2024 elections: for Belgians abroad too!

Belgians abroad are also required to vote in the European and federal elections. We recommend that you register in good time!

The next elections in Belgium – European, federal and regional – will take place on Sunday 9 June 2024. This is more than a year away, yet the FPS Foreign Affairs is already getting busy in preparation for those elections now.

Because the over 525,000 Belgians abroad – or at least, the 419,915 among them who are of age – are required to vote as well. It is the responsibility of our FPS – the consular services at the Central Administration and our consular posts – to make sure the elections for our compatriots abroad take place smoothly.
 

Belgians within and outside the EU

All the specific rules on voting from abroad can be found on our website in the elections section (information only available in Dutch, French and German). For instance the various ways of voting (in Belgium, at a consular post, by post, etc.), designating a proxy, the registration municipality and so on. It is wise to go through all the information so that everything is in order by the elections next year.

Here, we distinguish between Belgians living within the European Union (EU) and Belgians living outside the EU. Both categories are required to vote for the federal legislative elections. Belgians living abroad cannot participate in the regional or municipal and provincial elections.

Both are also required to vote in the European elections, although there is a slight difference. Belgians staying within the EU can vote from a list of their EU country of residence. If they want to vote from a Belgian list, they need to submit an explicit, separate request to their consular post to do so. Compatriots living outside the EU can only vote from a Belgian list and do not need to make any further request to do so.
 

Mandatory pre-registration

You do need to register in advance. The form for this can be found on our website, both for within the EU and for outside the EU. Would you prefer to keep it fully digital? Then you can turn to e-consul

Please note: your registration is only valid from the first day of the fourth month following the submission of the form. So if our post receives your registration on 15 May 2023, your registration will be valid from 1 September 2023. We therefore recommend that you register early enough for everything to be in order prior to election day!

If you want to change the way you vote – for example, not in Belgium, but at a consular post or by post – then this will count as a new registration. It will therefore only be valid from the first day of the fourth month following the submission of your request to change the way you vote. Please bear that in mind.