Attention!

Applications related to the 2026 general parliamentary elections may be submitted from February 5, 2026.Applications for absentee voting may be submitted until 4 p.m. on April 2, 2026.

If you are in Hungary on the day of the election but not in the polling district corresponding to your domicile, you can request absentee voting.

In case voters wish to vote in a polling district other than the one corresponding to their domicile within a single-member constituency for the by-election for Members of the National Assembly,they may submit a request for absentee voting.

Voters who are listed in the central electoral register for the local government by-elections and whose domicile and temporary place of residence are in the same constituency may request to cast their votes at the polling station corresponding to their temporary place of residence instead of the one corresponding to their domicile.

Anyone who, on the 30th day prior to the announcement of the local referendum and at the time of the evaluation of their application for absentee voting, has a temporary place of residence in the area affected by the referendum and whose temporary place of residence is valid at least until the day of the vote, may request to vote at the polling station corresponding to their temporary place of residence instead of the polling station corresponding to their domicile.

How to proceed

A request must be submitted for absentee voting.

The request may be submitted electronically, in person, or by proxy.

1. Electronically

The request may be submitted electronically, with electronic identification, by clicking on the" Electronically "icon.

2. The request may be submitted in person or by proxy at any local election office.

The request may be submitted in person or by proxy, the form required for submitting the application may be filled out and printed here.

The request will be processed by the National Election Office through an automatic decision-making procedure.

Attention!The personal data provided in the request must correspond to the information on the applicant’s residence card or official ID document, and the applicant’s Hungarian address must be valid.

Additionally, for the by-election for Local Government Representatives and Local Referenda, the registration date of the temporary place of residence on the residence card must be no later than the 30th day before the election/referendum date, and the temporary place of residence must remain valid at least until the day of voting. If these conditions are not met, the National Election Office will reject the request.

When submitting the request, it is possible to provide a notification address to which the National Election Office will send the decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of the request.

Attention!For the by-election for Local Government Representatives, there is no need to submit an absentee voting request if the voter was listed in the electoral register of any polling district of the temporary place of residence during the most recent general or by-election for local government. In this case, voters will automatically be added to the electoral register of the polling district corresponding to their place of stay.

Deadlines

Applications for absentee voting may be submitted from the 66^th day prior to the election, for the 2026 general parliamentary election, from February 5, 2026.

1. Deadline for the 2026 general parliamentary election:

The application must be received by the election office no later than4 p.m. on April 2, 2026.

2. Deadline for parliamentary by-elections:

The application must be received by the election office no later than 4 p.m. on the 9^th day prior to the election.

3. Deadline for local government by-elections and local referendums:

The application must be received by the election office no later than 4 p.m. on the 9^th day prior to the election.

4. Deadline for modifying the absentee voting request

- In the 2026 general parliamentary elections, the application for absentee voting may be modified no later than4 p.m. on April 2, 2026.

- in the parliamentary by-elections, the application for absentee voting may be modified no later than 9 days prior to the vote,

-in the local government by-elections and local referendums, the application for absentee voting may be modified no later than 9 days prior to the vote.

5. Deadline for withdrawing the absentee voting request

- In the 2026 general parliamentary elections, the application for absentee voting may be withdrawn no later than4 p.m. on April 9, 2026.

- in parliamentary by-elections, the application for absentee voting may be withdrawn no later than 3 days prior to the vote,

-in local government by-elections and local referendums, the application for absentee voting may be withdrawn no later than 3 days prior to the vote.

Documents to submit

No additional documents need to be submitted other than the request.

Payment obligation

Submitting the request does not incur any payment obligation.

Acting public authority

National Election Office.

Contact details of the local election offices (if the request form is submitted in person or by proxy):

https://www.valasztas.hu/en/elerhetosegek

Supreme authority / legal remedy

An appeal may be lodged against the decision on absentee voting request.

The appeal must be submitted no later than:

• 3 days after receiving the notification of the decision, or
• 3 days after the decision has been sent to the applicant’s storage (if sending to the storage place is not possible, then instead, to the applicant’s designated electronic address),
• in case of a public notice, the publication of the notice on the website,

but in any case, no later than 2:00 PM on the 2nd day before the election.

The appeal must be submitted in writing to the National Election Office:

• By email: fellebbezes@nvi.hu
• By mail: National Election Office, 1397 Budapest, PO. box: 547
• In person: 1054 Budapest, Alkotmány Street 3

The appeal must contain

• a reference to the violation of rights or interests directly resulting from the decision,
• the name, address, place and date of birth of the applicant, and
• the number identifying the decision affected by the appeal.

The absence of the name, address, place and date of birth, and the number identifying the decision subject to appeal shall not result in the rejection of the appeal without substantive examination if the identity of the applicant and the decision subject to appeal can be identified.

The head of the National Election Office shall decide on the appeal, if it is received no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the election, no later than the second working day following its receipt, and if it is received after the twenty-fifth day prior to the election, no later than the working day following its receipt, but in any event no later than 3:00 p.m. on the third day prior to the election.

• If the head of the National Election Office upholds the applicant's appeal, the decision will be amended, and voting will be possible at the polling station corresponding to the applicant's temporary place of residence.
• If the head of the National Election Office does not uphold the applicant's appeal, he or she shall submit the appeal to the Budapest Metropolitan Court no later than the last day of the deadline available for decision, which shall decide on the appeal within three days of its receipt, but no later than the day before the vote.

Legal representation is not mandatory in court proceedings.

If the court considers the appeal to be well-founded, it will amend the decision; otherwise, it will reject the appeal.

Further information

The National Election Office processes the request, makes the decision, and delivers the decision – for all types of requests – using the election information system, without human intervention,within 24 hours through an automatic decision-making procedure, with the following exceptions:

• in case of applications submitted in person or through an authorized representative:

• • identification of the person,
  • recording of the application and delivering the decision,

• Human intervention will occur in cases defined in Section 112(3) of Act XXXVI of 2013on Electoral Procedure (e.g., discrepancies between the applicant's request and the data in the central electoral register). After the human intervention, the request will continue to be processed through the automatic decision-making procedure.

If voters are listed in the electoral register of a polling district for the scheduled by-election for Local Government Representatives and their domicile and temporary place of residence are within the same electoral district, they may request to vote in the polling district corresponding to their temporary place of residence instead of the one corresponding to their domicile.

In case of a Local Referendum, the voter may submit the request for absentee voting if he/she had a temporary place of residence in the same electoral district on the 30th day before the scheduled date of the local referendum and at the time his/her request is processed, and if their temporary place of residence is valid at least until the day of the vote.

Relevant legislation

Act XXXVI of 2013on Electoral Procedure