European elections

The concept of European citizenship was introduced by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992. As a result, citizens of the European Union living in another member state have the right to vote in elections for the European Parliament in their place of residence. They also have the right to stand for election on a European party list.

The last European election in Belgium took place on 7 June 2009. European members of parliament are elected for a period of five years. The next European election in Belgium will take place in June 2014.

Who can vote?

European citizens living in Belgium can vote in the European Parliament elections if the following criteria are met:

• They must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.

• They must be resident in a Belgian municipality.

• They must be 18 years or older.

• They must register on the voters list. 

Important information

• European citizens can only cast one vote in each election. You therefore have to choose whether to vote in Belgium or in your land of origin.

• In Belgium voting is compulsory. If you register on the voting list, you are legally obliged to vote.

• If you choose to vote in Belgium, you must choose a candidate on a Belgian list. You cannot choose a candidate on a list in another member state.

• If  you already requested to enter a voting register in the past and your application was accepted, you don't need to reiterate the procedure.

• You have to register separately to vote in municipal elections and European Parliament elections.

More informatie on www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be