EXPLAINED: Where in Europe can non-EU foreigners vote in local elections?

"Non-EU nationals living in Europe don't have many voting rights but some countries do allow them to cast a ballot in local elections. Here's what you need to know. Denmark's local elections on November 18th, 2025 saw a strong turnout of 69.2 percent of eligible voters. This is likely to have been assisted to some extent by the participation of foreign voters, given that almost 500,000 foreign residents were able to vote in the Danish elections."

"The general principle is that voting rights are based on citizenship and each country makes its own rules. When electoral rights are granted to non-nationals, these are usually limited to local elections and do not extend to national ones. So neither EU nationals or non-EU citizens are able to vote for example in French presidential elections or German parliamentary elections, unless of course they have taken citizenship in those countries."

"So where can non-EU citizens vote in the European Union? This is where things stand in the EU and in particular in the nine European countries covered by The Local. The Nordics allows all non-nationals to vote in local elections as long as they have at least four years of residence. In addition to EU citizens, Icelandic, Norwegian and, since 2024, British citizens who live in Denmark are not encompassed by the four-year rule, meaning they can vote provided they reside in a Danish municipality"

Many European countries restrict voting rights to citizens, while some permit non-nationals to vote in local elections under specific conditions. EU law guarantees that EU citizens living in another member state can vote in municipal elections and choose where to vote for European Parliament elections. Several countries also have regional or bilateral agreements extending local voting rights to non-nationals. Denmark's 2025 local election saw a 69.2 percent turnout, aided by almost 500,000 foreign resident voters. The Nordic countries allow non-nationals to vote locally after around four years' residence, with certain nationality exceptions and variations.

Read at The Local Germany