Lists of electors: in case of first registration

Verified 03 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of the Interior

To vote, you must be registered on the list of electors. If you live in France, you must register on the electoral list of a town hall. If you live abroad, you can register either on a consular electoral list or on the electoral list of a town hall.

Town Hall

To be a voter, you must complete all following conditions :

  • Must be at least 18 years of age on the day before election day
  • Be French
  • Enjoy your civil and political rights.

Namely:

The approach varies depending on where you live:

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

You live in France

You can register on the list of electors of one of the following municipalities :

  • Municipality where your real home is located
  • Municipality where you have been living for at least 6 months
  • Municipality where you are obliged to reside as a civil servant
  • Municipality where you have been subject to local taxes (housing tax on second homes, companies' property contribution, property tax on built or unbuilt properties) for at least 2 years
  • Municipality where there is a business subject to local taxes for at least 2 years and of which you are the manager (director) or the shareholder (majority or sole) for at least 2 years.

FYI  

If you are staying with a relative (for example) or a friend, you can be registered in the municipality where you are staying.

If you are HOMELESS: titleContent, or fairground, or travelers, you can be registered in the municipality of the organization where you have taken up residence.

If you are a inmate, the list of municipalities in which it is possible to register on the electoral lists is different.

You live abroad, but want to vote in France

The process varies depending on whether you are registered in the French register established outside France or not:

You are registered in the French register established outside France

You can register on the list of electors of one of the following municipalities :

  • Municipality where your real home is located
  • Municipality where you have been living for at least 6 months
  • Municipality where you are obliged to reside as a civil servant
  • Municipality where you have been subject to local taxes (housing tax or property contributions of companies or property tax on built or unbuilt properties) for at least 2 years
  • Municipality where there is a business subject to local taxes for at least 2 years and of which you are the manager (director) or the shareholder (majority or sole) for at least 2 years
  • Town where you were born
  • Municipality of your last home
  • Municipality of your last residence, provided that it has been at least 6 months
  • Commune where one of your ascendants was born, registered or entered on the list of electors
  • Commune where your spouse or one of your parents (up to 4th degree) is registered or has been registered on the list of electors.
You are not registered

You can register on the list of electors of one of the following municipalities :

  • Municipality where your real home is located
  • Municipality where you have been living for at least 6 months
  • Municipality where you have been subject to local taxes (housing tax on secondary residence or property contributions of companies or property tax on built or unbuilt properties) for at least 2 years
  • Municipality where there is a business subject to local taxes for at least 2 years and of which you are the manager (director) or the shareholder (majority or sole) for at least 2 years
  • Commune in which you are subject to a residence obligation as a civil servant.

You can register throughout the year:

General case

You can register in several ways:

Online

You must provide the scanned version of the following documents:

Online application to register on the electoral roll

On site

The documents to be provided vary depending on whether the request is made by you or through another person:

By yourself

You must provide the following:

Who shall I contact
Through another person

You can have someone do this for you.

To do this, you must provide the following documents:

Who shall I contact

By post

You must send the following documents:

Who shall I contact
New Caledonia

If you are a New Caledonia voter, you must use the registration form.

But to vote in a particular election, you must register before a deadline.

Reminder

There is a specific registration procedure for the following people:

Registration is automatic for the following people:

The electoral map is sent by post to your home no later than 3 days before the 1ster election round (or referendum).

If your electoral card was not distributed to you before the election or referendum, it is kept at the polling station. You can retrieve it on the day of the vote by presenting a identity document.

You can check your registration on the list of electors using this online service:

Check your electoral registration and polling station

Consulate

To be a voter, you must complete all following conditions :

  • Must be at least 18 years of age on the day before the election
  • Be French
  • Enjoy your civil and political rights.

FYI  

At the age of 18, you are automatically entered on the list of electors if you are registered in the French register established outside France (unless you object).

You can register throughout the year.

You can register on the consular list of electors in several ways:

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Online (by the register of French people living outside France)

You can request your registration on the consular voters list when you register on the register of French nationals established outside France or after registering on this register.

You must use this online service:

Register of French nationals established outside France - Consular registration

On site (consulate, embassy)

You can apply for registration on the consular voters list by going directly to the consulate (or embassy).

You must provide the following:

But to vote in a particular election, you must register before a deadline.

Registration is automatic for the following people:

  • One French 18 years old is automatically registered on the electoral roll if he is registered on the register of French nationals established outside France
  • One person French since 2019.

You can check your registration on the list of electors:

Check your electoral registration and polling station

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Administrative information by phone - Allô Service Public

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