Right to vote
Citizens of other EU Member States residing in Finland who reach the age of 18 years on election day at the latest may, if they so wish, vote in elections to the European Parliament in Finland. This requires, however, that the person file a written notification stating that he or she wishes to be entered in the Finnish voting register. The notification must be filed with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency on the 80th day (21.3.2024) before election day by 16.00 at the latest. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency sends a letter, including instructions for filing the notification, to the citizens of EU Member States residing in Finland well before the date specified above.
In connection with the 2024 European elections, the Digital and Population Information Agency sent out the following letters and registration form. They were available in English, Finnish, Swedish, German, French, Estonian, Spanish, Romanian and Polish.
- Letter to those EU citizens, who have not enrolled with the voting register in Finland in previous European Elections
- Letter to those EU citizens, who have enrolled with the voting register in Finland already in previous European Election
Once a person has been entered in the voting register in Finland, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency transmits information about this to the relevant authority in the person's home Member State, which will then remove him or her from the electoral roll of that Member State. According to the EU Directive on elections to the European Parliament (93/109/EC), voters may exercise their right to vote either in the Member State of residence or in their home Member State. No person may vote more than once at the same election.
Right to stand as a candidate
A citizen of another Member State who has been entered in the voting register in Finland is also eligible to stand as a candidate in European elections in Finland. However, a person declared legally incompetent by a court decision may not stand as a candidate.
Candidates may be nominated by (a) political parties and (b) constituency associations. To become a candidate of a political party, the person must agree on this with the party in question. To become a candidate of a constituency association, the person must collect the signatures of at least 2,000 eligible voters in support of his or her candidacy. Further information on the nomination of candidates is provided by:
- registered political parties, and
- Helsinki constituency electoral committee
