Advance voting abroad in Finland's municipal elections

The municipal elections in Finland will be held on Sunday 18 April 2021.

According to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, advance voting will be possible abroad from 7 to 10 April 2021. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organization of advance voting abroad.

The advance polling stations abroad will be located in Finland's diplomatic and consular missions or their offices in 75 different countries. A total of 108 advance polling stations will be open abroad.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organization of advance voting in Finland’s missions abroad and on board Finnish ships sailing outside the Finnish territory during the advance voting period.

In municipal elections, the right to vote is linked with residency in the municipality in question, which means that Finns residing permanently abroad are not entitled to vote in the municipal elections.

The Ministry of Justice of Finland has the overall responsibility for conducting the elections. A list of the advance polling stations and their opening hours will be published on 29 January 2021.

Postal voting

Voters who are eligible to vote in municipal elections can exercise their right to vote also through postal voting, which is organized by the Ministry of Justice.

Eligible voters are requested to order the postal voting documents also in the case that they are planning to cast their vote abroad during the actual advance voting period.

According to the government, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is possible that voting cannot be organized in the advance polling stations as planned because local authorities may impose restrictions or lockdowns at short notice.

Information on the dates, instructions and an order form for postal voting documents are available at the official website vaalit.fi.

More about the advance voting can be read also on the missions’ websites.