Voting in the Municipal Elections

Update for U.K. Nationals to vote in the May 2023 elections

UPDATE ON THE VOTING RIGHTS FOR UKNS.

Besides the information provided by the Embassy below, please note the added information with examples of forms to register and instructions HERE

Copied and posted from the British Embassy page. Do take note as even if you voted in the last election, you have likely been removed from the voting register.
“*Voting in Spain*
Next year there will be Spanish municipal elections on 28 May 2023. Thanks to the agreement that was signed between the UK and Spain in 2019, all UK nationals who have been resident here for three years are entitled to vote. But you must make sure you have done the following first:
– be registered on the padrón municipal where you live and
– confirm your registration on the electoral roll (censo electoral) within the dates set by the electoral authorities before each election.
If you are not already on the padrón or are not sure if it is up to date, you should register or check your status as soon as possible. Later this month, the Oficina del Censo Electoral (OCE) will write to all those that, according to the relevant databases, have the right to vote. Once you receive this, check the information is correct, sign the declaration and return it to the stated address or finalise the process online, according to the instructions. If you don’t receive the letter, get in touch with your town hall to check what you need to do to get on the electoral roll. In order to be able to vote next year, you must register on the electoral roll between 1 December 2022 and 15 January 2023”.

IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE YOUR ELECTORAL PAPERS, DO CONTACT THE Electoral Census Office or telephone 901.101.900.

Make enquiries to the department of the Institute National Statistics

The United Kingdom is a country where an agreement is in place. We await further instructions.

EU citizens. If you have voted before, you should receive your voting card before the election date. If you do not, contact your Provincial Delegation of the Electoral Census Office or telephone 901.101.900.

if you are from one of the countries that form the European Union, and for residents from several other countries as well, if there is an agreement in place between their country and Spain.

EU citizens – must be registered on padrón, if you recently moved, best to make sure your correct data are on the census. You have until the 30th of December of the previous year to be included on the list of persons with right to vote.

Norway – agreement in place, must have been registered on padrón without interruption for at least 3 years.

Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Corea, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, Paraguay, Perú, Trinidad y Tobago and New Zealand – agreement in place, must have been registered on padrón for at least 5 years.

Those residents from the ´agreement-countries´-as their right to vote is established separately for each municipal election- should receive a notification by ordinary mail, to check their data as they are known on the census and to indicate if they wish to exercise their right to vote, so they can be included (or not) in the definite ´Electoral Roll´. You can return the notification by ordinary mail to get your data updated.

To all foreign residents, if you are keen to vote, do not rely on the town halls to contact you automatically. Not only do you need to be registered in the electoral census, you must have EXPRESSED the intention to exercise the right to vote in Spain in the municipal elections.
Deadline for the inscriptions to municipal censuses and formal declarations to have effect in the electoral census for the municipal election in May 2019, they must be carried out by 30 December 2018 for EU citizens, 15 January 2019 for those from the ´agreement-countries´.

Full Information in various languages

UK Nationals Right to Vote in Municipal Elections:

With regards to UK nationals, the Institute writes the following:

Aunque Reino Unido ha manifestado su intención de salir de la UE el 30 de marzo de 2019,
la Oficina del Censo Electoral (OCE), como previsión cautelar, no ha excluido a sus
ciudadanos de la formación del censo electoral para estas elecciones municipales, así como
para las del Parlamento Europeo. No obstante, su inclusión dejará de tener efecto en cuanto
se produzca la separación de Reino Unido de la UE.

Although the UK has manifested its intention to leave the EU on March 30th 2019, the Electoral Census Office, as a precautionary provision, has not excluded its citizens from the formation of the electoral roll for these local elections, nor from that for the European Parliament. Nevertheless, their inclusion will cease to have affect once the separation of the UK from the EU takes place.

Update 21.1.2019 UK and Spain have signed a treaty, confirming the continued right, even in case of a no-deal Brexit, for UK residents in Spain to vote and stand for upcoming local elections (May 26) and reciprocally, for Spanish residents in the UK, for the upcoming local elections there (May 2).

With reference to UKNS:

Spanish Government Site

Please note: The information provided is based upon our understanding of current legislation. It is not legal advice but is provided freely to enable you to be properly informed. We recommend that if you are considering taking action, you should seek professional advice.