In principle, you vote at the polling station where you are entered in the electoral roll as eligible to vote. If you wish to vote by postal vote or at another polling station in your constituency (for local elections and Bundestag elections), constituency (for state and district elections) or district/city (for European elections), you must apply for a polling card from your municipality. Here, as in the following, your contact person for member municipalities of an administrative community may be the administrative community instead of the municipality.

You also need a polling card to vote if you are exceptionally not entered in a voters' register but are still entitled to vote in the election in question.

In order to obtain a polling card, you must

• be eligible to vote in the relevant election,
• be registered on the electoral roll
  (for exceptions, please contact your municipality directly) and
• apply to your municipality for a polling card.
  You do not have to justify this application.

If you are eligible to vote in the relevant election, you will be entered ex officio (i.e. without applying) in the electoral roll of the electoral district of your municipality in which you are registered as having your main place of residence on the 42nd day before the election or (in the case of municipal and district elections) in which you have your main place of residence on the 35th day before the election. In this case, you will receive a written "election notification" from your municipality about five to three weeks before election day, informing you of your right to vote, the requirements and modalities for voting and the relevant polling station, as well as an indication of whether the polling station is accessible (barrier-free). The municipality can also provide you with more information about accessible polling stations.

If you have not received a polling card by the 21st day before the election/vote, but believe that you are entitled to vote, you should contact the electoral office of your municipality immediately and clarify whether you are entitled to vote in another voting/election district or in another municipality, and if so, in which one. Especially if you move after the deadline for creating the electoral roll, you can no longer be registered ex officio. If necessary, either the electoral roll can be corrected accordingly or, under certain conditions, you can be issued with a polling card certifying your right to vote.

You can apply for a polling card in the following ways:

• preferably by completing the form printed on the back of the polling card and returning it to the municipality by post or handing it in there
• via a corresponding online form on the Internet (possibly via QR code on the election notification), if your municipality offers this service
• by other means in writing (e.g. by letter, fax, email), stating the necessary data
• in person by visiting the municipality

It is not possible to apply by telephone.

At least the following information is required for the application:

• Surname
• First name
• date of birth
• Full residential address (street, house number, zip code, town)
• if the form on the back of the voter's notification is not used: if possible, also the voting or electoral district contained on the voter's notification and the electoral roll number
• if applicable, a different address for sending the polling card with postal voting documents (e.g. vacation address).

The municipality will send you the polling card with the postal voting documents (ballot paper, ballot paper envelope, ballot paper envelope for return, information sheet on how to vote by post) by post to your home address or, if applicable, to the other address you have specified (in this case, a notification will be sent to your home address at the same time if the application is submitted electronically).

Tip: If you apply for a polling card in person at the municipality, you can take the documents with you to avoid postal delivery times. As a rule, it is also possible for the person entitled to vote to vote by post on the spot; the ballot letter then no longer needs to be returned to the municipality by post or otherwise, but can be handed in there immediately and will be kept securely by the municipality until election day.

Power of attorney

If you are unable to apply for a polling card yourself, you can authorize another person to do so by means of a written power of attorney. If you are unable to apply for a polling card yourself or grant a power of attorney due to a physical disability, you may use the help of a person you trust to submit the application. This person must provide credible evidence that the application is in accordance with your wishes.

You can also authorize another person in writing to collect the documents. The application forms for the polling card already contain the appropriate wording for a power of attorney. However, the authorized person may not represent more than four eligible voters and must also assure the municipality of this in writing when collecting the documents.

However, it is not possible to vote by proxy, i.e. you must exercise your right to vote in person. If you are unable to do so due to an inability to write, e.g. due to a physical disability or visual impairment, you can also use the help of another person to mark the ballot paper, who must act in accordance with your wishes. On the ballot paper, you must affirm in lieu of an oath that you have cast your vote in person or have it marked by an assistant.

The application for a polling card can be submitted until the second day before the election, i.e. until Friday, 3 p.m. (for European elections until 6 p.m.); in certain exceptional cases (e.g. if the polling station cannot be visited or can only be visited with unreasonable difficulty due to a proven sudden illness), the polling card can also be applied for until 3 p.m. on election day.

The ballot letter must be received by the office named on the envelope (municipal electoral office) by 6 p.m. on election Sunday at the latest. The risk of transportation lies with the voter.

• When applying verbally for a polling card without using the form on the polling card or an online form:
  
  • Official photo ID (e.g. identity card, passport),
  • if possible also presentation of the voter's notification
• When applying for or collecting the polling card for other persons:
  
  • separate written authorization to apply for and collect the polling card and
  • official photo ID
• When exercising the right to vote at another polling station (see above):
  
  • Polling card and
  • official photo ID

Applying for, issuing and sending the polling card with postal voting documents by the municipality is free of charge for you. If you send the application to the municipality by post, the respective postage costs will be charged.

Returning the election letter to the municipality with the official red envelope is postage-free within Germany. If you choose a special form of dispatch (e.g. registered mail) or return the election letter from abroad, you must pay the applicable postage costs yourself.