How NRIs can vote in ongoing elections in India

Register as an NRI voter. You must be an Indian citizen who has not acquired citizenship of any other country. You must also be eligible to vote in India, meaning you must be at least 18 years old on January 1st of the year in which the election is being held

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Non-Resident Indians miss the opportunity to cast vote due to their location and compulsions of living abroad for work and business.

Option, however, is there to register as an NRI voter to vote in Indian elections.

To register as an NRI voter to vote in Indian state elections, you must be an Indian citizen who has not acquired citizenship of any other country. You must also be eligible to vote in India, meaning you must be at least 18 years old on January 1st of the year in which the election is being held.

To register, you must fill out Form 6A and submit it to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the constituency within which your Indian residence falls, as listed in your passport. You can download Form 6A from the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, or obtain a copy from an Indian Mission.

The following documents must be attached to your Form 6A:

One recent passport-size color photograph

Self-attested photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport containing your photograph, Indian address, and valid visa endorsement

A copy of your passport attested by a competent office of the Indian Mission in the country in which you are currently residing

You can submit your Form 6A in person to the ERO, or send it by post. If you are sending it by post, each photocopy must be duly attested. If you are submitting it in person, you must also produce your original passport for verification purposes.

You can vote in person at a polling station in your constituency in India.

If you are unable to vote in person, you can apply for a postal ballot.

You can also proxy your vote to a trusted person who is eligible to vote in your constituency

The address of the respective ERO can be found on the website of the ECI or the Chief Election Officer of the particular state.

Once the ERO has inspected your documents, they will decide whether to include your name in the electoral roll. You will be notified of their decision by post and SMS. The electoral rolls are also made available on the website of the Chief Election Officer of the state.

If there are any errors in the electoral roll, you can make changes by submitting Form 8.

Please note that the deadline to register as an NRI voter is usually 30 days before the election date.

Additional Information

You can vote in person at a polling station in your constituency in India.

If you are unable to vote in person, you can apply for a postal ballot.

You can also proxy your vote to a trusted person who is eligible to vote in your constituency.

For more information on registering and voting as an NRI voter, please visit the Election Commission of India website.

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