Here’s how to send a postal vote from abroad

Published: 10 June 2026

If you’re outside Sweden, you can send a postal vote from abroad for the 2026 elections. Your postal vote must be sent from abroad and must arrive in time for the vote count. You can send it from 30 July 2026 at the earliest. Postal voting is a good option if you can’t vote early at a Swedish embassy or consulate.

Dates and voting period for postal voting

You can send your postal vote from abroad from 30 July 2026 at the earliest. Your postal vote must arrive before the vote count. You should therefore send it as early as possible after 30 July 2026.

Here’s what you need in order to send a postal vote

You need:

  • postal voting materials (ballot papers, envelopes and instructions)
  • two witnesses who are over 18 years old (they don’t need to be Swedish citizens)
  • your voting card if you’ve got it

Request or collect your postal voting materials

  • If you’re a Swedish citizen living abroad (if you’ve emigrated) and your current address is registered with the Swedish Tax Agency, your voting materials will be sent to you automatically in July 2026.
  • You can also request postal voting materials on our website, val.se.
  • Many Swedish embassies and consulates provide postal voting materials. A list of places where you can collect materials will be published on our website, val.se, in June 2026.

Here’s how to send a postal vote: a step-by-step guidesteg

To send a postal vote, follow these steps in order.

Prepare your vote

Prepare your vote alone so that nobody can see.

Write the name of a party on the right ballot paper (yellow for the elections to the Riksdag, blue for the regional councils and white for the municipal councils). You can also vote for a specific candidate by writing their name on the ballot paper too.

As a Swedish citizen living abroad, you only have the right to vote in the elections to the Riksdag. If you’re still listed in the Swedish Population Register, you also have the right to vote in the elections to your regional council and municipal council.

Put your ballot papers in ballot envelopes

Put your ballot papers in ballot envelopes. Separate envelopes are required for the different elections you vote in. Do this carefully, ensuring that there is only one ballot paper in each envelope.

Close each envelope by tucking the flap down or sealing it.

Put your ballot envelope(s) in the outer envelope for postal voting in front of your witnesses

Put your ballot envelope(s) in the envelope marked “Ytterkuvert för brevröst” (“Outer envelope for postal voting”) in front of your witnesses.

Fill in all the details required on the outer envelope carefully. You fill in the details on the front of the outer envelope, and your witnesses fill in those on the back. You and your witnesses must all sign the envelope.

Seal the outer envelope.

Put the outer envelope in the cover envelope

Put the outer envelope in the cover envelope for postal votes marked “Omslagskuvert för brevröst”.

  • If you have your voting card: place it so that your municipality’s address is clearly visible in the window of the cover envelope. In other words, your voting card must be placed in front of the outer envelope inside the cover envelope.
  • If you do not have a voting card: make sure the Swedish Election Authority’s address on the outer envelope is clearly visible in the window of the cover envelope.

Check that you have completed each step outlined above

Double-check that all the relevant details are included on the outer envelope and that you’ve sealed it.

Seal, stamp and post

Send your postal vote from abroad as early as possible, but not before 30 July.

Send your postal vote in good time. It must arrive before the vote count.

Film: Here’s how to send a postal vote from abroad

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How to send a postal vote from abroad

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The right to vote: Swedish citizens living abroad

If you’ve emigrated from Sweden, you remain on the electoral roll for elections to the Riksdag for 10 years after you’ve moved abroad. If more than 10 years have passed, and you still wish to remain on the electoral roll, you need to register again.

You need to be on the electoral roll in order to receive a voting card and postal voting materials, and in order for your vote to be counted in elections to the Riksdag.

Your right to vote if you live abroad

Frequently asked questions

Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions about sending a postal vote from abroad.

  • How do I get my postal voting materials?

    • If you’re a Swedish citizen living abroad (if you’ve emigrated) and your current address is registered with the Swedish Tax Agency, your voting materials and voting card will be sent to you automatically in July 2026.
    • You can also request postal voting materials on our website, val.se, from June 2026.
    • Many Swedish embassies and consulates provide postal voting materials. A list of places where you can collect materials will be published on val.se in June 2026.

  • How can I check that my vote has arrived?

    Your vote is processed by the municipality in which you were registered most recently. A note will be made of it in the electoral roll there.

    In order to check whether your vote has arrived and been counted, you need to request access to the electoral roll for the electoral district in question.

  • Why are two witnesses required?

    When you vote by post, two witnesses must be present and watch you prepare your vote. This rule is stated in the Swedish Elections Act. It’s a way of making the postal voting process as secure as possible, and similar to voting at a voting location.

    Your witnesses do not need to be Swedish citizens and are not required to speak Swedish. But they must write their personal data and signatures on the outer envelope.

  • How is my voter secrecy protected when I vote by post?

    When you vote by post, your personal data is separated from your ballot envelopes before your votes are counted.

    The ballot envelopes are placed in the ballot boxes together with the other votes, so it’s not possible to see who has voted for each party.

  • Can I vote by post several times?

    No. Your postal vote is sent to the municipality in which you were registered most recently. If there are several votes from you at the vote count, they will all be rejected.

    The only way to withdraw your vote is to vote at your assigned voting location in Sweden on election day.

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