Since 1 July 1992 Swiss nationals living abroad have been able to participate in political life in Switzerland (ie in votes on federal proposals and in National Council elections) without having to travel to Switzerland to do so.

As a Swiss national resident abroad you can exercise your political rights by post from another country if you:

• have moved abroad;
• are at least 18 years old; and
• are registered with a Swiss Embassy or Consulate (also referred to as consular post)

The cantons are entitled to introduce a central electoral register for expatriate Swiss nationals. If this is the case in your canton, your vote would not be counted in the electoral commune designated by you but in the commune in which the central electoral register is held.
The electoral commune designated by you will confirm your entry in the electoral register in writing.
Once you have chosen an electoral commune you cannot change your mind as long as you are registered with the same consular post.

If you fulfil the above-mentioned conditions you should register with your consular post either in writing or in person. You are free to choose one of your communes of origin or previous communes of residence as your electoral commune.

You must confirm your registration before the expiry of a period of four years from first registration. You can do this as follows:

• in writing or in person at your electoral commune, or
• by informing the Swiss consular post in good time should you move to another address - within the same consular district, or
• by validly signing a federal initiative or a referendum petition

You must re-confirm every four years, before the expiry of the four-year deadline. If you fail to confirm your registration before the expiry of the four-year deadline, you will be removed from the electoral register. However you can re-register at any time.

Before each federal vote or election you will receive the official voting papers and commentary by the Federal Council by post from your electoral commune.

a) From abroad

You should place your completed ballot paper in the special envelope provided. This should be sealed and placed, with the cantonal identity card where necessary, in the postal envelope. You must stamp this second envelope yourself and send it by post to your electoral commune.

The voting regulations may differ from canton to canton. You are therefore advised to read the relevant instructions from your electoral commune carefully.

Please note that the Confederation cannot guarantee that the foreign postal system will function correctly. The risk that the voting papers could arrive late at your address abroad or that your ballot paper could arrive late at the electoral commune must therefore be borne by you.

b) In Switzerland

Should you be staying in Switzerland when a vote or elections are held, you can vote either personally at the polling station or by post. However, if you wish to vote at the polling station your electoral commune must be informed of your stay in Switzerland at least six weeks before polling day so that it can prepare the voting papers for you. These must be collected by you during office hours.