Foreign residents urged to register for Spain’s 2027 municipal elections

Foreign residents in Spain have been reminded of the conditions for voting in next year’s municipal elections on 23^rd May.

On that date, elections for the Canarian Government, Lanzarote’s Cabildo and the seven councils on the island will take place. Foreign residents only have the right to vote in the last of these, electing representatives to their local Ayuntamiento.

Nationals of EU countries, the United Kingdom, Norway and other countries with an agreement allowing them to vote must register their intention to do so before December 30^th of this year.

EU nationals can vote as soon as they have declared residence in Spain, while British and Norwegian residents must be able to prove that they have lived in Spain for at least three years.

To vote, you need to be registered on the local Padrón, an official list of residents in each council area.  Once this is confirmed you will receive a letter asking you to confirm your intention to vote, and this can be submitted at your local council office, online or by mail.

To carry out these procedures online, you’ll require a Cl@ve code, and can carry out the process in English at the Electronic Office of the _National Institute of Statistics at  www.ine.gob.es/en/ 

We’d recommend heading to your local Ayuntamiento to confirm you’re on the Padrón and getting a Cl@ve code while you’re there, if you don’t already have one.