A lot of foreigners residing in Poland were complaining that they didn’t have a chance to vote in the local elections which took place last Sunday, on October 21. Many of the foreign citizens didn’t know that they actually could cast their votes, that’s why we would like to lift the veil on this issue so that in the future everybody who is eager to vote would grasp this opportunity.
Who can vote in the elections?
EU citizens which don’t have Polish citizenship have a right to vote in the elections if they are legally and habitually resident in Poland. Same as the Polish citizens, foreigners don’t have to be registered exactly in the city where they want to vote. And of course, in order to be able to vote every person has to reach the age of 18 and be not deprived of the public rights.
What should you do in order to vote?
All you need is to apply for an entry on the electoral register. The application should include the basic information, such as name, date of birth, citizenship etc. A completed application should be submitted to the municipal office of your region.
The following documents should be attached to the application:
- a copy of a valid passport or identity card,
- a written declaration indicating your citizenship and the address of the permanent residence in Poland.
A head of a commune or a city mayor has 3 days to examine your application and issue an opinion.
If you follow those simple steps you would be allowed to vote in the local elections on an equal footing with the Polish citizens. Unfortunately, citizens of the countries that do not belong to the European Union can not vote in local elections.
We hope this information would be useful, especially taking into consideration the amount of foreigners residing in Poland, and you won’t miss the opportunity to vote in the next local elections!