Thousands of foreign residents eligible to vote in Dutch local elections on March 18
On March 18, the Netherlands will hold local elections to fill 342 municipal council seats, with thousands of foreign residents eligible to cast ballots.
Citizens from European Union countries can vote, as can non-EU residents who have lived in the country for at least five years, Brabants Dagblad reports. The elections differ from national contests, where only Dutch citizens may vote.
The March vote follows October’s national election, when a record 136,272 Dutch citizens living abroad registered to vote by mail for the Tweede Kamer election on October 29, 2025.
Most were permanent residents outside the Netherlands who applied before the September deadline. An additional 2,683 voters were temporarily abroad—for example, on internships or military service—and registered by October 1.
The largest groups of Dutch voters abroad reside in Germany (over 25,000), Belgium (more than 21,000), and France (nearly 12,000). Other significant populations are in the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, and Australia.
