Voting in European Parliament elections

On Thursday 6 June elections for the European Parliament will be held in the Netherlands. By voting, you help determine who becomes a member of the European Parliament and you influence the decisions of the European Parliament.

Last updated 15 April 2024

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When can you vote?

On Thursday 6 June, from 7.30 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Who can you vote for?

On the website of the ‘Kiesraad’ (Electoral Council), you’ll find information about the political parties and candidates participating in the elections (in Dutch).

In the run-up to the elections a list of candidates will be sent to you at your home address. You can read about the plans of the parties on their websites.

Who can vote in European Parliament elections?

You can vote in European Parliament elections in the Netherlands, if you are:

a Dutch national or a national of another EU Member State;
at least 18 years old;
not disqualified from voting (information in Dutch). People can only be disqualified from voting in special circumstances. This can only be done by court judgment.

Dutch residents of the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba can also vote in the elections for the European Parliament.

Dutch residents of the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten can register with the municipality of The Hague as overseas voters to vote.

Voters from other EU Member States

Voters from other EU Member States may either choose to vote in the Netherlands or in their country of origin.

If you want to vote in the Netherlands, you must fill in a Y 32 form (in Dutch). This is a one-off registration with your municipality. On this form, you declare that you are not voting in another country. You may only vote for the European Parliament once.

If you are a Dutch national and you live in the Netherlands, you do not need to fill in a Y 32 form.

You can register to vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections no later than 23 April.

Your municipality decides whether you can vote

Fill in the Y 32 form and return it to your municipality with a copy of a valid identity document. Your municipality will let you know within 7 days whether you can vote. To prevent people from voting twice, information is checked with other EU Member States.

Changing your mind about where you want to vote

You may change your mind and decide to vote in the European Parliament elections in the EU country of your nationality. In that case you can cancel your registration with your municipality. You must do this no later than 23 April.

What do you need in order to vote?

Your ‘stempas’ (voting pass). You will receive your voting pass in the post no later than Thursday 23 May.
Proof of identity. The following are considered valid proof of ID:
- all passports, identity cards and driving licences from EU countries and from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or
- a passport or identity card from Switzerland.

If your identity document has expired, the date of expiry must be less than five years ago, which means 7 June 2019 or later.

If your voting pass is lost or damaged, please contact your municipality and request a new one. This can be done in writing no later than Monday 3 June or in person at your local municipal office until Wednesday 5 June 12.00 p.m.

Where to vote

To find the ‘stembureau’ (polling station) nearest to you, visit your municipality’s website or waarismijnstemlokaal.nl (in Dutch). Shortly before the elections, you will also be sent an overview of all polling stations in the post.

Accessibility of polling stations

If you have a question about the accessibility of a polling station, you can visit waarismijnstemlokaal.nl (in Dutch). There, you can find information about which polling stations have facilities for people with a visual impairment or wheelchair users. You can also ask the municipality about this.

Vote in a different municipality

If you want to vote in a different municipality within the Netherlands, you must apply for a ‘kiezerspas’ (voter’s pass). You can do so:

By filling in an application form no later than Monday 3 June. You can get the form free of charge at your local municipal office. You can also download the form from the municipality's website.
In person at your local municipal office until Wednesday 5 June 12.00 p.m. You must show a (copy of) your identity.

Are you unable to get to the polling station?

If you are unable to get to the polling station, you can authorise someone else to vote for you. You can do this in two ways:

By transferring your voting pass to them
Fill in the back of your ‘stempas’ (voting pass). Give your voting pass to the person you would like to vote for you. You should also give them a copy of your identity document. This can also be a photo on your mobile phone or tablet. Make sure that the information can be clearly read.
By written proxy
For this, you need to request a form ‘verzoek om bij volmacht te stemmen’ (request to vote by written proxy) from your municipality. Both you and the person who will be voting for you need to complete the form. Return the form to the municipality no later than Monday 3 June.