The “scent” of elections seems to activate those expatriates who meet the conditions to vote for the first time from their place of residence and rush to register on the special electoral rolls.

The volume of applications is not impressive, as the criteria set by the legislation exclude most foreign voters from the remote voting facility. However, it is indicative that the community began to move.

According to an official of the Ministry of Interior in charge of conducting elections, until recently the interest was subdued but “recently it has increased a lot”, a trend that is expected to strengthen as the day of the national election is approaching.

In particular, while until last month, in the two years of operation of the relevant platform, about 5,000 applications had been submitted, by Friday (17/2) the relevant number had reached 9,000, as approximately 200 applications are now submitted daily. Of these, 6,000 have been approved, approximately 1,000 have been rejected, while the rest are pending.

The competent ministry estimates that the final number will reach 15,000 – 20,000.

Apart from the fact that it “smells elections”, the increase in interest is also attributed to the mobilization of information carried out by the consulates and diplomatic authorities abroad.

In the following days, a new advertising campaign will be launched in the printed and electronic press abroad as well as on the internet.

Application process for the special electoral rolls

It should be noted that for registration in the special electoral rolls, the voters’ application must have been submitted at least 12 days before the announcement of the elections. Those interested who submit it within less than 12 days will not have the right to vote from their place of residence in the upcoming elections. As long as they meet the prerequisites, they will have this possibility from the following elections.

It is recalled that in order to be registered in the relevant lists, out-of-territory voters (who are permanently or temporarily outside Greece) must have resided in the Greek territory for a total of two years in the last 35 years and have submitted a tax return (E1 or E2 or E3 or E9) during the current or previous tax year. The tax return requirement does not apply to those under 30 years of age and first-degree relatives who have submitted a tax return.

The registration process looks complicated but in practice it is relatively simple.

The interested party should enter the electronic application of the Ministry of the Interior, apodimoi.gov.gr., by entering the taxisnet codes.

After being authenticated as a user, he searches for his entry in the main electoral roll and selects it, so that his basic details are automatically filled in the application. He then registers his permanent residence address, contact telephone numbers and e-mail address and selects the country and city in which he wishes to exercise his right to vote, from the respective lists of the specific fields.

Young people up to 30 years old should select the indication “dependent member” and fill in the VAT number of the main taxpayer.

After saving the main body of the application, the user can start the registration of the supporting documents that confirm the fulfillment of the conditions for registration in the special foreign electoral rolls. Alternatively, there is the possibility to fill in the basic elements of the supporting document and not to attach supporting documents, but to authorize the Ministry of the Interior to search them ex officio, where this is supported by the relevant public bodies.

The documents certifying the two-year stay in the country in the last 35 years can be insurance contributions (identity card), OAED unemployment card, certificate from an insurance agency, attendance at a school, university, IEK or OAED school and military service.

Then, the voter confirms that the details of his application are true, he becomes aware that his application has the status of a responsible declaration and chooses to submit it definitively.

After the final submission of the application, the voter receives in his e-mail proof of successful submission of the application with a protocol number and the process of checking and finalizing the application begins.

If the application is accepted, the voter is registered in the special electoral roll for a period of eight years. In case of rejection of the application, he is informed about the right of appeal.

Those who are unable to complete and submit the electronic registration application, can contact the relevant consular authorities of the country, where it will be submitted with the help of an accredited employee.

In order for the foreign voter to vote in the city he has chosen, a polling station must be established, i.e. there must be at least 40 voters who have expressed their desire to vote in the same city. Otherwise, he is informed in which polling station he will exercise his right to vote.