UK and EU voting rights in Spain

UK citizens retained the right to vote in Spanish municipal elections thanks to an agreement signed by London and Madrid in January 2019. Under the deal they may also run as candidates.

To vote, Britons must have lived in Spain for at least three years, be registered on the local census (padron) and be registered on the Electoral Census of Foreigners Resident in Spain.

EU citizens may also vote in Spain’s municipal elections and European elections. There is no length of residency requirement but EU citizens in Spain must also register with the Electoral Census. Like Britons, Norwegians must prove they have lived in Spain for three years.

No foreigner residing in Spain may vote in a national or regional election.

The next municipal elections in Andalucia, Murcia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands are due to be held in May 2023.

There are approximately 190,000 British citizens and just under 150,000 EU citizens resident in these areas, enough to swing the result of elections in some municipalities particularly around Malaga and Alicante.

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