipal authority finds that it does not meet all the conditions, it will notify you in writing.
Every voter can check at any time at the municipal office that he or she is on the voter list. If he or she finds an error, he or she can ask for the data to be corrected or supplemented. The municipal authority is obliged to satisfy the applicant’s request within 48 hours or to inform him or her in writing of the reasons why the application cannot be complied with. Each voter also has the opportunity to turn to the regional court if he or she finds errors or shortcomings in the voter list in his/her case. Further information can be found in the statement Jsem voličem?
Until when do I have to apply for registration
You can apply to be entered at any time, but at the latest 2 days before Election Day (i.e. on the Wednesday before the election up to 16.00).
How long will I be enrolled in the annex?
Once registered in the voter list, you will be recorded there until you yourself request deletion or for as long as you continue to meet all legal conditions.
For example, if you move to another municipality within the Czech Republic, you will automatically be listed in the electoral register in the new municipality. But if you leave the Czech Republic completely, you will no longer meet the conditions of residence and you will be removed from the register.
The registration in the list of voters for municipal assembly elections in the Czech Republic does not mean that you will no longer be able to vote in your home country. The entry has no effect on your entry in the voting list in your home country.
Is voting compulsory?
No. Voting is not compulsory in the Czech Republic.
Where can I find more information?
Current information on the elections is continuously published in the section Aktuální volby. You can submit individual questions to your municipal office, the relevant regional office or the elections department of the Ministry of the Interior.
I want to vote in the elections to the European Parliament
You have the right to vote if you
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are an EU citizen,
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are at least 18 years of age on the second day of the election,
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are resident in the Czech Republic as of Election Day (have a permanent residence permit for an EU citizen / registration certificate or certificate of temporary residence for an EU citizen),
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have been resident in the Czech Republic for at least 45 days prior to the Election Day.
If you meet these conditions, you can apply to be entered on the electoral roll for elections to the European Parliament at the municipal office in your place of residence. In municipalities that are divided into city districts (Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, Pardubice, Opava and Liberec), you can apply at the office of the relevant city district.
Attention! If you express your will to vote in the Czech Republic, you cannot vote in your home Member State. The Czech Republic will announce your will to vote in the Czech Republic in the country of your origin, which will remove you from its list for elections to the European Parliament.
If you have voted in the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic in the past, you are already on the electoral roll and you do not have to do anything else.
Although a person may be a voter and be registered to vote, some facts may prevent him or her from voting. The following are legal impediments:
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restriction of the right to exercise the right to vote (a court has explicitly ruled that you are not able to vote);
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statutory restriction on personal liberty for reasons of public health protection (you are, for example, in quarantine or in the infectious disease department of a hospital at the time of the election).
Application for registration in the voter list
You can only apply for registration in person. A sample application can be found here (docx, 18 kB).
When applying, you must prove your identity, in particular, with a valid ID card from your home state, a travel document or a permanent residence permit for a citizen of the European Union, or as well as a certificate of temporary residence within the Czech Republic / a registration certificate.
If you are already registered as a voter for municipal assembly elections in the Czech Republic, then ask the municipal authority to transfer your data from the annex to the voter list for elections to the European Parliament.
If you are not on the electoral roll for municipal elections, you will submit a new application for registration on the electoral roll for elections to the European Parliament.
Both applications are identical, only the reason for their submission is different.
The application must contain a number of information that serves to enable the municipal authority and the country of your origin to identify you. In the application, you must also declare that you will vote in the elections to the European Parliament only in the Czech Republic.
The municipal authority is obliged to inform you no later than 15 days before Election Day about a state of your application.
Each voter has the opportunity to turn to the regional court if he or she finds errors or shortcomings in the voter list in his/her case in the elections to the European Parliament. Voter may do so no later than 30 days before Election Day. Further information can be found in the statement Jsem voličem?.
Until when do I have to apply for registration?
You can apply to be entered in the municipal authority at any time, but at the latest 40 days before Election Day up to 16.00.
How long will I appear in the voter list?
Once registered in the voter list in the elections to the European Parliament, you will be enrolled there until you yourself request deletion or for as long as you continue to meet all legal conditions. This also means that you cannot vote in the Member State of your citizenship until then.
For example, if you move to another municipality within the Czech Republic, you will automatically be listed in the voter list in the new municipality. But if you leave the Czech Republic completely, you will no longer meet the conditions of residence in the Czech Republic and you will be removed from the register.
If you are interested in voting for candidates in your home Member State again, simply ask the municipal authority to remove you from the voter list.
Is voting compulsory?
No. Voting is not compulsory in the Czech Republic.
Where can I find more information?
Current information on the elections is continuously published in the section Aktuální volby. You can submit individual questions to your municipal office, the relevant regional office or the elections department of the Ministry of the Interior.