Right to Vote in Hungary – Guide for EU citizens for the 2024 elections

Which EU citizens can vote in Hungary?

If you are a citizen of another EU Member State, not having Hungarian citizenship but residing in Hungary, you can vote in:

• local elections, and
• European Parliamentary elections.

Residing in Hungary means that you have a registration certificate (“regisztrációs igazolás”) or a permanent residence card (“állandó tartózkodási kártya”) and a Hungarian address card (‘lakcímkártya’). If you are a tourist or you stay longer than three months but you do not register your residence in Hungary, you cannot vote in the elections.

You must be at least 18 years old on Election Day, 9 June, to exercise your right to vote.

What are we voting for on 9 June?

In the local elections, we will elect mayors and local government representatives.

In Budapest:

• mayor of the district (choose one name on the ballot paper),
• single-member constituency representative of the district local government (choose one name on the ballot paper),
• mayor of Budapest (choose one name on the ballot paper), and
• list of representatives to the Budapest-Capital General Assembly (choose one party/organisation/coalition on the ballot paper).

In cities with county rights (list of these cities):

• mayor of the city (choose one name on the ballot paper), and
• single-member constituency representative of the city local government (choose one name on the ballot paper).

In towns without county rights having more than 10,000 residents:

• mayor of the town (choose one name on the ballot paper),
• single-member constituency representative of the town local government (choose one name on the ballot paper), and
• list of representatives to the county assembly (choose one party/organisation on the ballot paper).

In settlements with 10,000 or less inhabitants:

• mayor of the settlement (choose one name on the ballot paper),
• representatives of the settlement local government (choose as many names as many representatives the local government has), and
• list of representatives to the county assembly (choose one party/organisation on the ballot paper).

At the European Parliamentary elections, we will elect Hungary’s 21 Members to the European Parliament by voting for lists which you can find here. (You will have to choose one party on the ballot paper.)

Vote by putting an X on the ballot paper in the circle next to your choice!

What do you have to do in order to vote in the local elections?

You were automatically registered in the voter register when you first received your Hungarian address card. You do not need to apply to the voter register separately. (Note that different rules apply for the EP elections, see the question below!)

On Election Day, 9 June, in order to vote, you must prove your identity by your Hungarian address card and your valid (!) passport or ID card issued by your country of citizenship or your driving license issued by the Hungarian authorities (“vezetői engedély”).

What do you have to do in order to vote in the European Parliamentary elections?

As an EU citizen living in Hungary, you may decide whether you want to vote for Hungary’s Members of the European Parliament or for your own country’s MEPs. You cannot vote for both.

If you want to vote for Hungary’s Members of the European Parliament, you must register at the voter register by 4 p.m. on 24 May. You can register online here or in person or by a proxy at any local election office (find your nearest local election office here, the local election offices are located at the mayor’s offices). (Form for proxies.)

If you have already registered to vote for Hungary’s Members of the European Parliament, you do not need to register again. If you are not sure whether you have registered before, you can register again.

On Election Day, you must prove your identity at the polling station by your Hungarian address card and your valid (!) passport or ID card issued by your country of citizenship or your driving license issued by the Hungarian authorities (“vezetői engedély”).

If you wish to vote for the Members of the European Parliament of your country of citizenship, you should check the electoral rules of your country. If you have previously registered to vote for Hungary’s Members of the European Parliament, and this time you want to vote for your country’s Members of the European Parliament, you must remove yourself from the Hungarian voter register by 4 p.m. on 30 May online here or in person or by a proxy at any local election office. (Form for proxies.)

Where can you vote?

Voting takes place at designated polling stations, where the election commission will give you all the ballot papers you are entitled to vote on. One person votes in one place for all the types of elections.

To find out the address of your polling station, check the letter that you should have received from the National Election Office (“Nemzeti Választási Iroda”) or check online by entering your address here or ask at the local election office (mayor’s office, “polgármesteri hivatal”).

For the local elections, you can vote at the polling station designated for your permanent address (“lakóhely” on the address card) or at the polling station designated for your temporary address (“tartózkodási hely” on the address card). You will vote for the candidates and party/organisation lists of the place where you vote. This means that if you vote at your permanent address, you will vote for the candidates of that settlement or district (in case of Budapest), and if you vote at your temporary residence, you will vote for the candidates of that place.

You are automatically registered to vote at the polling station designated for your permanent address. If you wish to vote at your temporary address, you may request that your name be transferred to the polling station designated for your temporary address online here or in person or by a proxy at any local election office by 4 p.m. on 31 May. (Form for proxies.)

For the local elections, you cannot vote at a polling station other than the one designated for your official place of residence (permanent or temporary), and you cannot vote abroad.

If you wish to vote both in the local elections and at the elections of Hungary’s Members of the European Parliament, you should follow the rules of the local elections regarding the place of voting (as described above).

If you cannot get to the designated polling station because of your health condition or disability, you may request a mobile ballot box. This means that on Election Day, 9 June, polling station commissioners will bring your ballot papers and a mobile ballot box to the place where you stay. You may request a mobile ballot box online without electronic identification here until 4 p.m. on 5 June, online with electronic identification here until 12 p.m. on Election Day, 9 June, in person or by a proxy at any local election office until 10 a.m. on 7 June, by post which should arrive at any local election office by 4 p.m. on 5 June, or by a proxy at your designated polling station on Election Day, 9 June until 12 p.m. (Form for post and proxies.)

If you are a person with mobility disability, you may apply online here or in person or by a proxy at any local elections office before 4 p.m. on 5 June to vote at an accessible polling station. (Form for proxies.) If you are a person with a visual impairment, you may request for a Braille voting template online here or in person or by a proxy at any local elections office before 4 p.m. on 31 May. (Form for proxies.)

If you are unable to vote on Election Day at the polling station designated for your place of residence, you can still vote in the European Parliamentary elections by absentee vote at any polling station in Hungary or at one of Hungary’s foreign representations abroad. You can apply for absentee voting online here or in person or by a proxy at any local election office until 4 p.m. on 31 May. (Form for proxies.) You may apply for the option of voting abroad at one of Hungary’s foreign representations (embassies) online here or in person or by a proxy for service of documents at any local election office until 4 p.m. on 31 May. (Form for proxies.)

For more information, see the multilingual website of the National Election Office.