Applications for postal votes open on the announcement of an election. You can apply for a postal vote if on election day you:

• are outside the division where you are enrolled to vote
• are more than 8km from a polling place
• are travelling
• are unable to leave your workplace to vote
• are seriously ill, infirm, or due to give birth shortly (or caring for someone who is)
• are a patient in hospital and can't vote at the hospital
• have religious beliefs that prevent you from attending a polling place
• are in prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained
• are a silent elector
• have a reasonable fear for your safety.

Postal voting enables you to vote early. You can also vote early in person by visiting an early voting centre. Consider your options carefully. Postal delivery timeframes have changed, voting early in-person may be a better option than voting by post.

If you are overseas and wish to apply for a postal vote it is imperative that you complete your application as soon as possible to provide the best possible opportunity for your postal vote pack to arrive to your overseas mailing address in time.

If you are a registered general postal voter, you will automatically receive a postal vote pack in the mail. You do not need to re-apply for future elections or referendums. The AEC will commence sending postal vote packs after the declaration of nominations.

Note: If your postal address has changed or you have been affected by events such as natural disasters, you can update your postal address via the online enrolment form or you can contact us.

If you are registered as a silent elector, and you are not a general postal voter, you can complete a postal vote application form, or you can vote in person at an early voting centre or on election day.

The AEC incorporates the latest security mechanisms and versions of software to ensure the protection of data and integrity of user sessions, including reCAPTCHA in the online postal vote application. 

ReCAPTCHA protects the online application system from spam and abuse. It uses advanced risk analysis techniques to tell humans and bots apart.

Political parties and other organisations may have sent you a postal vote application which contains their branding, logo or other materials. Political parties and other organisations are allowed to send postal vote applications to households.

You don’t have to use the postal vote application sent to you by a political party or other organisation. If you prefer, you can directly apply for a postal vote through the AEC by using the AEC’s online form (note: applications for postal votes open on the announcement of an election).

If you decide to use the form sent to you, the party/organisation must forward your form to the AEC for processing. The AEC has no control over what political or other organisations do with the personal information you provide on your application form before they forward it to us.

You can also return the paper form directly to the AEC by:

• email applications@pva.aec.gov.au
• fax 02 8009 0814
• or post:
  Australian Electoral Commission
  Reply Paid 9988
  [Your capital city] [Your state]
  (No stamp is needed if posted in Australia)

The AEC will send you your postal vote pack, which includes your ballot papers, after the declaration of nominations.

The AEC processes a high volume of postal vote applications. If there are differences between your enrolment details and your postal vote application, it may take additional time to process your application.

If you provided your postal vote application to a political party or other organisation, they may not have delivered your application to the AEC immediately. The AEC can only begin to process your request once the political party or organisation has forwarded your form to us.

If you provided your email or mobile number on your postal vote application, we will send you status updates on your application (so long as you did not opt-out of notifications).

You can check the status of your postal vote pack using the postal vote application receipt ID the AEC has sent to you.

If you do not receive your postal vote pack by the Friday before election day you should make arrangements to vote in-person on election day.

Note: The AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.

If you are in Australia, the AEC will send your postal vote pack by Priority Post through Australia Post. Please allow at least a few days for the postal vote pack to reach you by mail. If you are in a regional or remote location it may take longer to be delivered.

If you have received a text message saying that your postal vote pack is on its way to you by Australia Post or DHL international courier, it means that your postal vote pack will be delivered to you by Australia Post within Australia; or if overseas, by a DHL international courier. If your postal vote pack is being delivered by DHL, you will receive a separate email from DHL with tracking information. Your postal vote pack, which includes your ballot papers, will be delivered to the postal address you requested.

Note: The AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.

Look for the folded piece of paper that has ‘POSTAL VOTE CERTIFICATE’ written on it.

Included in your materials is a pamphlet that has instructions on how to complete your postal vote certificate. You can also use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote.

Your witness needs to be enrolled to vote and can be anyone who knows you, including a family member, a friend, or a neighbour. Your witness will make sure you fill out your own ballot paper – this is one of the ways the AEC makes sure that postal voting is secure.

If you are outside Australia, other acceptable witnesses include:

• an officer of the Defence Force or of the naval, military or air forces of a Commonwealth country,
• a person appointed or engaged under the Public Service Act 1999,
• a member of the civil or public service of a State or Territory or of a Commonwealth country,
• a Justice of the Peace for a State or Territory or a Commonwealth country,
• a minister of religion or medical practitioner resident in a State or Territory or a Commonwealth country,
• an Australian citizen.

If you cannot show the unsigned postal vote certificate and blank ballot papers to an acceptable witness, you will need to:

• write ‘OS Wit Alt’ in the ‘Signature of Witness box’ and leave the ‘Category of witness’ box blank; and
• provide a signed, dated statement of why you do not have a witness and a copy of your passport details page.

You can provide the signed statement and copy of your passport online, note this option becomes available after the election is announced, or include a hard copy folded with your ballot paper. Refer to the “How to complete your overseas postal vote pamphlet” for instructions on what to do.

It is very important to do this correctly! 

Once you have completed steps 1 to 3 on the postal vote certificate, you can follow the steps below on how to place your certificate and ballot paper(s) inside the return envelope:

1. Detach the green-coloured (House of Representatives) ballot paper.
2. Complete the green ballot paper and fold it in half.
3. In a federal election, your postal vote pack will also include a white ballot paper for the Senate. Complete this ballot paper.
4. Place the completed ballot paper(s) inside the postal vote certificate (on the purple shaded area) and enclose them in the certificate.
5. Line up the folded edge of the postal vote certificate with the opening of the return envelope, keeping your ballot paper(s) inside. Do not remove the panel on the back of the envelope. Use the return envelope for one person’s vote only.
6. If your return envelope:
1. Has a window on its front - check to make sure the Divisional Returning Officer address is clearly visible from the outside, then seal the envelope and return.
2. Does not have a window but the address is pre-printed – seal the envelope and return.
3. Does not have a window, and the address is not pre-printed:
1. If you are overseas, go to www.aec.gov.au/overseas to find the correct address to return your postal vote. Note this information will become available after the election is announced.
2. If you are in Australia and cannot find the address on the postal vote certificate, please address your return envelope:
   
   Australian Electoral Commission
   Reply Paid 9922
   [Your capital city] [Your state]

Postage is paid within Australia. If you are overseas, please remember to affix stamps before posting.

There is also a QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate inside the return envelope.

A white return envelope is included in your postal vote pack which should be used to return your postal vote certificate and ballot paper(s) to the AEC. This return envelope will hide your personal details on the postal vote certificate while it’s on its way back to us.

It is important to follow the instructions on how to insert your postal vote certificate and ballot paper(s) inside the return envelope. You can use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate inside the return envelope.

You must complete your postal vote on or before election day. Remember that you must sign or make your mark in the signature box in the presence of a witness. Your certificate must also be signed by your witness by 6pm on election day.

Make sure you return your postal vote as soon as possible. We must receive your postal vote by the 13th day after election day to include it in the count.

You may also return it by hand:

• to a polling place in Australia before 6pm on election day
• to any AEC office before or after election day.

If you are overseas, find your nearest return address. Note this information will become available after the election has been announced.

If the ballot paper and certificate are still usable, you can sticky tape the damaged sections back together and proceed with completing your postal vote. If we can still read it, we will count your vote. Please do not use staples or clips as they may damage our letter opening machines.

Please contact the AEC on 13 23 26 or view your alternative voting options if the materials are:

• significantly damaged
• wet and totally unusable
• significantly torn and unrepairable, or
• not usable.