I am a citizen of the Czech Republic and reside abroad. Can I vote?

You can vote in the Parliamentary and Presidential elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad.

You cannot vote in the Senate and European Parliament elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. Czech citizens who want to vote must come to the Czech Republic on the dates of these elections.

You cannot vote in municipal and regional council elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. Czech citizens who want to vote must have permanent residence in the Czech Republic and must come to the Czech Republic on the dates of these elections.

I. Can I vote in the Parliamentary elections?

You can vote if you are:

• a citizen of the Czech Republic;
• at least 18 years of age.

You can vote in the Parliamentary elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. You will find a list of representative offices where you can vote on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Voters from abroad vote for candidates from a region chosen in a random draw by the State Electoral Commission. It is not possible to vote for candidates from other region at representative offices.

In order to vote at a representative office of the Czech Republic, you need:

- to be on a special list of voters at the representative office;

• if a voter is not already on this list from prior elections, he can apply for registration in writing to the representative office in the territory where he resides;
• the application must be delivered at least 40 days prior to the election date, by 4:00 p.m.;
• along with the application the voter must provide proof of identity, Czech citizenship, and residence in the territory of the representative office;
• a voter remains on the list until he asks to be removed; 
• a voter who has been registered in the special list of voters cannot in the future (unless he asks to be removed) vote within the Czech Republic in the Czech Presidential, Parliamentary, Senate and European Parliament elections, unless he asks the representative office for a voter ID card;
• if a voter is registered in the special list of voters at a representative office but nevertheless wants to vote elsewhere, he can ask their representative office to issue a voter ID card, which he can use to vote at a different representative office or at any polling station within the Czech Republic. The conditions for this request are the same as for a request made at a municipal office - see below.

- or have a voter ID card;

• a voter ID card is issued based on an application submitted to the municipal office where the voter has his registered permanent address;
• it can be applied for in person no later than 2 days prior to the election day or in writting no later than 7 days prior to the election day; a written application must have an officially certified signature or must be sent via data mailbox;
• the voter can pick up his voter ID card in person (or another person can do so based on a certified power of attorney) or it can be sent to any address (including abroad) or directly to the representative office where he intends to vote.

II. Can I vote in the Presidential election?

You can vote if you are:

• a citizen of the Czech Republic;
• at least 18 years of age.

You can vote in the Presidential election at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. You will find a list of representative offices where you can vote on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In order to vote at a representative office of the Czech Republic abroad, you need:

- to be on a special list of voters at the representative office;

• if a voter is not already on this list from prior elections, he can apply for registration in writing to the representative office in the territory where he resides;
• the application must be submitted at least 40 days prior to the election date, by 4:00 p.m.;
• along with the application the voter must provide proof of identity, Czech citizenship, and residence in the territory of the representative office;
• a voter remains on the list until he asks to be removed; 
• a voter who has been registered in the special list of voters cannot in the future (unless he asks to be removed) vote within the Czech Republic in the Czech Presidential, Parliamentary, Senate and European Parliament elections, unless he asks the representative office for a voter ID card;
• if a voter is registered in the special list of voters at a representative office but nevertheless wants to vote elsewhere, he can ask their representative office to issue a voter ID card, which he can use to vote at a different representative office or at any polling station within the Czech Republic. The conditions for this request are the same as for a request made at a municipal office – see below.

- or have a voter ID card;

• a voter ID card is issued based on an application submitted to the municipal office where the voter has his registered permanent address;
• it can be applied for in person no later than 2 days prior to the election day or in writting no later than 7 days prior to the election day; a written application must have an officially certified signature or must be sent via data mailbox;
• the voter can pick up his voter ID card in person (or another person can do so based on a certified power of attorney) or it can be sent to any address (including abroad) or directly to the representative office where he intends to vote.

III. Can I vote in municipal and regional assembly elections?

You cannot vote in municipal and regional assembly elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad.

You can vote if you are:

• a citizen of the Czech Republic;
• at least 18 years of age;
• who has permanent residence in the municipality/region holding the elections you will be voting in.

If you meet these conditions, this means that you are on the list of voters in the municipality where you have your permanent residence. You need not do anything else, and on the election day you can go directly to your polling station.

Being registered on the special list of voters kept by the Czech Republic's representative office is not an obstacle to vote in an election.

Please note that the elections to the Prague City Assembly are held at the same time as the municipal elections, not the regional elections.

IV. Can I vote in the elections to the European Parliament?

You cannot vote in these elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. Citizens who want to vote must come to the Czech Republic on the dates of these elections.

You can vote if you are:

• a citizen of the Czech Republic or another EU Member State;
• at least 18 years of age;
• a citizen of another EU Member State must have permanent or temporary residence in the Czech Republic at least 45 days prior to the election day.

A If you have permanent residence in the Czech Republic and simultaneously are not registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, you need not do anything else and can go directly to your polling station on the election day.
If you will not be at the location of your permanent residence, but rather in a different municipality in the Czech Republic, you can vote using a voter ID card, for which you can apply at your municipal office.

B If you are registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, apply to your representative office for a voter ID card.
You can then use this voter ID card to vote at any polling station in the Czech Republic.
You can apply for a voter ID card in person at a representative office at least 2 days prior to the election day, or in writing in a manner that ensures the application is delivered to the representative office no later than 7 days prior to the election day. The written application must have an officially certified signature or be sent via data mailbox.

C If you do not have permanent residence in the Czech Republic and are not registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, you cannot vote.
Your only option is to apply to the Czech representative office in your place of residence to register you in the list of voters, and then apply for a voter ID card (see point B).
The application to be registered in the special list of voters must be submitted at least 40 days prior to the election day, by 4:00 p.m. Along with the application the voter must provide proof of identity, Czech citizenship, and residence in the territory of the representative office.

V. Can I vote in the Senate elections?

The Senate elections take place every 2 years, always in 27 constituencies.

You cannot vote in these elections at the Czech Republic's representative offices abroad. Czech citizens who want to vote must come to one of these constituencies in the Czech Republic on the dates of these elections.

You can vote if you are:

• a citizen of the Czech Republic;
• at least 18 years of age;
• have permanent residence in one of the constituencies in which the Senate elections are being held or are registered in the special list of voters at a Czech representative office abroad.

A If you have permanent residence in the Czech Republic in one of the constituencies in which the Senate elections are being held and simultaneously are not registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, you need not do anything else and can go directly to your polling station on the election day.
If you will not be at the location of your permanent residence, but rather in a different municipality in your constituency, you can vote using a voter ID card. However, a voting ID card cannot be used to vote outside your constituency (you can only vote for the Senator who represents the constituency in which you have your permanent residence).

B If you are registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, apply to your representative office for a voter ID card.
You can vote in any constituency and at any polling station in the Czech Republic where the election is being held.
You can apply for a voter ID card in person at a representative office at least 2 days prior to the election day, or in writing in a manner that ensures the application is delivered to the representative office no later than 7 days prior to the election day. The written application must have an officially certified signature or be sent via data mailbox.

C If you do not have permanent residence in the Czech Republic and are not registered at a Czech representative office abroad on a special list of voters, you cannot vote.
Your only option is to apply to the Czech representative office in your place of residence to register you in the list of voters, and then apply for a voter ID card (see point B).
The application to be registered in the special list of voters must be submitted at least 40 days prior to the election day, by 4:00 p.m. Along with the application the voter must provide proof of identity, Czech citizenship, and residence in the territory of the representative office.