Μake us preferred on Google The Ministry of Interior has begun emailing Greek citizens living abroad, informing them that they must submit a new application if they want to vote in the country’s next parliamentary election. The notice applies to two groups: people who had registered, or applied to register, in the special overseas electoral rolls before the passage of Law 5285/2026, and people who had registered for postal voting in European Parliament elections using a delivery address outside Greece.
According to the ministry, anyone who wants to exercise their voting rights from abroad in the upcoming national election must file a fresh application through the special electoral rolls system, regardless of any prior registration. Applications are submitted through the ministry’s online platform, and the ministry is encouraging applicants to review the “General Instructions” posted on the same site before starting.
Three ways to vote from abroad
A circular issued by the Interior Ministry on July 31, 2026, laid out the new framework governing how Greeks abroad take part in parliamentary elections. Under the rules, any Greek citizen who will be inside or outside Greece on election day is eligible to register in the special overseas roll, as long as they are already listed on a municipal electoral roll and hold the right to vote.
Voters now choose one of three methods. The first is voting in person at a polling station set up abroad. The second is postal voting. The third is a hybrid option available only if no polling station is set up in the voter’s chosen city.
Voters who pick the in person option name the country and city where they want to vote when they apply. If no polling station ends up being organized in that city, voters who chose only the in person method are automatically assigned to the nearest polling station that does open.
Voters who choose postal voting must provide an address outside Greece where their ballot materials will be sent. If they fail to mail back their ballot, or if it does not arrive in time, they retain the right to vote in person in Greece on election day.
A third, intermediate choice lets a voter request in person voting in a specific city abroad while agreeing to fall back on postal voting only if no polling station is ultimately set up there.
Why voters must reapply
The ministry says the change is necessary because earlier registrations in the overseas electoral rolls no longer apply under the new system, which requires voters to actively choose a voting method rather than being assigned one by default.
That means new applications are required both from citizens who had previously registered to vote at polling stations abroad in parliamentary elections and from those who had registered for postal voting in European Parliament elections. The ministry says it will contact these voters directly by email or text message to notify them of the need to reregister.
How to register
Applications can be filed electronically through the ministry’s dedicated platform or in person through the Greek embassy or consulate in the voter’s country of residence.
For the online process, applicants can verify their identity using Taxisnet credentials, the login system tied to Greece’s tax authority, or by providing their Greek passport details, date of birth and an active mobile phone number, followed by a one time verification code sent by text message.
Applicants can also file through a Greek embassy or consulate, either by appearing in person or through MyConsulLive, the ministry’s video call consular service, at no charge.
Once an application is completed, the system automatically generates a protocol number, which is sent to the applicant’s email and mobile phone as proof that the registration was successfully submitted.
