Election of Italy’s representatives to the European Parliament
Pursuant to Decree-Law No. 408 of June 24, 1994, the following citizens may vote abroad for the election of Italian representatives to the European Parliament:
– the Italian citizens living in a European Union Member State and duly registered with AIRE;
– the Italian citizens and their family members living with them, who are temporarily in EU Member States for study or work reasons, by submitting – by the deadlines set by law – a specific application to the Mayor of the Italian Municipality in the electoral rolls of which they are registered.
The right to vote abroad for Italian candidates is exercised at polling stations set up for this purpose by Consular Offices. Voters receive at home from the Italian Interior Ministry a polling card indicating the polling station at which to vote and the polling date and time.
If voters do not receive the polling card by the 5th day before the polling day, they may contact the competent Consular Office to check their electoral status and request a duplicate or replacement certificate for being authorized to vote.
If Italian voters living abroad or staying temporarily in a EU Member State for study or work reasons (who have submitted an application to vote abroad by the prescribed deadline) return to Italy, they may vote in their own Municipality of electoral registration: in this case they shall submit an explicit request to the Mayor of that Municipality within the day preceding the polling day.
Italian voters living abroad may also opt to vote for candidates from the country in which they live; in this case they will vote at the polling stations set up by the authorities of the country of residence abroad.
Double voting is prohibited: if you vote for an Italian candidate, you cannot vote also for the local candidate and vice versa.
Are you an Italian citizen living in a country that is not a European Union Member State?
Italian citizens living in countries that are not European Union Member States may vote for Italian candidates to the European Parliament at the Municipality of electoral registration in Italy. To this end, they will receive a special notification card from the above mentioned Municipality by the 20th day following the day of publication of the decree calling the elections.
Polling date and time for Italian voters
Reference legislation:
- Law No. 18 of January 24, 1979 (Official Journal No. 29 of January 30, 1979) – Election of Italian Members of the European Parliament
– Decree Law No. 408 of June 24, 1994, converted with amendments into Law No. 483 of August 3, 1994 (Official Journal No. 183 of August 6, 1994) – Urgent provisions concerning elections to the European Parliament.
– Law No. 78 of April 27, 2004 (Official Journal No. 74 of March 29, 2004) – Provisions concerning the Members of the European Parliament elected in Italy, implementing Council Decision 2002/772/EC.
For further information:
- Law No. 18 of January 24, 1979 – Elections of Italian representatives to the European Parliament
- Decree-Law No. 408 of June 24, 1994 – Urgent provisions concerning elections to the European Parliament
- Law No. 483 of August 3, 1994 – Conversion into law, with amendments, of Decree-Law No. 408 of June 24, 1994 on urgent provisions concerning elections to the European Parliament
- Law No. 78 of March 27, 2004 – Provisions concerning Members of the European Parliament elected in Italy, implementing Council Decision 2002/772/EC
- Law No. 90 of April 8, 2004 – Provisions concerning elections of Members of the European Parliament and other provisions concerning elections to be held in 2004.
- Annex Table B
- Annex Table C
- Decree-Law No. 3 of January 27, 2009 – Urgent provisions for the holding of elections and referendums in 2009
For consulting current Italian legislation, please visit the website www.normattiva.it.