Record 136,000 Dutch citizens abroad to vote in October 29 election

A record 136,272 Dutch citizens living outside the Netherlands have registered to vote by mail in the upcoming Tweede Kamer election on October 29, according to the municipality of The Hague.

Most of these voters live permanently abroad and registered before the September deadline. Another 2,683 voters will be temporarily outside the country on election day — for instance, for an internship or military service — and completed registration by October 1. With their applications processed, the total number of eligible overseas voters has now been finalized.

The largest group of registered Dutch voters abroad resides in Germany, with more than 25,000 registered. Over 21,000 live in Belgium, and nearly 12,000 in France. Other significant numbers of Dutch citizens live in the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, and Australia.

The number of registered overseas voters has grown sharply since the last Tweede Kamer election in 2023, when 109,436 Dutch citizens abroad were eligible to vote — including 107,669 with permanent registration — which was also a record at the time. Nearly 65 percent of those registered voters cast a ballot.

Dutch citizens living permanently abroad are entitled to vote in elections for the Tweede Kamer and the Dutch seats in the European Parliament. Through a separate electoral college for non-residents, they may also participate in Senate elections. Dutch citizens living abroad are not eligible to vote in municipal, provincial, or water board elections.

All overseas ballots are mailed to The Hague, where the municipality is responsible for counting them. The results of the October 29 election are scheduled to be announced on November 4.