Voting in Italy, for Foreigners

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Voting in Italy, for Foreigners

All EU citizens living a residents in Italy registered as resident in the local commune are legally entitled to vote in certain Italian elections (elezioni), specifically: 

• Local Municipal Elections
• European Parliamentary Elections

Note: Registration to vote in either of these elections does not automatically qualify a voter for the other. Registration must be made separately for each. 

An EU citizen may also stand as a candidate at municipal elections, under the same conditions an Italian national. 

To be eligible to vote, a person must be at least 18 years old. They must not have been banned from voting in another EU state.

Municipal Elections: The Voting Process

When applying for residency, the applicant can also request that their name be added to the electoral roll (Lista Elettorale). If residency permission has already been granted, provide proof of address and residency to register on the voter's roll and  be issued with a voting card (Tessera Elettorale). 

Up to ten days before elections, voters are sent the Electoral Certificate (Certificato Elettorale) which has the personal identifying data and information on where to go to vote. 

Registration to vote must be made by 30 December of the year preceding elections.

Voting Day

Take the Electoral Certificate and valid photo identification (passport). The voter will be given two cards, one to elect a candidate to the commune council and one to the city council. 

• Comprehensive information from a Stranieri in Italia article: Click here  (in Italian)
• Information from the EU: Click here

Voting in European Parliamentary Elections

EU nationals, over the age of 18 may vote in European Parliamentary Elections, and any national over 25 is eligible to stand as candidate for Member of the European Parliament (MEP). An EU citizen voting in Italy for elections for the European Parliament forfeits the right to vote in another EU country.

• For more information from the EU: Click here

Further Information

• Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Elettorale: Ministry of the Interior's electoral department 
• General information from the ACE Project (search for "Italy")