Virginia State Board of Elections : Registration and Voting Information for Overseas Citizens

Overseas citizens who no longer have a place of domicile and abode in Virginia are not eligible for permanent registration.  They may, however, be eligible for temporary registration for federal elections only or for all elections based on the requirements below.

Temporary Registration for Federal Elections Only

To be eligible to register you must:

      reside outside the United States (that is, outside the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa or the Virgin Islands)

      be a United States citizen

      be eighteen years old by the day of the Federal Elections (the term federal election means any general, special, or primary election for President, Vice-President, presidential electors, or a member of the United States Senate or House of Representatives)

      state whether you hold either a valid United States passport or card of identity and registration issued under the authority of the Secretary of State of the United States

      not live in or be registered to vote in any other state in the United States and the last place that you lived before moving overseas must be in Virginia in the county or city to which you are sending your application for temporary registration

Temporary Registration for all Elections (Federal, State and Local)

To be eligible to register you must:

      meet all the qualifications for temporary registration for federal elections (listed above)

      reside outside the United States by virtue of your employment, or be an accompanying spouse or dependent

NOTE:  Students temporarily residing overseas by reason of enrollment in a regular, organized course of study are deemed to have employment.

      have moved overseas, or have given up your Virginia place of abode, on or after July 1, 1999

      have been registered to vote in Virginia at the last place where you lived before moving overseas

NOTE: If you are the accompanying spouse or dependent of an overseas employee, you and the overseas employee must have both been registered to vote in Virginia at the last place where you lived before moving overseas.

How To Apply for Temporary Registration

You should apply by using the Federal Post Card Application

You must apply separately for each election (i.e., June primary election, November general election or other federal election) in which you would like to vote.   

The application must be RECEIVED by your local registration office no earlier than six months in advance of the Presidential Election and no later than twenty-nine days prior to the Presidential Election.

The application may be returned in person, by mail or by fax, however, if you fax the form you must then mail the original to the same local registration office.