You can use this form to enrol to vote if you are currently living outside Australia and:

• you are not currently enrolled, and
• you are an Australian citizen, or a British subject who was enrolled on 25 January 1984, and
• you are 18 years or older, and
• you departed Australia within the last three years and intend to return within six years of your date of departure from Australia

If you are already enrolled you should complete the Registration as an overseas elector form.

• To provide your:
  • Australian driver's licence, or
  • Australian passport number, or
  • Medicare Card number, or
  • Australian citizenship number

If you don’t have any of the above forms of identification, please use the paper form.

You must enrol for the address where:

• you were last eligible to be enrolled, or
• one of your next of kin is currently enrolled, or
• you were born, if neither of the above apply, or
• you have the closest connection if none of the above apply.

No, it is not compulsory to enrol and vote when you are outside Australia. However, if you do enrol using this form and don’t either vote or apply for a postal vote, your enrolment and registration as an overseas elector may be cancelled.

There are three options for voting from overseas:

Option 1 — You can register as a general postal voter for federal elections and referendums. You will be sent ballot papers as soon as practicable after the declaration of nominations.

Option 2 — You can vote in person on or before polling day, at an Australian overseas mission which provides full consular services. During an election period a full list of overseas voting locations is available on this website.

Option 3 — If you do not register as a general postal voter and you cannot vote in person, you may apply for a postal vote during a federal election or referendum. Further information will be available during an election period on this website. Arranging a postal vote is your responsibility.

Note: Provisions for voting as an overseas elector for state and territory elections can vary and you can obtain relevant information from the relevant state or territory authority.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is authorised under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (CEA) to collect and verify the information you have been asked to complete on this form. The information provided will assist the AEC to maintain electoral rolls.

The AEC may disclose electoral information to persons or organisations in accordance with the CEA. This may include:

• access to the publicly available electoral roll (containing names and addresses) which may be inspected at electoral offices. As an eligible overseas elector, your address is not shown on the publicly available electoral roll.
• state and territory electoral authorities
• Members of Parliament, Senators, registered political parties, and candidates for the House of Representatives
• approved medical research and public health screening programs
• any agencies, persons or organisations prescribed in the Electoral and Referendum Regulation 2016.

For more information on privacy, visit The office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.