Electoral roll and/or European electoral roll for Austrian citizens living abroad - registration and changes

German version

General information

As an Austrian citizen with your primary residence abroad, you can be registered in the electoral roll ("Wählerevidenz") of the last municipality in Austria you had your primary residence in or, if you have never had your primary residence in Austria, the municipality that you have a connection to.

Registration in the electoral roll allows you to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections in Austria. If you are registered in the European electoral roll ("Europa-Wählerevidenz"), you can vote in European elections. If you are domiciled in another EU country, you must decide whether you want to vote for the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for your country of origin or your country of domicile before registering in the European electoral roll.

If you want to vote for Austrian MEPs, you must apply for registration in the European electoral roll. If you want to vote for the MEPs for the EU country you live in, and not the Austrian MEPs, please contact the electoral roll office of the EU country you live in.

You can apply for both the electoral roll and the European electoral roll by filling in the appropriate form. To be able to vote in federal elections, you must be registered in the electoral roll ahead of time. The electoral register ("Wählerverzeichnis") is compiled on the respective qualifying date for each election. To ensure that you can vote in the elections, please make sure to apply for registration in the electoral roll/European electoral roll in time.

For detailed information on upcoming elections, please visit www.wien.gv.at/wahlen.

Data protection

For information on data protection and your data protection rights as an individual please visit: Data Protection Notice (German)

Requirements

Austrian citizenship

Deadlines

None

Contact

Wiener Wählerevidenz (Municipal Department 62)
1080 Vienna, Lerchenfelder Straße 4
E-mail: wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at

Required documents

You can apply for registration in the electoral roll and/or the European electoral roll in writing or in person. Applications in writing can be submitted by post, email or fax.

Applications cannot be submitted over the phone.

You need the following documents:

  • Completed application form
  • Proof of the connection(s) stated in the application
  • Proof of identity and citizenship:
    • when applying in writing:
      • copy of Austrian passport or ID
        or
      • copy of a photo ID (e.g. driving licence) and Austrian citizenship certificate
    • when applying in person:
      • please bring your Austrian passport or ID
        or
      • a photo ID (e.g. driving licence) and Austrian citizenship certificate

Fees

None

Forms

If you are not yet in the electoral roll / European electoral roll:

If you are already registered in the electoral roll or European electoral roll in Vienna:

Further information

The registration is valid for 10 years. The Vienna electoral service ("Wiener Wahlservice") will inform you in writing 3 months ahead of the expiry of the registration.

Voting in elections: Austrian citizens living abroad are eligible to vote if they:

  • have turned 16 by election day,
  • have not been barred from voting, and
  • are registered in the electoral roll / European electoral roll of an Austrian municipality.

Austrian citizens living abroad who are not in Austria on Election Day can only participate by postal vote.

As an Austrian citizen living abroad, you can apply for a voting card ("Wahlkarte") individually for each election.

Application for voting card for Austrian citizens living abroad (German)

Alternatively, you can apply for automatic receipt of voting cards. In this case, you will receive a voting card automatically for all elections at the federal level for as long as you are registered in the electoral roll / European electoral roll as an Austrian citizen living abroad without the need to apply for voting cards individually. You can do this in the application for registration in the electoral roll / European electoral roll or send an email requesting this with a copy of your Austrian passport or a photo ID and the Austrian citizenship certificate attached any time to the Vienna electoral roll office ("Wiener Wählerevidenz"): wahl@ma62.wien.gv.at

In this case, you have to inform the electoral roll office of every change of postal address so that your voting can be sent to the correct address. If your address changes frequently, e.g. for professional reasons, we recommend applying for voting cards individually for each election.

Voting cards can only be sent to postal addresses. They cannot be sent by email.

Email address: If you fill in your email address in the application, you will receive information by email ahead of elections and before your registration in the electoral roll expires. Please note that you must inform the electoral roll office of any changes to your email address so that you can continue to receive the necessary information when there are elections.

Registration with primary residence in Austria: When you register your primary residence in Austria, you will automatically be removed from the electoral roll as an Austrian citizen living abroad. Instead, you will be automatically registered in the electoral roll of the municipality of your primary residence. You will no longer automatically be sent voting cards.

Further information: Elections and direct democracy (German)

Contact for this page:
City of Vienna | Elections and Specific Legal Affairs
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