Spain's general election has been called for Sunday 29 November, according to idealista. Only Spanish citizens aged 18 or over who are on the electoral roll (censo electoral) can vote. People who acquired citizenship by naturalisation and dual nationals vote on the same terms. Citizens whose right to vote was removed by a final court sentence are excluded from the roll.
Foreign residents do not vote in general elections, whatever their nationality, length of residence or type of permit, including permanent residence. That applies to EU, British, US and other nationals. The following do not give a vote: a residence permit of any kind, an NIE (foreigner identity number) or TIE residence card, EU citizen documents, paying taxes, owning property or a business, long residence, a Spanish spouse, partner or children, or registering on the padrón (town hall residents' register). Since Brexit nothing has changed for UK nationals at general elections, as they could not vote in them before. What has changed is that the rules for municipal elections now depend on a bilateral agreement.
Foreigners can vote in municipal elections depending on their nationality. EU citizens can also vote in European Parliament elections. Nationals of the UK, Norway, Ecuador, New Zealand, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Iceland, Bolivia, Cape Verde, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago can vote in municipal elections only. Nationals of other countries cannot vote. In regional elections foreign residents cannot vote at all, even if they can vote in municipal ones.
According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), 38,728,356 people are entitled to vote on 29 November. Of these, 35,958,711 live in Spain and 2,769,645 live abroad. Among those living in Spain, 1,615,127 are voting in a general election for the first time, having turned 18 since July 2023.
The roll closed on 1 August and includes people who will turn 18 by polling day. The period for inspecting it and lodging claims, 12-19 October, has ended. The roll is compiled from official data, not on the voter's application. Residents of Spain are added through the padrón, and Spaniards abroad through consular registers. Anyone who completed citizenship before 1 August should be on the roll. If it was completed later, they may not be, and the claims period is over.
Spanish citizens living abroad vote on a separate roll, the Censo Electoral de Residentes Ausentes (CERA). They no longer have to apply in advance. The Oficina del Censo Electoral sends out their documents, which can also be obtained at voting centres run by the Foreign Ministry.
An interim decision by the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) affects some people who obtained citizenship under the Democratic Memory Law (Ley de Memoria Democrática), known as the "grandchildren's law". Until the case is decided, the electoral effects of their registration abroad are suspended, but the citizenship itself remains valid. On 12 October the court refused to lift this measure before the election. The government and the opposition disagree about the case. The source does not say how many people are affected.
Voting in Spain is not compulsory. Polling stations, usually in local schools, are open on Sunday 29 November from 09:00 to 20:00. Polling cards showing your station are sent out from Monday 2 November. The source does not say which documents you need at the polling station, or whether residents of Spain can vote by post.
