With less than six weeks to go until Germany heads to the polls this February, campaigning season is truly getting underway. Parties of all political persuasions are releasing their manifestos, with activists heading out in the cold to knock on doors and try and convince any undecided voters.
For anyone with German nationality who no longer lives in the country, the feverish hum of activity may feel very far away. But many will still want to have a say in the direction the country is headed in.
According to the Foreign Office, the number of Germans who vote from abroad has been growing in recent years, with around 130,000 citizens voting remotely from Europe, Asia, America and Australia in the last federal election.
That said, this number is still a drop in the ocean compared to the some three to four million citizens believed to be living abroad.
If you happen to reside in a foreign country - or will be abroad on polling day - there are a few extra steps you'll need to follow in order to vote this time around. To ensure your vote is counted, the Foreign Office advises taking these steps immediately, especially if you live in a far-flung location like Australia or Southeast Asia.
Who's eligible to vote from abroad?
Put simply, the people who have the right to vote from abroad are the same people who have the right to vote in Germany: German citizens aged 18 or over on the date of the elections.
Would-be voters will also need to have lived for at least three consecutive months in Germany while aged 14 or above. (In other words, periods spent in Germany as a child don't count.)
READ ALSO: How new German citizens can vote in upcoming elections
So, for example, if you lived in Germany for four years as the spouse of German citizen and became naturalised, and then moved abroad, you would still have the right to vote. However, if you inherited German citizenship through a relative but have never lived in Germany, you would likely be excluded from voting.
As always, there are exceptions. Under German law, citizens who haven't spent much time in Germany can still vote if they can prove they have a specific personal interest in doing so.
More specifically, the law states that a citizen can vote if they have a "personal and directly acquired familiarity with the political situation" in the Bundesrepublik and are also directly affected by it.
The criteria for this isn't set out in detail, but according to Germany's director of federal elections, consuming German media from abroad wouldn't count as a strong enough reason.
What steps do I have to take if I want to vote?
If you're a German citizen living permanently abroad, the first thing you need to do is to get your name on the voters' register.
This can be done by filling in a registration form and sending it to the district you lived in during your last period of residence in Germany. The form for previous residents who live abroad can be found here.
Though the form can be filled in digitally, it must be signed by hand before being submitted to the district election office. Luckily, the form can be sent electronically by email or fax as well as by post.
If you've never lived in Germany but are affected by the political situation, you will need to fill in a different form, which can be found here. The same rules apply, but deciding where to send it may be a little trickier.
The official guidance in this instance is that the voter should choose the district they are the most closely connected to or the one that has the biggest potential impact on their life.
READ ALSO: The immigration changes that may affect foreigners in Germany this year
In both cases, signed and completed registration forms should reach the elections office at least 21 days before voters go to the polls. This time around, the deadline is February 2nd, 2025.
How do I organise a postal vote?
Once you're included on the register, your Wahlschein - or voting slip - will be sent out to you automatically and will include the documents you need in order to vote by post.
Given the long delivery times for international mail, German citizens abroad are being advised to take action ASAP to ensure their voting slip - and postal vote - arrives in time for February 23rd.
"Anyone who wants to make sure that their home municipality sends out the election documents in time should register as soon as possible," the Foreign Office recently cautioned.
Votes must arrive by 6pm on election day in order to be counted.
German citizens who normally live in Germany will automatically be included on the election register and should receive their voting slip and postal voting documents at their registered address.
If you're likely to be out of the country on February 23rd, it's therefore best to send off a postal vote beforehand or ask your local authority to send your Wahlschein to your temporary address abroad as soon as possible.
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