Postal voting
Persons living or staying abroad for the duration of the entire advance voting period and on election day may vote by post in general elections. An eligible voter wishing to vote by post shall order the postal voting documents to an address abroad, cast their vote, and send the postal vote to Finland to the central municipal election board of his or her municipality.
Regarding the Parliamentary Elections 2023 , the postal voting documents can be ordered starting on 2 January 2023. The link to the service where the documents can be found on the Finnish and Swedish webpages.
The first possible date for postal voting is 2 March 2023, when the candidates and their candidate numbers will be confirmed. The postal vote must arrive at the central municipal election board of your municipality of residence by 19.00 on Friday 31 March 2023.
Things to take into account when voting by post
Once the voter has posted the postal vote covering envelope to Finland, the vote has been cast and the voter can no longer vote in the elections in question, for example at a mission abroad or at a polling station in Finland. A postal vote is final, in the same manner as all other votes, and it cannot be changed or replaced later.
The same standards apply for postal voting as for regular voting taking place before election authorities. For example, voting more often than once or in another person’s name is an offence punishable under the Criminal Code, as is influencing another person's voting by violence or threat of violence.
Make sure that your contact details are up-to-date
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency sends a notice of right to vote (polling card) to all eligible voters whose address is known. The polling card is sent to the voters around 1.5 months before the election day. The polling card indicates the address to which you must return your postal vote (the address of the central municipal election board of your municipality). Therefore, it is important that you make sure well in advance that your contact details are up-to-date in the Population Information System.
Read more on the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.