Lorraine Williamson
Spain has several different kinds of elections, and the rules do not work the same way for all residents. That is where many expats get caught out. Some people can vote in local elections but not national ones. Others can vote in European elections in Spain but need to register first. And Spanish citizens living abroad have a different set of rules again.
The four main election types readers are most likely to hear about are general elections, regional or autonomous elections, municipal elections, and European Parliament elections. Spain’s Interior Ministry lists these as the core election categories in the Spanish system.
What the different elections are
General elections choose the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, which means they decide who governs Spain nationally.
Regional elections choose the legislative assemblies of Spain’s autonomous communities. These matter because many key issues in daily life in Spain, such as health, education and housing policy, are heavily shaped at the regional level. Spain’s official electoral guidance also includes the assemblies of Ceuta and Melilla in this category.
Municipal elections decide who runs town halls and city councils. For many foreign residents, these are the most relevant elections because they affect local services, planning, taxes, waste collection, public spaces and town-level policy.
European Parliament elections choose Spain’s MEPs for the European Parliament. These are separate from the Spanish national elections, even though they also use the ballot box in Spain. Official EU guidance notes that the elections in Spain are held under Spanish rules, but with rights for certain non-Spanish EU residents too.
Can Spanish citizens vote in all of them?
Broadly, yes, if they meet the normal requirements, such as age and registration on the electoral roll. The official European elections page for Spain states that the minimum voting age is 18. Spanish citizens living in Spain can vote in the election types that apply to their place of residence.
Spanish citizens living abroad can also vote, but not in every type of election. Spain’s official government guidance says Spaniards who reside permanently abroad and are registered on the CERA electoral roll can vote in general elections, regional elections, and European Parliament elections if they choose to vote in Spain for that poll. However, they cannot vote in municipal elections from abroad. Spaniards who are only temporarily abroad can vote in all elections.
Which expats can vote in Spain?
This is the part most foreign residents need to understand carefully.
If you are an EU national living in Spain, you have the right to vote and stand as a candidate in municipal elections and European Parliament elections in Spain, under the same conditions as Spanish nationals, provided you register properly. EU guidance is explicit on this point.
That does not mean EU citizens resident in Spain can vote in Spanish general elections or regional elections unless they also hold Spanish nationality. Those elections remain tied to Spanish citizenship. This follows from the official Spanish and EU voting rules, which only extend the non-national right in Spain to local and European elections.
For non-EU foreign residents, the position is narrower. Spain’s official electoral guidance says some non-EU nationals can vote in municipal elections if their country has a reciprocity agreement with Spain and they meet the other conditions.
Why registration matters so much
Even if you are entitled to vote, that does not always mean you are automatically on the right electoral roll.
EU guidance says EU nationals living in another EU country must usually express their intention to vote there and apply to be put on the electoral roll for municipal elections. The same page makes clear that the conditions are the same as for nationals of the host country, but the registration step is crucial.
Spain’s official voting guidance also explains that the electoral roll is the register of people who meet the legal requirements to vote and are not deprived of that right. In practice, if you are not correctly registered, you should not assume you will be able to vote just because you are a resident.
The Spanish Padrón certificate
What this means in practice for expats
For most expats in Spain, the simplest rule is this:
If you are an EU citizen, the elections you are most likely to be able to vote in are the municipal elections where you live and the European Parliament elections, as long as you register. If you are a non-EU citizen, the key question is whether your country has a reciprocity agreement with Spain for municipal elections. And, if you are a Spanish citizen abroad, you can still vote in national, regional and European elections through the proper overseas system, but not in municipal elections if you are permanently resident abroad.
That is why two neighbours in the same building can have completely different voting rights in Spain, even if both have lived there for years. One may be able to vote in local and European elections, another only in local elections, and another not at all unless they acquire Spanish nationality or fall under a reciprocal arrangement. This is an inference from the official eligibility categories.
Before the next election, what should readers check?
The safest advice is to check three things early: your nationality category, the type of election being held, and whether you are correctly registered on the electoral roll that applies to that election.
Spain’s official election portal and the wider public administration guidance are the best places to start, because the answer changes depending on whether the election is national, local, regional or European.