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Apply for a postal vote

Polling card · postal voting · Bundestag, state parliament, local & EU elections

Mixed

With postal voting (Briefwahl), you cast your vote conveniently by post if you cannot or do not want to go to the polling station on election day. The legal basis is § 36 of the Federal Electoral Act (Bundeswahlgesetz, BWahlG) in conjunction with §§ 27 ff. of the Federal Electoral Regulations (Bundeswahlordnung, BWO). You do not have to give a reason, and postal voting is free of charge – it is available for Bundestag, state parliament, local and European elections.

The requirement is the polling card (Wahlschein), which you apply for after receiving your voter’s notification (Wahlbenachrichtigung) – online, in writing (including by post, fax or email) or in person at the municipality of your principal residence. Applications are usually possible until the Friday before the election, 15:00 (§ 27 BWO). The completed postal ballot letter must have reached the competent body by 18:00 on election day – what counts is receipt, not the postmark.

Postal voting completely replaces going to the polling station: anyone who holds a polling card receives a blocking note (Sperrvermerk) in the electoral register and can then vote on election day only with this polling card – but in that case at any polling station in their own constituency (§ 14 Abs. 3 BWahlG). If the documents do not arrive, the municipality can issue you a new polling card until 12:00 on the day before the election (§ 28 Abs. 10 BWO). On this page you will find all the deadlines, the complete list of documents, the step-by-step process and the mistakes that, in practice, lead to a postal ballot letter being rejected and the vote not being counted.

Last updated3 October 2026
Legal basis§ 36 BWahlG, §§ 27 ff. BWO
VerificationChecked against bundeswahlleiterin.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office), not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. Exact deadlines and envelope colours can differ slightly depending on the election and the local authority. The information on your voter’s notification is decisive. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeIncl. postage within DE
Application deadlineFriday, 15:00Second day before the election
MethodOnline · post · in personTelephone not permitted
Receipt of the postal ballot letterElection day, 18:00Receipt counts, not the postmark
Required documents

What you need for postal voting

Voter’s notification

The municipality sends you the voter’s notification automatically, and it must reach you by the 21st day before the election at the latest. It contains your serial number in the electoral register, your polling district and the address and opening hours of your polling station; on the back you will find the pre-printed application for a polling card and, in most local authority areas, a QR code or access code for the online application. You do not have to wait for it to arrive: you can also apply for the polling card without the notification, as long as you are listed in the electoral register. If nothing has arrived by 21 days before the election, ask the electoral office – the entry in the electoral register is then often missing.

Entry in the electoral register

Postal voting requires that you are entitled to vote and entered in the electoral register of your municipality. Anyone who is registered with the registration authority for a residence on the 42nd day before the election – the so-called reference date – is entered ex officio (§ 16 Abs. 1 BWO); the entry therefore arises automatically from your Anmeldung (residence registration) at the Bürgeramt, and no separate application is needed. Anyone who moves only after the reference date remains registered in their previous municipality for this election and applies for the polling card there. In the Bundestag election, Germans aged 18 and over are entitled to vote; in the European election, a uniform nationwide minimum age of 16 has applied since 2024 under § 6 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 and Abs. 3 Nr. 1 of the European Elections Act (Europawahlgesetz, EuWG), and in local and state parliament elections the age limit depends on the respective state law. EU citizens are also entitled to vote in the European election under § 6 Abs. 3 EuWG and in local elections under Art. 28 Abs. 1 Satz 3 of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG), but not in state parliament or Bundestag elections.

Personal information for the application

Under § 27 Abs. 1 BWO, your family name, your given names, your date of birth and your home address are sufficient for the polling card application – the municipal authority must not ask for more. Neither a reason nor proof that you are unable to attend has been required since the obligation to give reasons was abolished. You may also specify a different delivery address, such as a holiday, hospital or foreign address; the documents are then sent there free of charge instead of to your registered address.

Identity document (only when applying in person)

If you apply for or collect the polling card in person at the Bürgeramt or at the postal voting office, bring your identity card (Personalausweis) or passport – the municipal authority uses it to verify your identity before handing over the documents. If you submit your application in writing, electronically or online, on the other hand, no copy of your identity document is needed; the information mentioned above or the code on the voter’s notification is sufficient there. Many offices accept an expired document purely for identity verification, but do not rely on this.

Power of attorney (when collecting for someone else)

If you collect the postal ballot documents for another person entitled to vote, you need a power of attorney in writing from that person; without it, the municipal authority must not hand over the documents. Only a person who represents no more than four persons entitled to vote may make use of the power of attorney (§ 28 Abs. 5 BWO) – this limit is intended to prevent organised collection in bulk. Also carry your own identity document so that the office can identify you as the authorised person.

Official postal ballot documents

Under § 28 Abs. 3 BWO, the polling card must be accompanied by an official ballot paper for the constituency, an official ballot paper envelope, an official return envelope bearing the printed address of the body that counts the votes, and an information leaflet on postal voting. In the Bundestag election, the ballot paper envelope is blue and the return envelope is red; in state parliament and local elections, the colours can differ. Use only these official envelopes: an envelope you have obtained yourself or a different ballot paper envelope leads to rejection of the postal ballot letter (§ 39 Abs. 4 BWahlG). Check the envelope for completeness as soon as you receive it.

Step by step

How to apply for postal voting

  1. 1

    Check your voter’s notification

    First wait for the voter’s notification, which the municipality sends you automatically and which must reach you by the 21st day before the election at the latest. Check your name, your address, the polling district and the number in the electoral register – this number speeds up any later application. If nothing has arrived by the 21st day or the information is wrong, contact the electoral office of your municipality immediately and have it clarified whether you are listed in the electoral register. The electoral register is available for public inspection from the 20th to the 16th day before the election, so that you can check your entry there and lodge an objection (Einspruch).

  2. 2

    Apply for the polling card

    You have three permitted options. Online: via your city’s election portal, which you can reach via the QR code or link on the voter’s notification; this usually takes less than five minutes and you receive a confirmation by email. In writing: fill in the pre-printed application on the back of the voter’s notification, sign it and send it to the electoral office by post, fax or email – an informal application stating your name, given names, date of birth and address is also sufficient. In person: at the Bürgeramt or the postal voting office of the municipality of your principal residence; there you can usually vote on the spot and hand in the postal ballot letter straight away. Submission of the application by telephone is expressly not permitted (§ 27 Abs. 1 BWO). The deadline ends on the second day before the election, i.e. usually on Friday at 15:00.

  3. 3

    Receive and check the postal ballot documents

    The municipality sends the documents without delay after receiving your application; how long dispatch takes depends on the competent authority and the postal delivery time. Under § 28 Abs. 3 BWO, the envelope contains the polling card, the official ballot paper for your constituency, the ballot paper envelope (blue for the Bundestag election), the pre-addressed return envelope (red) and an information leaflet on postal voting. Count the items immediately and compare the name on the polling card with your own. If an item is missing or the ballot paper is damaged, report this to the electoral office immediately – a replacement is only possible until the day before the election.

  4. 4

    Fill in the ballot paper

    Mark the ballot paper in person, unobserved and with an indelible pen. In the Bundestag election, you have two votes: the first vote for a person standing in the constituency, the second vote for a state list (Landesliste). Make only one cross per column and do not write any additions, comments or signatures on the ballot paper – such additions can make the vote invalid. Fold the ballot paper, put it alone in the ballot paper envelope and seal that envelope. The polling card expressly does not belong in this envelope.

  5. 5

    Sign the declaration in lieu of an oath

    On the polling card, complete the declaration in lieu of an oath for postal voting (Versicherung an Eides statt) with the place, the date and your own handwritten signature. With it, you declare to the district returning officer that the ballot paper was marked in person or in accordance with your declared will (§ 36 BWahlG). If an assistant marked the ballot for you, the assistant signs the declaration. If the signature is missing, the entire postal ballot letter is rejected and your vote is not counted (§ 39 Abs. 4 BWahlG) – this step is the most common reason for invalid postal votes.

  6. 6

    Send the postal ballot letter in good time

    Put the sealed ballot paper envelope and the signed polling card together in the red return envelope and seal that envelope too. Within Germany, Deutsche Post delivers the postal ballot letter free of charge; no stamp is needed. What matters is that the postal ballot letter has reached the body printed on the envelope by 18:00 on election day – the postmark is irrelevant. Within Germany, therefore, post it no later than the third working day before the election. If you want to be on the safe side, hand in the postal ballot letter in person at the electoral office or put it in its letterbox; this is possible until 18:00 on election day.

Fee information

Costs of postal voting

Fees — postal voting

Application for a polling card / postal votingFree of charge
Dispatch of the postal ballot documents to youFree of charge
Postage for the postal ballot letter (within Germany)Free of charge
Registered letter (Einschreiben) or other special form of deliveryYou bear the extra costs yourself
Postage for the postal ballot letter (from abroad)You pay the postage yourself
Replacement polling card if not receivedFree of charge

Postal voting is free of charge throughout Germany – an administrative fee must not be charged either for the application or for issuing the polling card. Within Germany, you do not have to put a stamp on the red return envelope: postal ballot letters in official envelopes are delivered free of charge, and the Federation bears the costs of this delivery (§ 36 BWahlG). If you voluntarily choose a special form of delivery such as Einschreiben or express, you bear the extra costs yourself; this brings no benefit, because only receipt by 18:00 on election day counts for validity. Postal ballot letters sent from abroad must be stamped by the sender; airmail is recommended there because of the considerably longer delivery times. At most, you incur costs indirectly, for example for the journey to the electoral office if you hand in the postal ballot letter in person.

Good to know

Important notes

Send the postal ballot letter early. The Federal Returning Officer recommends posting it within Germany no later than the third working day before the election, as postal delivery times can vary.

You can also drop off the postal ballot letter in person at the electoral office or the postal voting office, or vote there on the spot – this way you avoid any risk with the post.

With the polling card, you can vote at any polling station in your constituency in the Bundestag election (§ 14 Abs. 3 BWahlG), as long as you have not yet sent off the documents. In the European election, the area covers the district or the independent city (kreisfreie Stadt) (§ 6 Abs. 5 EuWG); in state parliament and local elections, state law applies. Be sure to bring the polling card with you: once it has been issued, you receive a blocking note “W” in the electoral register under § 30 BWO and can only vote with the polling card.

Germans living abroad can also apply for postal voting. Bear in mind the longer postal delivery times, put a stamp on the postal ballot letter yourself and submit the application as early as possible – in some cases a separate, earlier application deadline applies.

You do not need to give a reason: all persons entitled to vote may apply for postal voting without giving reasons. However, submission of the application by telephone is ruled out.

Documents not arrived? If you credibly affirm that you have not received the polling card you applied for, the municipal authority can issue you a new polling card until 12:00 on the day before the election (§ 28 Abs. 10 BWO). Therefore report the non-receipt immediately and not only on election day.

In exceptional cases, the polling card can still be obtained on election day until 15:00 – for example in the case of a proven sudden illness that makes it impossible to go to the polling station, in all cases covered by § 25 Abs. 2 BWO – in particular for persons entitled to vote who are not entered in the electoral register – or if you were unable to submit an application through no fault of your own (§ 27 Abs. 4 Satz 2 BWO). In these cases, you collect the documents from the electoral office in person or through an authorised person.

Germans abroad who do not have a place of residence in Germany are not automatically listed in the electoral register. They must first submit an application for entry, which must reach the competent municipal authority by the 21st day before the election at the latest (§ 18 BWO); post, fax and electronic transmission are permitted. Only then are the polling card and the postal ballot documents sent – plan for a lead time of several weeks.

EU citizens with their place of residence in Germany may vote in European and local elections, but not in state parliament or Bundestag elections. For the European election, a one-off application for entry in the electoral register is generally necessary if you want to vote here instead of in your country of origin; after that, postal voting is open to you in the same way as to all other persons entitled to vote.

Anyone who cannot mark the ballot themselves because of a disability or reading difficulty may use an assistant of their own choosing (§ 14 Abs. 5 BWahlG). This person provides only technical help in carrying out your own decision, is bound to secrecy and signs the declaration in lieu of an oath on the polling card. Blind and visually impaired voters can also use ballot paper templates provided free of charge by associations for the blind.

The deadlines given here apply to the Bundestag election. In the European election, the European Elections Regulations (Europawahlordnung, EuWO) apply instead, under which you can apply for the polling card until 18:00 on the second day before the election (§ 26 Abs. 4 EuWO). In state parliament and local elections, application deadlines, envelope colours and the competent return address are governed by the respective state electoral law and can differ. The information on your voter’s notification and in the enclosed information leaflet is always decisive.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes with postal voting

Sending the postal ballot letter too late. The postal ballot letter must have reached the body printed on the envelope by 18:00 on election day. A late postal ballot letter is rejected under § 39 Abs. 4 Nr. 1 BWahlG and added unopened to the election records – your vote is lost without replacement, regardless of the postmark and without notification. Within Germany, post the letter no later than the third working day before the election or hand it in directly at the electoral office.

Not signing the declaration in lieu of an oath. The declaration in lieu of an oath on the polling card is mandatory (§ 36 BWahlG). If your handwritten signature is missing, the postal ballot letter is rejected in its entirety under § 39 Abs. 4 Nr. 6 BWahlG – both votes are lost. Experience shows that this is the most common reason for rejection, because many people fill in only the ballot paper and overlook the polling card.

Ballot paper not in the blue envelope, or envelope left open. The ballot paper must be placed alone in the official ballot paper envelope, sealed, before this goes into the return envelope. If the ballot paper is not submitted in an official ballot paper envelope, both votes are invalid without exception under § 39 Abs. 1 Satz 3 BWahlG; if the ballot paper envelope is missing, or if neither it nor the return envelope is sealed, the postal ballot letter is also rejected under § 39 Abs. 4 Nr. 3 and 4 BWahlG. An envelope you have obtained yourself or one of a different colour also leads to rejection (Nr. 7).

Missing the application deadline. The polling card can only be applied for until the second day before the election – usually Friday, 15:00 (§ 27 Abs. 1 BWO). Anyone who misses the deadline loses the option of postal voting and must go in person to their assigned polling station on election day; the only exceptions are the narrowly defined exceptional cases up to 15:00 on election day.

Polling card not enclosed or put in the wrong envelope. The polling card goes loose in the return envelope, never in the ballot paper envelope. If the return envelope contains no polling card or no valid one, the postal ballot letter is rejected under § 39 Abs. 4 Nr. 2 BWahlG – the electoral board then cannot match your vote to the electoral register.

Several ballot paper envelopes in one postal ballot letter. If families collect their envelopes in a single return envelope, it must contain the same number of valid and signed polling cards. If the numbers do not match, the entire postal ballot letter is rejected with all the votes it contains (§ 39 Abs. 4 Nr. 5 BWahlG). If in doubt, send each postal ballot letter separately.

Marking the ballot for another person. Even with relatives, it is not permitted to mark the ballot paper without or against their expressed will. Anyone who votes without authorisation commits election fraud (Wahlfälschung) under § 107a of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB); this is punishable by imprisonment of up to five years or a criminal fine (Geldstrafe), and even the attempt is punishable. Only technical help with a decision the voter has made themselves is permitted.

Going to the polling station without the polling card. Once a polling card has been issued, a blocking note is entered in the electoral register. If you turn up at the polling station without the polling card, you must not vote – not even with your identity card. Therefore always take the polling card and the unused documents with you if you decide at short notice to go to the polling station after all.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about postal voting

By when can I apply for the polling card for postal voting?

You can apply for the polling card until 15:00 on the second day before the election – i.e. usually Friday (§ 27 BWO). In special exceptional cases, an application is still possible on election day until 15:00: in the case of a proven sudden illness that makes it impossible to go to the polling station, and in all cases covered by § 25 Abs. 2 BWO – i.e. in particular for persons entitled to vote who are not entered in the electoral register (§ 27 Abs. 4 Satz 2 BWO). Submit the application as early as possible, because the documents still have to be sent to you.

Does postal voting cost anything?

No. Applying for the polling card is free of charge. Sending the postal ballot letter within Germany is also postage-free: you do not have to put a stamp on the red return envelope, because Deutsche Post covers the postage and is reimbursed by the Federation (§ 36 BWahlG). Only postal ballot letters sent from abroad must be stamped by you.

By when must the postal ballot letter arrive at the latest?

The postal ballot letter must have reached the body stated on the envelope by 18:00 on election day at the latest (§ 36 BWahlG). What counts is receipt, not the postmark – postal ballot letters arriving later are no longer counted. Within Germany, post it no later than the third working day before the election.

Can I vote at the polling station despite applying for postal voting?

Yes, as long as you have not yet sent off the postal ballot documents. In the Bundestag election, you can vote with the polling card at any polling station in your constituency (§ 14 Abs. 3 BWahlG); in the European election, the area is the district or the independent city (§ 6 Abs. 5 EuWG), and in state parliament and local elections the respective state law applies. Be sure to bring the polling card with you, because a blocking note “W” is entered in the electoral register under § 30 BWO – so you remain registered, but can no longer vote without the polling card.

Do I have to give a reason for postal voting?

No. Since the obligation to give reasons was abolished, all persons entitled to vote can apply for postal voting without giving reasons. So you do not have to prove that you are unable to attend on election day.

What happens if I do not sign the declaration in lieu of an oath?

Without a signed declaration in lieu of an oath on the polling card, the postal vote is invalid and your vote is not counted. With your signature, you declare that you marked the ballot paper in person or in accordance with your declared will (§ 36 BWahlG).

What should I do if the postal ballot documents do not arrive?

Contact the municipal authority immediately and credibly affirm that you have not received the polling card you applied for. In this case, a new polling card can be issued to you until 12:00 on the day before the election (§ 28 Abs. 10 BWO). Do not wait until election day, because after that a replacement is no longer possible and you can no longer vote.

Can Germans abroad vote by post?

Yes, but if they do not have a place of residence in Germany, they are not automatically listed in the electoral register. They must first submit an application for entry, which must reach the competent municipal authority by the 21st day before the election at the latest (§ 18 BWO); post, fax and electronic transmission are permitted. The postal ballot letter from abroad must be stamped by the sender and must also have arrived in Germany by 18:00 on election day, which is why you should send it by airmail and as early as possible.

Can I apply for postal voting by telephone?

No, submission of the application by telephone is expressly not permitted under § 27 Abs. 1 BWO, because your identity cannot be reliably verified over the phone. Permitted are an online application via your local authority’s portal, an application in writing by post, fax or email, and applying in person at the Bürgeramt or the postal voting office.

Related official procedures

Register your address
Entry in the electoral register
Free of charge
Apply for an identity card
First application or issuing a new document
€46.00
Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)
Proof of residence
€0–€16

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