Postal voting from Spain

The JEC has extended the postal vote deadline until 7 June, for all voters in Spain, and during normal post office opening hours and until 14:00 at the latest.

Once the elections have been announced and until 30 May, the date on which the deadline for applying to vote by post ends, you can go to any post office and request a form to vote by post or present the electronic application to vote by post.

Electronic application(A new window will open)

To submit the electronic postal vote application, the voter will be asked to:

Digital certificate(A new window will open) or electronic ID(A new window will open) and AutoFirma(A new window will open) (have the application installed).

It is recommended to use a version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari from among those required by AutoFirma according to the operating system (refer to the installation documentation downloaded together with AutoFirma).

Certificates (A new window will open) that are accepted.

Face-to-face application:

At any Post Office, requesting the voting form or downloading it from this page. Once filled in, you must hand it in at any post office in person, proving your identification to the employee there, who will require it to verify your signature by presenting your ID card, passport or driving licence (as they include a photograph of the holder and signature; photocopies are not admissible). “It is possible for the identity of a foreign voter to be accredited by presenting an official document issued by the Spanish authorities or the State of origin that includes the signature and photo of the voter and accredits the voter’s identity” (Resolution CEB 7 April 2011).

The deadline for applying to vote by post is 30 May.

Next steps common to both electronic and in-person applications:

The Post Office services will forward the duly completed application to the Electoral Census Office, which will make the corresponding entry on the census lists. Therefore, people who apply for a postal vote, either electronically or in person, once their applications have been accepted, CAN NO LONGER VOTE IN PERSON.

The Electoral Census Office will then send an envelope with the following documentation to the address indicated on the application form by registered post:

  • Ballot papers and envelopes.
  • Electoral roll registration certificate.
  • An envelope containing the address of the polling station where they are entitled to vote.
  • An explanatory sheet.

This documentation must be received by the person who has requested it following provision of proof of identity. If the person is not at home, he/she will have to pick it up in person at the corresponding Post Office.

The voter shall select his/her voting option, insert it into the voting envelope and close it. The voting envelope and the census registration certificate will be enclosed in the envelope addressed to the polling station and sent by registered post by 5 June at the latest. This delivery is free of charge, as the Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for compensating the postal operator for these deliveries through the electoral budget.

Voters who are going to cast their vote must hand in the voting documents in person, identifying themselves by means of an ID card, passport or other identifying document (Instruction 5/2023 of the CEB)(A new window will open).

In the event that the voter is unable to make the delivery personally, he/she must request an authorisation, signed by the voter him/herself, for the delivery to be made by another person on his/her behalf. It must be accompanied by a photocopy of his/her ID card or passport or any other official identification document.

The Post Office will keep all the correspondence addressed to the polling stations until election day and transfer it there at 9:00 am. It will also continue to forward any that may be received on that day until 8 p.m. The Postal Service shall keep a register of all documentation received, which shall be available to the Electoral Boards.

Envelopes received after 8:00 pm on election day will be forwarded to the Area Electoral Board and destroyed.

How are the postal votes mixed with the votes cast in the ballot boxes in person?

At 8:00 pm on 9 June, after the last person at the polling station has voted, the envelopes containing the ballot papers sent by post will be placed in the respective ballot box.

To do so, these are the steps to follow:

  • Open, one at a time, the envelopes sent to the Presiding Officer and check that they contain the registration census certificate and the postal vote envelope.
  • Check that the voters are registered on the polling station’s electoral roll.
  • Place the corresponding voting envelope in the ballot box.
  • Write down the voter on the numbered list of voters (this is done by the officers).