Local Elections 2023
Register to Vote
Spain will be holding local elections on May 28, 2023.
Foreigners who are resident in Spain, aged 18+, and from an EU member state or from a country with a reciprocal voting agreement may vote. But you must make sure you are on the electoral roll.
For EU citizens the deadline is January 30, 2023. For others, including UK citizens, the deadline is January 15.
First a question: are you a resident of Spain?
Residency
You need to be a legal resident of Spain to be able to vote in municipal elections.
Are you registered at your Town Hall?
In order to vote, you must also be “empadronado” at your Town Hall
Are you “empadronado”?
Unfortunately, if you are not registered as residing in your town or municipality, you cannot vote. Being “empadronado” is very important and brings many benefits. It is also a legal requirement. Please contact your Town Hall
What’s your nationality?
EU
As an EU citizen, if you have previously registered to vote or if you have voted in the past – and you have not moved – you should be on the register. But you can check, just in case.
UK or Norway
Even if you’ve voted before, you MUST register on the electoral roll again before each election.
Other countries
Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago. Even if you’ve voted before, you MUST register again before each election.
EU Citizens. Deadline January 30
— All EU citizens (aged 18 and over) who are resident in Spain are eligible to vote
— You need to be “empadronado”, that is, you need to be registered with the Town Hall as residing in your town.
— Finally, it’s not enough to be merely “empadronado”. You also must declare your intention to vote by registering on the electoral roll (Censo Electoral). You can check if you are already registered HERE. Requires digital certificate or Clave.
NOTE: As an EU citizen, if you have previously registered to vote or if you have voted in the past – and you have not moved – you should be on the register. But you should check, just in case.
There are three ways to register. But remember: the deadline for EU citizens is January 30
Online
Do you have a DIGITAL CERTIFICATE (eldentifier), CLAVE PERMANENTE, or a digital ID from an EU member state ?
Then it’s easy. Simply click the button below.
Follow the instructions to put yourself on the Electoral Roll. If your Digital Certificate fails, get a Clave in a matter of minutes (press “Get a Clave” button below)
Clave
Fill in form
Fill in a form and take it to the Town Hall. The form is available to download and print. Fill it in and go to your Town Hall with passport/ID plus residency document. The form should also be available at the Town Hall.
Did you receive a letter?
You may have received a letter from the Oficina del Censo inviting you to register to vote. Each letter contains a CODE NUMBER called the CTT. With this number you can go online and register , without the need for a digital certificate. Just type in your NIE and CTT.
You can also follow the instructions in the letter and return it post free.
Note: if you got “empadronado” after August 30, 2022, you won’t get this letter. Use one of the other options.
NOTE: While registering to vote in the municipal elections, you’ll also be asked to confirm that you wish to vote in future EU elections. And to click this box, you must type in the name of a constituency back home in your country of origin, even if you never voted there! Try to remember what that might have been called or simply type in a city.
UK and Norwegian citizens. The deadline is January 15.
— Even if you have previously voted or registered to vote in previous elections you MUST register again for the upcoming elections
— UK citizens are required to have been resident for THREE YEARS before they REGISTER on the electoral roll. For NORWEGIANS, it’s THREE YEARS before the date of the election.
There are three ways to register. But remember: the deadline is January 15
Online
Do you have a DIGITAL CERTIFICATE (eldentifier), CLAVE PERMANENTE or CTT code?
Then it’s easy. Simply click the button below.
Follow the instructions to put yourself on the Electoral Roll. If your Digital Certificate fails, get a Clave in a matter of minutes (press “Get a Clave” button below)
Fill in yout NIE and CTT or choose Acceder con Clave from the menu on the right.
Clave
Fill in form
Fill in a form and take it to the Town Hall. The form is available to download and print. Fill it in and go to your Town Hall with passport/ID plus residency document. The form should also be available at the Town Hall.
Did you receive a letter?
You may have received a letter from the Oficina del Censo inviting you to register to vote. Each letter contains a CODE NUMBER called the CTT. With this number you can go online and register , without the need for a digital certificate. Just type in your NIE and CTT.
You can also follow the instructions in the letter and return it post free.
Note: if you got “empadronado” after August 30, 2022, you won’t get this letter. Use one of the other options.
Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Other countries with voting agreements
Other countries with reciprocal agreements are:
—Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.
— Note: there are minimum periods of residency to meet. You must have been legally resident in Spain for at least FIVE years at the time you register to vote.
— And remember, it’s not enough to be merely “empadronado”. You also must declare your intention to vote by registering on the electoral roll (Censo Electoral).
There are three ways to register. But remember: the deadline is January 15
Online
Do you have a DIGITAL CERTIFICATE (eldentifier), CLAVE PERMANENTE or CTT code?
Then it’s easy. Simply click the button below.
Follow the instructions to put yourself on the Electoral Roll. If your Digital Certificate fails, get a Clave in a matter of minutes (press “Get a Clave” button below)
Fill in yout NIE and CTT or choose Acceder con Clave from the menu on the right.
Clave
Fill in form
Fill in a form and take it to the Town Hall. The form is available to download and print. Fill it in and go to your Town Hall with passport/ID plus residency document. The form should also be available at the Town Hall.
Did you receive a letter?
You may have received a letter from the Oficina del Censo inviting you to register to vote. Each letter contains a CODE NUMBER called the CTT. With this number you can go online and register , without the need for a digital certificate. Just type in your NIE and CTT.
You can also follow the instructions in the letter and return it post free.
Note: if you got “empadronado” after August 30, 2022, you won’t get this letter. Use one of the other options.