Postal voting
Published: 23 February 2026
Voters who are abroad can choose to vote by post using special materials. Each voter also needs two witnesses. You must be able to provide postal voting materials to any voter who requests them, and answer questions about how postal voting works.
Postal voting materials
The Swedish Election Authority sends postal voting materials to all voters living abroad (i.e. voters no longer registered as living in Sweden), who are on the electoral roll, and whose address is in the Swedish Population Register maintained by the Swedish Tax Agency.
As a poll clerk, you must be able to provide postal voting materials to anyone who requests them. All voters may use these materials, whether they live in the country in which they vote or are there temporarily.
The postal voting materials include:
- instruction sheets in Swedish and English
- blank ballot papers
- ballot envelopes
- an outer envelope for the postal voting
- a cover window envelope for postal voting.
Here’s how a voter must prepare their vote
Voters may prepare and send their postal vote no earlier than 45 days before election day.
Two witnesses who are over 18 years old are required for postal voting. They do not need to be Swedish citizens. They must confirm that the voter prepared their own vote. They must also confirm that they have no knowledge of anything that contradicts the details provided by the voter on the outer envelope.
The voter and their witnesses must fill in all the details required on the outer envelope.
If the voter has a voting card, they can include it, putting it with the outer envelope in the cover envelope. Then the vote will be sent directly to the municipality in which it has to be counted, rather than to the Swedish Election Authority for forwarding to the correct municipality. A voting card is not mandatory but preferred when voting by post.
Detailed instructions for voters who intend to send a postal vote are available on our website, val.se. Instructions for witnesses are also available there in various languages.
Each vote must arrive in Sweden on time
The date by which a postal vote must arrive depends on various factors. Deadline dates may vary for different voters.
The day before election day
A postal vote from a Swedish citizen living abroad who is not on the electoral roll the needs to be received by the Swedish Election Authority by this date.
The day after election day
A postal vote from a voter who is on the electoral roll needs to be received by the Swedish Election Authority by this date.
The Wednesday after election day
A postal vote with a voting card needs to be received by the municipality.
Postal vote with no voting card from a voter who is no longer on the electoral roll
If the voter is a Swedish citizen living abroad (who is no longer registered as living in Sweden and is not on the electoral roll), their vote must be received by the Swedish Election Authority no later than the day before election day. The voter can then be added to the electoral roll.
Postal vote with no voting card from a voter who is on the electoral roll
If the voter is on the electoral roll and their vote is posted without a voting card, it must be received by the Election Authority no later than the day after election day. This is to give the Swedish Election Authority enough time to forward the vote to the correct municipality so that it arrives before the preliminary vote count begins on the Wednesday after election day.
Postal vote with a voting card
If the voter posts their postal vote along with their voting card, following the correct procedure, their municipality must receive the postal vote before the start of the preliminary vote count on the Wednesday after election day.
Frequently asked questions
Can we send a voter’s postal vote to Sweden?
Yes – for example, if the postal service of the country in question is considered very unreliable. You can then provide additional service to voters by sending postal votes to the Swedish Election Authority – either with the votes you have received during vote reception, or in a separate consignment.
If such a service is required, the postal votes must be placed in an embassy envelope or similar, and clearly marked as sent from abroad.
Postal votes that are not clearly marked as sent from abroad may be rejected by the municipal election committee when it conducts its preliminary vote count.
Are we required to send postal voting materials to someone who requests them?
It is up to you to decide whether you are able to send postal voting materials to voters. On our website, val.se, voters can also request postal voting materials in connection with elections, to be sent to an address of their choice.
Can voters send their vote by courier to the Swedish Election Authority?
Yes, that’s fine. The Swedish Election Authority’s address is as follows:
Valmyndigheten
Sturegatan 2-4
SE – 172 31 Sundbyberg
A voter is wondering whether their postal vote will be approved
Ultimately, the municipality in question determines whether or not a postal vote should be approved. The municipality will review the postal vote. It is very important for the vote to be prepared correctly, to be received on time, and for all the necessary details to be stated on the envelope. If a voter has specific questions, refer them to the municipality in question. After the election, the voter will be able to check whether their vote has been registered on the electoral roll.
Can we act as witnesses for a voter?
Yes, that’s fine. If you’re still carrying out vote reception, recommend that the voter votes at your mission abroad within opening hours. If that is not possible, you can act as witnesses for the voter.
Why must personal data be stated on the envelopes sent by post?
This personal data is needed to link the vote to the individual, and to register the correct voter on the electoral roll. If the personal identity number is missing, or only a date of birth is provided, the vote cannot be linked to a particular person and counted in the election.