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

Which NON-EU citizens can vote in Hungary?

You have the right to vote at the Hungarian local elections on 9 June, if you are a foreigner with a citizenship of a country which is not a member of the EU, you reside in Hungary, and you hold one of the following statuses in Hungary:

• refugee status (“menekült”), or
• right of continuous residence (“huzamos tartózkodási jogosultság”):
  • immigration permit (“bevándorlási engedély”),
  • permanent residence permit (“letelepedési engedély”),
  • temporary permanent residence permit (“ideiglenes letelepedési engedély”),
  • national permanent residence permit (“nemzeti letelepedési engedély”),
  • EC permanent residence permit (“EK letelepedési engedély”),
  • temporary residence card (“ideiglenes tartózkodási kártya”),
  • national residence card (“nemzeti tartózkodási kártya”), or
  • EU residence card (“EU tartózkodási kártya”).

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

If you do not hold one of the aforementioned residency rights, you do not have the right to vote in the Hungarian local elections on 9 June. If you are not an EU citizen, you do not have the right to vote in the European Parliamentary elections.

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).

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?

You were automatically registered in the voter register of the local elections when you first received your Hungarian identity card (for foreigners) after obtaining a residency right with the right to vote (see above the first question). You do not need to apply to the voter register separately.

On Election Day, 9 June, in order to vote, you must prove your identity by your Hungarian address card and your identity card issued by the Hungarian authorities (“személyazonosító igazolvány”) or your driver’s license issued by the Hungarian authorities (“vezetői engedély”).

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.

To find out the address of your polling station, check the letter you 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”).

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 should 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.)

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 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 either:

• online without electronic identification here until 4 p.m. on 5 June, or
• online with electronic identification here until 12 p.m. on Election Day, 9 June, or
• in person or by a proxy at any local election office until 10 a.m. on 7 June, or
• 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.)

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