2024 is a big year for elections in Brussels and Belgium! On Sunday 9 June, voters elected regional and federal parliaments as well as the Belgian members of the European parliament. Next, on Sunday 13 October, we will vote for our municipal councillors.
If you live in Brussels, you are a citizen of Brussels. Voting is a way for you to have your say on life in your community. This is the vibrant, diverse capital of Europe, so we need to hear from everyone! Non-Belgians make up a third of the population in the Brussels-Capital Region, so they can have a real impact on the results.
For the European elections, EU citizens need to choose if they vote here or at home. It's totally up to you where you vote, but you should not miss out on the opportunity to participate in the world's second-biggest election. Each vote strengthens our collective democracy, and guides the European Parliament as it makes laws about vital areas of our life: the environment, the economy, security, migration, and our rights as citizens, worker and consumers. People who move from one EU country to another experience the reality of Europe every day, but they are actually less likely to vote in EU elections than people who still live in their home country. Let's turn this trend around!
When it comes to the municipal elections, it's all about the local level. Municipalities (communes/gemeenten) have a lot of power in Belgium. They make and implement decisions with a big impact on your daily life. At the local level, results often depend on a few hundred votes, so don't miss your chance to make a difference! Using your right to vote in Belgian municipal elections has no impact on your right to vote in your home country.
If you are not Belgian, you need to register for the electoral lists. Make sure to do this before the deadline.
These are two separate lists, so you can register for one or both. But you need to make sure you're on the right list(s)!
Most non-Belgians can now register online using their ID card reader or an app like itsme®. If you don't have a Belgian card with a chip, you might even be able to use your ID card from your home country . Just visit this site to register immediately: www.inscription.elections.fgov.be.
If you cannot access the online registration platform, you'll need to sign up using a paper form. Find out how to do that in the info pages and FAQs on this site.
And what about obligatory voting, bilingual lists, proxy votes and electronic elections? Voting in a new country raises a lot of questions! The info pages and FAQs have all the details you need, in clear and simple English.
If you've read the information here and you still have a question, reach out to the Expat Welcome Desk.