Press release no. 27/21 of 18. August 2021

2021 Bundestag Election: application deadline for Germans abroad is 5 September

WIESBADEN – The deadline for entering Germans who live abroad in the voters’ register is 5 September 2021. Being registered to vote is the prerequisite for participation in the Bundestag election on 26 September 2021.

“Adult German citizens permanently living abroad who no longer have a place of residence in Germany and wish to vote in the 2021 Bundestag Election should as soon as possible apply to be on the voters' register of their last home municipality in Germany”, underlined Federal Returning Officer Georg Thiel. The signed original of the application must be received by the municipal authority by 5 September 2021 at the latest. German citizens abroad who, upon request, were entered in the voters’ register for the last Bundestag election in 2017 must also file an application for the 2021 Bundestag Election.

Germans who have never been registered in Germany and may be entitled to vote will find information concerning the municipality responsible on the Federal Returning Officer’s website.

Further information and the application form are available from almost every mission of the Federal Republic of Germany abroad and on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.

As an exception, some German missions abroad let German voters return their postal ballot letters to Germany by the official courier service to the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Return envelopes do not have to be stamped then. Please note that the official courier service can be used every one to two weeks and delivery may take several days. For details please contact the respective mission abroad. A list of these German missions is also available on the website of the Federal Returning Officer.

Germans who stay abroad only temporarily (for instance while on vacation) and still have a registered domicile in Germany will be entered ex officio in the voters’ register of their municipality and may vote in the 2021 Bundestag Election by postal ballot. They do not have to wait for their voter’s notification but may apply now to their municipal authority for a polling card, either in writing or in person but not by telephone. Where applicable, the application may be filed using an online form provided on the website of the relevant municipal authority. An application form can also be found on the back of the voter’s notification. If the voter’s notification includes a relevant QR code, this can also be used for the application. Anyone filing the application on behalf of another person must present a written proxy.

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