Local elections 2027: how foreign residents can register

Foreign residents in Spain who want to vote in the municipal elections of 23 May 2027 have until the end of this year, or in some cases mid-January, to make sure they are on the electoral roll.

The rules are set out in a notice published by Roses council. They apply across Spain, so they also cover residents of Empuriabrava, Castelló d'Empúries and the rest of the Alt Empordà. There are two separate routes. One is for citizens of other European Union countries. The other is for nationals of a group of non-EU countries that have signed voting agreements with Spain.

EU citizens: declare your intention to vote

Citizens of other EU countries who live in Spain can vote in local elections if they meet the same requirements as Spanish voters. They must also formally declare that they want to vote here.

There are three ways to do this. The first is online, through the electronic office of Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE), using Cl@ve. Cl@ve is the Spanish government's digital identification system. The online procedure is open all year round. It also allows EU citizens to register for European Parliament elections in Spain if they wish.

The second option is in person at the town hall where you live. Residents fill in form CERE.DFA-2, a bilingual Spanish-Catalan document. It can be downloaded from the INE website or from the documents section of the council's procedure page. Identity can be shown with the foreigner's card that carries the NIE, the identification number for foreign nationals. A national identity card or passport from the country of origin is also accepted.

The third route is by post. To make this easier, the Electoral Census Office (OCE) is sending letters to EU residents during the last days of September 2026. The letters carry each person's details from the padró, the municipal register of inhabitants, already printed on them.

They only go to people the OCE has not contacted before previous municipal elections and who have not yet made the declaration. Each letter includes an electronic processing code (CTT). This code allows people to complete the process online without Cl@ve. Alternatively, they can send their reply directly to the OCE's provincial office. No stamp is needed.

Once made, the declaration is permanent for as long as the person lives in Spain, unless they formally ask to withdraw it. To count for the May 2027 vote, both padró registration and the declaration must be completed by 30 December 2026 at the latest. Anything submitted after that date will not be included in the roll for these elections. This also applies to requests made through claims about census data.

Non-EU countries with voting agreements

Spain has reciprocal voting agreements for local elections with 13 countries. They are Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. Nationals of other countries may also apply if new agreements come into force before the application deadline.

Applicants must be over 18 and must not have lost the right to vote. They also need to be registered on the padró and hold a Spanish residence authorisation. In addition, they must have lived legally in Spain for a minimum period. For Norwegians, this is three years on election day. For British nationals, it is three years at the time of applying. For all other countries on the list, it is five years at the time of applying.

The OCE will write to eligible residents in the last days of November 2026. The letters will contain personal and residence details taken from the Central Register of Foreigners and from municipal registers held by the INE. The reference date for padró data is 30 August 2026. These letters also include a CTT code.

Applications can be made online through the INE's electronic office, choosing the "Solicitud de inscripción" procedure. This can be done with Cl@ve, or with the NIE and the CTT code. Residents can also post their reply free of charge to the OCE provincial office. Another option is to apply in person at the town hall with the foreigner's identity card. Nationals of Norway, Iceland and the UK may use their national ID card or passport instead. The form for this route is CERE.N-2.

Length of legal residence must be proven with a certificate from the Foreigners' Office or the police station in the province. The notice points out that the Directorate General of the Police is the only authority responsible for immigration matters.

The application window runs from 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Late applications will be rejected.

Why It Matters

For a community like Empuriabrava, where many residents come from abroad, this is one of the more practical pieces of paperwork of the coming months. Municipal elections decide who runs the town hall. That council then shapes issues such as the participatory budget in Castelló and its position on regional rules like the tourist flat decree. Foreign residents who are not on the roll have no say in those choices at the ballot box.

The two-track system is worth noting. EU citizens have a one-off, permanent declaration and a deadline of 30 December. British residents fall under a separate agreement with a residence requirement and a fixed window that closes in January. This suggests that some UK nationals who have lived here for years could be caught out if they assume the EU rules still apply to them.

Both routes depend on being correctly registered on the padró. That makes it a good moment to check that your address details are up to date.

It is worth watching whether the OCE letters arrive on time over the coming weeks. It will also be worth seeing whether local councils, including Castelló d'Empúries, run their own campaigns to encourage foreign residents to sign up before the deadlines.