Voting in France, for Foreigners

EU citizens may vote in local municipal elections and European parliamentary elections in France. This page tells you how...
All EU citizens
living as residents in France are legally entitled to vote in certain French
elections, specifically:
- Local Municipal Elections (Élections Municipales)
- European Parliamentary Elections
How to register to vote
To be eligible to
vote, citizens must have reached 18 years old and live in France. They must not
have been banned from voting in another EU state.
- Find out more about the right to vote for a
member of another EU state
Voting registration for the first time must be done by
the deadline set before the next election. The Service Public website has more
about
Registration is made at the Town Hall (Mairie)
of the place of residence. Some communes allow registration online or by post.
The following is needed:
- Valid proof of identity (passport)
- Proof of nationality (a passport, or driver's licence with
photograph)
- Proof of address (a rent receipt, tax return, water or electricity bill)
- A completed voter registration form, Cerfa n°12670*01
Note: You are allowed to be registered to vote in
municipal elections in more than one EU country at a time, but not in European
Parliamentary Elections. By voting in France, the EU citizen votes for their
choice of French representative to the European Parliament. And after voting in
France the EU national loses their right to vote in another State of the Union
(anyone doing so may be fined and imprisoned).
When registering to
vote ensure that you are enrolled for both municipal and European elections, if
you want to be able to vote in both.
How to vote
On polling day, go to the
appropriate polling station taking:
- Voter registration card and proof
of identity
- Or proof of identity (only)
- Or voter registration card (only) in communes with
fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
You will be given an envelope and the ballot papers of
all candidates.
- Go into a polling booth and make the vote
- Place chosen ballot paper in the envelope
- On exiting the booth, before posting the vote in the ballot box,
show voter registration card and identity document. The registration card
will be stamped
- Sign the register of voters
- Put the vote into the ballot box
Voting machines
Voting machines are sometimes
used. The process is the same in that on polling day the voter goes to the
appropriate polling station taking:
- Voter registration card and proof
of identity
- Or proof of identity (only)
- Or voter registration card (only) in communes with
fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
These documents should be shown before voting. The
documents will be checked along with the inscription on the voting list.
- The voting machine will open up and the voter is directed to the
machine where the names of the candidates and a blank vote option will be
listed
- Select the voting option (this will appear on a screen) and if
correct, validate it. If a mistake is made before validation then simple
select the correct option
The machine will close after validation. After voting,
sign the register of voters. The registration card will be stamped.
Absentee voting
A voter unable to attend a
polling station on election day may vote by proxy. Accepted reasons for
absenteeism are:
- Professional or family obligations
- Health limitation (unable to leave the house/hospital)
- Holiday out of the commune
How to vote by proxy
Prior to the elections, fill in
the form Cerfa n° 14952*01 and
go to the local mairie who will tell explain where to register a proxy vote. It
will probably be at the local police station.
- Show suitable proof of reason for absence - for example, letter
from an employer or medical certificate - and proof of identity.
- Nominate a proxy who must be registered on the electoral roll of
the commune.
Municipal Elections: The Voting Process
At a Municipal
level, municipal councillors are elected for a term of six-years. The
councillors then elect the mayor. The number of municipal councillors depends
on the size of the population.
- Find out more about Municipal Elections
The system used is
a two-ballot majority list poll, but the methods applied depend on the
population size of the commune:
- In communes with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, voting for
candidates on different lists (vote-splitting) and deletion of names
(preference voting) are allowed and votes are counted by candidate: a mark
may be placed at the name of the preferred candidate, and the name of a
person specifically not wanted may be deleted. It is also possible to
"write-in" the names of declared candidates preferred to those
on the list.
- In communes with more than 1,000 inhabitants, the ballot paper must
not be altered by the voter and any vote for a list on which names have
been deleted is considered invalid, votes are counted by list and some
seats are allocated proportionally. The ballot paper contains two lists of
names, one for the municipaux and
one for the communitaires.
Further Information
- Information on EU Citizens rights to vote in
municipal elections from the
ministry of the interior (in French)
- For information on standing as
a candidate in French municipal elections (in
French)
- European Parliament website
Note: After Brexit, British
Citizens residing in France will no longer be able to vote in French local and
European elections as they lose that right once leaving the EU. British citizens’
with French nationality can still vote.
For more information on voting rights visit Service Public of the Ministry of Interior websites.