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Sweden will hold its next general election on 13 September 2026. Eligible voters abroad can vote in advance by post or in person at the Embassy in Canberra, some honorary consulates and other selected locations on certain dates. Please remember that you cannot vote abroad on election day itself. Find out more below.
You are eligible to vote in the Swedish general election if you:
Swedish citizens living abroad (utlandssvenskar) remain on the Electoral Register (röstlängden) for ten years after their emigration is recorded by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).
If you are registered in the Electoral Register, your polling card and postal voting materials will be sent automatically to your registered address in July 2026.
If you have been living abroad for more than ten years, you must submit a notification form (“Ny adress/röstlängd för utvandrad”) to the Swedish Tax Agency in order to remain on the Electoral Register for an additional ten years. The form must be received by the Tax Agency no later than 30 days before election day.
If this notification has not been submitted in time, you may still vote from abroad. Your vote will be counted as long as it is received by the Swedish Election Authority no later than the day before election day. However, voting materials will not be sent automatically and must be ordered separately through the Election Authority (val.se) or collected at a Swedish Honorary Consulate in Australia and New Zealand.
Voting in an election is itself considered a request to remain on the Electoral Register for the following ten years.
If you are abroad, you can vote in one of the following ways:
To vote by post, you need special postal voting materials. If you are registered in the Electoral Register, these will be sent to your registered address.
If you have not received the materials, you can collect them in person at the Embassy in Canberra or a Swedish Honorary Consulate or order them via val.se from June 2026.
If you live in a rural or remote area, you may contact the Embassy in Canberra from June 2026 at ambassaden.canberra@gov.se to request that voting materials be sent to you.
Please note that postal voting from abroad is possible from 30 July 2026. Your postal vote must arrive before vote counting begins, so it is strongly recommended that you send it as early as possible after 30 July 2026.
Advance voting abroad will take place no earlier than 20 August 2026 and for a limited period.
Exact dates, locations, and opening hours for voting from Australia and New Zealand will be published on the Embassy social media channels (@SwedenInOz) and on Swedenabroad closer to the election. Stay tuned!
For official and up‑to‑date information about the election in general please visit the Swedish Election Authority’s website.