Greek Voters Abroad Face New Registration Requirement

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The Greek Ministry of Interior has begun emailing Greek voters living abroad, urging those who want to vote from outside Greece in the next parliamentary elections to submit a new application for registration on the special electoral rolls for overseas voters.

The notification targets citizens who either registered or previously applied for registration on the special electoral rolls for Greeks abroad before the adoption of Law 5285/2026, as well as those who registered for postal voting in the European elections and provided an overseas delivery address for their voting material.

According to the Ministry of Interior, anyone who wants to exercise their voting rights from abroad in the next national elections must submit a new application to the special overseas electoral rolls.

Voters can complete the process through the ministry’s dedicated online application. The ministry advises applicants to first consult the “General Instructions” available on the same platform.

New Framework for Greeks Voting from Abroad

In a circular issued on July 31, 2026, the Ministry of Interior established the new framework governing the participation of Greeks living abroad in the next parliamentary elections.

All Greek citizens who will live or temporarily stay outside Greece on election day can register on the special overseas electoral roll, provided they appear on a municipal electoral roll in Greece and retain the right to vote.

Under the new system, voters can choose among three options for exercising their right to vote:

• Voting in person at a polling station abroad.
• Voting by post.
• Voting in person at a polling station abroad, with postal voting available only if no polling station opens in the selected city.

Voters who choose to vote in person must specify the country and city where they want to cast their ballot. If authorities do not establish a polling station in that city, voters who selected in-person voting only will be assigned to the nearest available polling station.

Those who choose postal voting must provide an overseas address for delivery of the voting material.

If they fail to return the postal ballot or the return envelope does not arrive on time, they will be able to vote in person in Greece on election day.

A third option also allows voters to request in-person voting in a specific overseas city and, only if no polling station opens there, switch to postal voting.

Why a New Application Is Required

A key change under the new system is that previous registrations on the special overseas electoral rolls are no longer valid.

The new system requires voters to actively select how they want to vote.

As a result, new applications are required from both Greeks who previously registered to vote at polling stations abroad in parliamentary elections and those who registered for postal voting in the European elections.

The Ministry of Interior also plans to notify these voters personally by email or SMS about the need to register again.

How to Register

Voters can submit their application online through the Ministry of Interior’s dedicated platform or through the relevant Greek diplomatic or consular authority in their country of residence.

For online applications, voters can verify their identity using Taxisnet credentials or, alternatively, their Greek passport details, date of birth and an active mobile phone number, with verification through a one-time password (OTP).

Applicants can also register through a Greek embassy or consulate, either in person or through the MyConsulLivevideo-call service. The consular application carries no fee.

Once the application is completed, the system automatically issues a protocol number. The ministry sends this number to the voter’s email address and mobile phone as confirmation that the application was successfully submitted.

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