New electoral college elections for non-residents of the Netherlands

On 15 March 2023 there will be new elections for Dutch voters aboard: the elections for the members of the electoral college (kiescollege) for non-residents of the Netherlands. These elections will give you a say in the composition of the Eerste Kamer (Senate). Up to now Dutch voters abroad could only vote for the members of the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) and for the Dutch members of the European Parliament.

In order to be able to vote in the electoral college elections in 2023, you needed to have registered by 1 February 2023. If you register now, you will not be able to vote until the next electoral college elections in March 2017.

Conditions for registering as a Dutch voter abroad

You can vote if you:

• live outside of the Netherlands and you are not registered in a Dutch municipality
• have Dutch citizenship (nationality)
• are aged 18 years or older

How does it work?

Are you already registered as a Dutch voter abroad? Then fill in the amendment form and select what you want to change under: 'Wat wilt u wijzigen: Aan welke verkiezing ik wil deelnemen' (What do you want to change: The elections I want to vote in).

Are you not yet registered as a Dutch voter abroad? Then fill in the registration form for Dutch voters abroad. In addition to the electoral college elections you can also indicate in this form that you want to vote in the Tweede Kamer elections and the European Parliament elections.

Once you are finished filling in the form, sign it and send your request to the municipality together with a copy of a valid Dutch identity document.

Send it to the municipality

There are 3 ways you can send it to the municipality

• via a personal upload link. You will receive this link by email after filling in the form
• by sending an email to: kbn.verkiezingen@denhaag.nl (send your application as an attachment, preferably as a PDF or JPG)
• by post to:
  Gemeente Den Haag
  Verkiezingen KBN
  Postbus 84008
  2508 AA Den Haag
  Netherlands

Confirmation from the municipality

You will get a notification after the municipality has received your form. You will receive a confirmation of receipt and a confirmation of your registration.

By filling in and sending your registration form, you give the Municipality of The Hague permission to process your details.

Electoral college elections for non-residents

The elections for the members of the electoral college for non-residents will be held in March 2023 at the same time as the elections for the members of the Provinciale Staten (Provincial Council). And at the same time as the elections for the members of the electoral colleges for the Caribbean Netherlands. The first electoral college elections are on 15 March 2023.

The electoral college elections are indirect elections. The members of the electoral college for non-residents vote in the elections for the members of the Eerste Kamer (Senate). They do this together with the members of the Provincial Council and the members of the electoral colleges for Caribbean Netherlands. This gives Dutch voters abroad influence over the composition of the Eerste Kamer. You can also become a candidate for the electoral college for non-residents. The conditions for this are that you are a Dutch voter aged 18 years or older and you live abroad.

Voting as a Dutch voter abroad

The standard way of voting for Dutch voters abroad is to vote by post. You will receive your postal voting slip by post. You will receive your ballot by email. If you live on Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten you will receive your voting documents through the Netherlands Representative Office.

Good to know

• You need to register 1 time to be able to vote in the electoral college elections. Please note: you still need to register even if you have registered for the Tweede Kamer elections and/or the European Parliament elections.
• For the electoral college elections it is not possible to authorise somebody to vote on your behalf through a proxy. It is also not possible to vote at a polling station using a voter card.
• Have you moved or are you going to move? Then inform the municipality by filling in the amendment form.

Contact

Do you have any questions? The Municipality of The Hague organises the elections for Dutch voters abroad. The Elections Unit is available on telephone number +31 70 353 44 00. Or send an email to kbn.verkiezingen@denhaag.nl.