How to vote in Portugal

Candidates will be presented by political parties and coalitions of political parties until the 41st day before the election. Candidates are Portuguese citizens, Brazilian citizens with an equal status of political rights, or citizens of other EU countries registered in Portugal.

Political parties wishing to stand for the European elections should register their candidates’ lists at the Constitutional Court until 41 days before election day. Those lists are published outdoors at the Constitutional Court and town halls, as well as on the website of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (in Portuguese). On the day of the election, the listsare again published by notice posted outside and inside the polling stations.

According to Portuguese law, there are no threshold provisions.

In Portugal, there is just one national constituency, which means people across the country choose from the same list of candidates.

No, there is no legal obligation to vote in the European elections in Portugal.

For the election of Portuguese members of the European Parliament, the following people can vote:

• Portuguese citizens over the age of 18 who are registered on the Portuguese electoral roll in national territory;
• Portuguese citizens over the age of 18, registered on the Portuguese electoral roll, residing outside the national territory, who have not chosen to vote in another EU country;
• Citizens of other EU countries registered in Portugal, who choose to vote for Portuguese Members of the European Parliament;
• Brazilian citizens with a citizen's card or identity card (with equal political rights status).

You can find out your polling station:

• by consulting the public notices on the distribution of polling stations
• at your local parish office, open on election day
• by sending a text message (SMS) to the number 3838 with: RE[space]ID number/citizen's card[space]Date of birth(YYYYMMDD)
• by consulting the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Interior (in Portuguese)
  In addition, on election day, citizens can vote in any polling station in Portugal or abroad.
  There are also special provisions for early voting a week before election day and for hospitalised patients, prisoners and displaced persons abroad.

Voter registration is unofficial and automatic for all citizens over the age of 17, whether they live in Portugal or abroad, as long as they hold a Citizen's Card.
For foreign citizens living in Portugal, enrolment in the electoral register is voluntary and must be done directly at the parish council. Brazilian citizens with a CC or ID must have equal political rights status.

From the 60th day before the election and until election day, updating the electoral register is suspended. No new registrations or transfers of voter registrations can be made, with the exception of citizens who turn 18 by election day, who can be registered until the 55th day before the vote. Between the 39th and 34th day preceding the election, any voter may present a written complaint to the Electoral Registration Commission about undue entries or omissions in their electoral roll. The electoral roll may not be altered in the 15 days before the election.

You should bring an identification document (citizen card or identity card) or any other official document with an updated picture (passport or driving license).

Voters affected by a serious illness or physical disability who might have difficulty to cast their vote may vote accompanied by another voter of their choice, who guarantees the faithfulness of their vote and who is bound to absolute secrecy.

In special cases where a voter with a disability is able to carry out the necessary voting procedures but cannot access the polling station - because they are in a wheelchair, on a stretcher etc. - the polling station must allow them to vote alone, outside the polling station but in a place - within the polling station and in full view of the polling station and delegates - where the secrecy of the vote is strictly preserved.

In these cases, the accompanying persons should limit themselves to taking the voter to the polling station and, once the voter has received the ballot paper, they should leave the voter alone to carry out the acts of voting and may finally take the voter to the polling station to hand the ballot paper. Visually impaired and partially-sighted people voting in the European elections in Portugal will have the possibility to vote autonomously with the support of a braille matrix and a explanatory sheet with enlarged letter, provided by the polling station.

You may find easy-to-read information about European elections on the easy-to-read page of this website.

No, voting by mail in the European elections is not possible in Portugal.

No, online voting in the European elections is not possible in Portugal.

No, voting by proxy in the European elections is not possible in Portugal.