How do I vote if I’m abroad temporarily?

You can complete an authorisation form to authorise a voter in the Netherlands to vote on your behalf. This is known as a written proxy.

Who can I authorise?

You can choose who you want to authorise. The person who votes on your behalf (the proxy voter) does not need to live in the municipality where you are registered, but must:

• also vote themselves
• cast your vote at the same time as they cast their own vote.

How can I authorise someone?

If you want to authorise someone to vote on your behalf, follow the steps below:

1. Get an authorisation form from your municipality or download the form online.
2. Have the person who will be voting for you fill in their details on the form. Then complete the rest of the form yourself. This way you can make sure that you are authorising the right person.
3. Submit the authorisation form to your municipality.
4. The proxy voter will receive a certificate of authorisation (volmachtbewijs) that will allow them to vote on your behalf. Once the municipality has issued the certificate of authorisation, you cannot have authorisation withdrawn.
5. The proxy voter needs to take the certificate of authorisation with them to the polling station. They do not need a photocopy of your identity document. The proxy voter must cast your vote at the same time as they cast their own vote.

If you would like to vote by post from your temporary address outside the Netherlands, you have to register as a voter abroad at the municipality of The Hague. If you register now, you can vote for all upcoming elections. 

Register as a Dutch voter abroad (thehague.nl, information in Dutch)

Receiving your voting documents

• Your postal vote certificate (briefstembewijs) will be sent to you by post. Notify the municipality of The Hague of the address abroad at which you would like to receive it. It’s not possible to have a postal vote certificate sent to an address in the Netherlands.
• Your ballot paper will be sent to you by email (or by post if that’s what you’ve requested).

Sending your postal vote to The Hague

Send your postal vote by post to the postal vote polling station in The Hague. Your postal vote has to be at the polling station on 29 october 2025, 15.00 hours Dutch time at the latest.

Sending your postal vote to an embassy or consulate-general

You can also post or hand deliver your postal vote to a Dutch embassy or consulate-general. If you want to deliver your postal vote outside normal opening hours, email the embassy or consulate-general to see whether that’s possible. Also, be sure to check the social media pages of your local embassy or consulate regarding news updates on the elections and all other news. Your postal vote has to be at the embassy or consulate at 24 october 10.00 hours local time. If you hand in your postal vote after 24 october, your vote will still be sent to the polling station, but it might come in too late. You do not have to add stamps to your postal vote if you hand it in at an embassy or consulate. 

Dutch embassies and consulates-general

Tips for voting by post

• Make sure to send your postal vote on time, preferably with priority. 
• Use the orange enveloppe or one of your own. Write down your own (retour) address on the back of the enveloppe. 
• Your postal vote takes between 5 to 15 days to get delivered. Take note of this, and also keep in mind how reliable the postal services in your country are. 
• If you have any questions regarding delivery, contact your local postal services.  

Lost your voting papers

Did you lose your voting papers? Until 17 october 2025 you can request a new one, either digitally or by post at the municipality of The Hague. You may use an enveloppe of your own to send in your postal vote. 

Request a new postal voting paper (denhaag.nl) (Information in Dutch)

You can complete an authorisation form to authorise a voter in the Netherlands to vote on your behalf. This is known as a written proxy.

Who can I authorise?

You can choose who you want to authorise. The person who votes on your behalf (the proxy voter) must:

• also vote themselves
• live in the same province (for provincial council elections), water authority area (for water authority elections) or municipality (for municipal council elections) as you.
• cast your vote at the same time as they cast their own vote.

How can I authorise someone?

If you want to authorise someone to vote on your behalf, follow the steps below:

1. Get an authorisation form from your municipality or download the form online.
2. Have the person who will be voting for you fill in their details on the form. Then complete the rest of the form yourself. This way you can make sure that you are authorising the right person.
3. Submit the authorisation form to your municipality.
4. The proxy voter will receive a certificate of authorisation (volmachtbewijs) that will allow them to vote on your behalf. Once the municipality has issued the certificate of authorisation, you cannot have authorisation withdrawn.
5. The proxy voter needs to take the certificate of authorisation with them to the polling station. They do not need a photocopy of your identity document. The proxy voter must cast your vote at the same time as they cast their own vote.