Postal voting from Spain

IMPORTANT: Personal identification for the delivery of the vote

CEC Instruction 5/2023 (OSG of 9 June 2023)

Personal delivery to the post office is required.

The voter who is going to cast their vote must hand in the voting documents in person, identifying themselves by means of an ID card, passport or other identifying document.

Authorisation when the voter is unable to deliver personally.

In this case, they must give an authorisation, signed by the voter, for the delivery to be carried out by another person on their behalf and be accompanied by a photocopy of their national identity card, passport or other official identification document.

The deadline for depositing postal votes has been extended until 20 July, within the usual post office opening hours.

Electronic application

To submit the electronic postal vote application, the voter will be asked to:

Digital certificate or electronic ID and AutoFirma (have the application installed).

It is recommended to use a version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari from among those required by AutoFirma according to the operating system (refer to the installation documentation downloaded together with AutoFirma).

Certificates that are accepted.

Face-to-face application:

At the post office, requesting a voting form. Once completed, it must be handed in personally at any post office, proving your identification to the person at the office, who will ask you to verify your signature by presenting your ID card, passport or driving licence (as they include a photograph of the holder and signature; under no circumstances a photocopy).

The application period is from 30 May to 13 July.

The Post Office services will forward the duly completed application to the Electoral Census Office, which will make the corresponding entry on the census lists. Therefore, people who apply for a postal vote, once their applications have been accepted, CAN NO LONGER VOTE IN PERSON.

The Electoral Census Office will then send an envelope with the following documentation to the address indicated on the application form by registered post:

  • ballot papers and envelopes.
  • electoral roll registration certificate.
  • an envelope containing the address of the polling station where they are entitled to vote.
  • an explanatory sheet.

This documentation must also be received by the person who has requested it following provision of proof of identity. If the person is not at home, he/she will have to pick it up in person at the corresponding Post Office.

The voter shall select his or her voting option:

For the election of Parliamentary Deputies, the ballot paper corresponding to the chosen candidate shall be placed inside the white voting envelope.

For the election of Senators, mark the candidate(s) of your choice according to the instructions right on the ballot paper. Then place this ballot paper in the brown voting envelope.

The following will then be placed in the envelope addressed to the polling station:

  • The voting envelope with the ballot papers.
  • Electoral roll registration certificate.

You have until 19 July (extended until 20 July) to hand in this envelope at the post office, with prior identification.

If you are unable to attend in person, you must provide authorisation accompanied by a photocopy of your ID card, passport or other official identification document.

This delivery is free of charge, as the Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for compensating the postal operator for these deliveries through the electoral budget.

It should be noted that it is not necessary for you to go in person to the post office to certify the voting envelope, but that another person may do so on your behalf (JEC Agreement 10 May 1995).

The Post Office will keep all the correspondence addressed to the polling stations until election day and transfer it there at 9:00 am. It will also continue to forward any that may be received on that day until 8 p.m. The Postal Service shall keep a register of all documentation received, which shall be available to the Electoral Boards.

Envelopes received after 8:00 pm on election day will be forwarded to the Area Electoral Board and destroyed.

At 8:00 pm on 23 July, after the last person at the polling station has voted, the envelopes containing the ballot papers sent by post will be placed in the respective ballot box. To do so, these are the steps to follow:

At 8:00 pm on 23 July, after the last voter at the polling station has voted, the envelopes containing the ballot papers sent by post will be inserted in the respective ballot box.

To do so, these steps must be followed:

  1. Open, one at a time, the envelopes sent to the Presiding Officer and check that they contain the registration census certificate and the postal vote envelope or envelopes.
  2. Check that the voters are registered on the polling station’s electoral roll.
  3. Place the corresponding voting envelope or envelopes in the ballot box.
  4. Write down the voter on the numbered list of voters (this is done by the officers).