As reported by the Stefan Batory Foundation, there are two ways to register on the electoral roll: at an office or electronically. It is not worth delaying, because the official must have time to verify and consider the application.
How can you do this at an office?
An application to be added to the electoral roll must be submitted to the municipal office of the municipality where you intend to vote; this is free of charge.
What should the application contain?
- A Polish citizen should provide their first name (or names), surname, father’s name, date of birth, PESEL number, residential address, as well as the address where they will be temporarily staying on election day
- A European Union citizen without Polish citizenship who may vote in elections to the European Parliament should provide their first name (or names), surname, father’s name, date of birth, citizenship of an EU Member State, passport number or number of another identity document, residential address, as well as the address where they will be temporarily staying on election day.
Registration on the electoral roll should take place without delay, but it is not done “on the spot” – the official must first check the information in the application. If everything is correct, the voter is added to the roll. This is a one-time registration and entitles the voter to vote in that particular election within the municipality where the application was submitted.
If there is also a need to vote outside the place of permanent residence in future elections, the entire procedure must be repeated or another solution must be used, such as obtaining a certificate of the right to vote or – if one permanently lives in the area of a given municipality – registering in the electoral register. Inclusion in the electoral register is permanent and entitles the voter to participate in every subsequent election at the place where the application for registration was submitted.
Before the election, it is worth checking at the municipal office whether you have actually been included on the electoral roll. You can do this until 20 May. If you have not been included on the electoral roll, you have the right to lodge a complaint – in writing or orally for the record. It will be considered within two days.
How can you do this electronically?
To use the option of registering on the electoral roll electronically, go to login.gov.pl. There are two login methods to choose from: a trusted profile or an e-ID. After logging in, complete the application and provide the reason why you want to register on the electoral roll.
After completing the application, you will be redirected to the e-signature service on the pz.gov.pl website, where you must check the application and sign it electronically using a trusted profile, e-ID or a qualified electronic signature. You will then receive confirmation that the application has been sent to your ePUAP inbox and to the email address provided in the application.
In the event of formal deficiencies, an official may contact you by telephone, regular mail, email or through the ePUAP inbox. It is worth checking it more frequently during this period so that the matter can be handled more quickly.
The application may also include a request to be informed by email about being added to the electoral roll. If there is no response within three days, you should contact the office by telephone, in person or using the so-called general letter, a form available on the website of the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
What about people living abroad?
Voters living abroad can also register on the electoral roll and have slightly more time to do so – until 23 May inclusive. The application is submitted to the consul verbally, in writing, by telephone, telegram or fax. It can also be submitted electronically using the e-wybory registration system.
What should the application contain?
- surname
- first name (or names)
- father’s name
- date of birth
- PESEL identification number
- the voter’s place of residence abroad
- the number, place and date of issue of a valid Polish passport (in countries where an identity card is sufficient to cross the border, the number of a valid identity card may be provided instead of the number of a valid Polish passport; EU citizens who are not Polish citizens should provide information concerning another valid identity document)
- the place where the voter is entered in the electoral register (a municipality in Poland) – in the case of Polish citizens temporarily staying abroad or EU citizens who are not Polish citizens and who permanently reside in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
Can you register on election day?
In that case, registration on the electoral roll is handled by the local electoral commission. However, this is possible only in the following cases:
- when the voter presents at the polling station a certificate of the right to vote previously obtained from the municipal office where they are entered in the electoral register or from the electoral roll already prepared on its basis
- when the voter was omitted from the roll, provided that they document that they permanently reside in the area of the given polling district, for example by presenting a residential lease agreement; in addition, the municipal office must confirm that it has not received notification that such a voter has lost the right to vote or has been entered on the roll in another district
- when the voter was removed from the electoral roll of a given polling district because they were entered on the electoral roll of an institution such as a hospital, social welfare home or prison. The only thing they must remember now is to bring a document proving that they have left such a place, for example a hospital discharge document – this will have to be demonstrated
- when the voter was placed in the institution referred to in the previous point before election day
- when the voter is a Polish citizen who permanently resides abroad but is in Poland on election day. They may vote on the basis of a valid Polish passport and a document confirming that they live abroad, such as a permanent residence card or proof of employment.