Foreign residents CAN vote in local Polish elections

When?

Poland is about to hold its local elections on 21 October 2018. The second round will take place on 4 November, just at the end of the long weekend of All Saint’s celebrations. Both voting days are Sundays, which is typical for any kind of elections or referendums in Poland.

Who do we choose?

You will not be electing country-wide politicians, but local ones. Depending on where you live (a rular district or a city area), you will be able to vote for a local council as well as a mayor or president of the town/city you live in. Foreigners are not able to vote for voivodeship officials.

Which foreigners can vote?

European Union citizens (who are over 18 years of age or can vote in their home country) are able to vote in Poland, too, which actually deems them a significant category of voters in many major cities of Poland, where expats tend to live! It is also necessary for you to have a registered residence address in Poland (Polish: meldunek), which you can learn more about on our website.

How?

To get the right to vote, you need to enroll into the voting registry in your local voting area. Make sure you know which one it is (why not ask your neighbour and establish a friendly relation at the same time?). Once you know that, file your application form (this one applies to Warsaw, but you can find a similar template for other cities, too) along with a declaration to a district office, specifically to Dział Ewidencji Ludności - Rejestr Wyborców. Make sure you do this in advance, so as to allow for some time to process the application. After that, a decision is issued withing 3 working days and very likely you are going to find yourself on a list of voters on Sunday, 21 October. Good luck with choosing the right candidates!