Enrolling from overseas

Enrolling from overseas

Check your eligibility

Are you a permanent resident?

Are you a public servant or member of the New Zealand Defence Force?

Find out which electorate you’ll enrol in

Are you of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time?

If you’re of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you have an important choice to make. You need to decide which electoral roll you want to be on: the general roll or the Māori roll. The roll you choose decides which electorate you vote in.

Keep your enrolment details up to date

Get help with enrolling from overseas

A support person can help you complete your form

Asking someone to enrol on your behalf

Contact us for help

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Enrolling from overseas

Enrolling from overseas is easy and means you can take part in New Zealand’s 2020 General Election and referendums.

Check your eligibility

You can enrol and vote from overseas if all the following statements are true:

you are 18 years or older

you’ve lived in New Zealand for more than 12 months continuously at some time in your life

you are one of the following:

a New Zealand citizen who’s visited New Zealand within the last 3 years

a New Zealand permanent resident who’s visited New Zealand within the last 12 months.

Enrolling from overseas is not compulsory — it’s your choice whether you enrol.

Are you a permanent resident?

For electoral purposes, you are a permanent resident if you’re in New Zealand legally and not required to leave within a specific time.

If you’re Australian, Niuean, Tokelauan, or a Cook Islander you can enrol and vote if you’ve lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more.

Are you a public servant or member of the New Zealand Defence Force?

You’re eligible to enrol and vote no matter how long you’ve been outside New Zealand if you’re in one of the following groups:

public servants working overseas and their families

New Zealand diplomats or trade representatives and their families

members of the New Zealand Defence Force and their families.

Find out which electorate you’ll enrol in

You’ll enrol in the New Zealand electorate where you last lived for 1 month or more. Find your electorate using your address on our website vote.nz

Are you of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time?

If you’re of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you have an important choice to make. You need to decide which electoral roll you want to be on: the general roll or the Māori roll. The roll you choose decides which electorate you vote in.

Keep your enrolment details up to date

If you’re already enrolled, make sure your details are up to date. Check or update your enrolment details on our website vote.nz or call from overseas on +64 9 909 4182 to have an enrolment form sent to you in the mail.

Get help with enrolling from overseas

You can ask someone you know to help you enrol or to enrol on your behalf.

A support person can help you complete your form

You can ask a support person, such as a friend or family member, to help you complete your enrolment form, or to complete your form for you.

You need to sign the form.

Asking someone to enrol on your behalf

If you’re overseas you can ask someone to enrol on your behalf, as long as that person is enrolled to vote. You could ask a family member, friend or someone who holds a power of attorney for you.

If you get a family member or a friend to enrol for you, they must write ‘Elector overseas — signed by their direction’ next to their signature on the enrolment form.

If you get someone who holds a power of attorney to enrol for you, they must write ‘Elector overseas — Power of attorney’ next to their signature on the enrolment form.

Contact us for help

If you need help with enrolling get in touch.

If you’re overseas call us on +64 9 909 4182