Germans who are permanently resident abroad can already apply for inclusion in the electoral register. This is important for those wishing to vote in the February 2025 federal election.
General information and guidance for Germans living abroad on how to register to vote is at 2025 Bundestag Election: Application form for Germans living abroad – The Federal Returning Officer
More relevantly for descendants of former Jewish refugees who might have more recently acquired their German citizenship, German expatriates without a domicile in Germany are eligible to vote if they have “…a personal and direct familiarity with the political conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany and are affected by them”.
In all cases, the participation in elections by Germans living permanently abroad without a current registration address in Germany depends on submission of an application for inclusion in the electoral register of the competent municipality in Germany before every election. For German expatriates who were at no time registered in Germany, the competent municipality is the one with which they have the closest connection as far as their familiarity with the political conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany and the impact of those political conditions on them is concerned. That will, as a rule, be the place in which the personal impact of the political conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany on a German expatriate is most evident.
In cases where such a place cannot be identified, the reference point could be the last home municipality of the ancestors in the direct line in the current federal territory, or in the case of several ancestors, those who last moved away.
When an application is submitted, grounds must be provided to the competent municipality in Germany for the existence of a personal and direct familiarity with the political conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany and their personal impact, as well as information on the extent of the connection with the municipality to which the application has been submitted. The key facts must be presented clearly. Only the competent municipality in Germany (not the German mission abroad) can provide legally binding information regarding an individual’s eligibility to vote.
While there is no list of competent authorities, an internet search for “Wahlamt” and the name of the relevant city should bring up the address.
We are advised that the relevant form can be downloaded from https://www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/mitteilungen/bundestagswahlen/2025/20241108_mitteilung_AD.html
As the affidavit it contains requires a personal signature, the form must be printed out and signed and then posted to the competent municipal authority. It is recommended that you fill out and send off the application as quickly as possible.
If anyone is unsure how to find the address of the relevant competent authority, please contact Antonia Korn at the German Embassy: [email protected]
