Expatriate Voting System
Electorate and Eligible Elections- Korean nationals residing abroad who can participate in an election include nationals of the Republic of Korea residing or staying in a foreign country who are age 18 or over as of the election date, and can be largely divided into ① expatriate voters and ② overseas absentees. The elections said electorates can partake in are specified as follows (Paragraph 1 of Article 15, Paragraph 1 of Article 218-4, and Paragraph 1 of Article 218-5 of the Public Officials Election Act).
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Electorate |
Eligible elections |
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Expatriate voters (Individuals with no resident registration in Korea) |
1.Presidential election 2.Election of proportionally represented Assemblymen at the end of terms |
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Overseas absentees |
Korean nationals residing abroad with resident registration in Korea |
1.Presidential election 2.Election of proportionally represented Assemblymen at the end of terms |
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Individuals with resident registration in Korea |
1.Presidential election 2.Election of Assemblymen at the end of terms (Proportional representation + local constituencies) |
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Application for Registration of Expatriate Voters- Expatriate voters must apply to register as expatriate voters with the Central Election Management Committee through one of the following methods within the period of application for registration as expatriate voters (by 60 days before an election date) when a presidential election or election of proportionally represented Assemblymen is to take place (Paragraph 1 of Article 218-5 of the Public Official Election Act and Attached Template No. 59-4 of the Public Official Election Management Regulations).
· Apply in writing, in person at a diplomatic office: Nationals of the Republic of Korea can submit an Application for Registration of an Expatriate Voter on behalf of a family member (spouse or direct descendant/ancestor).
· Apply in writing to an employee of a diplomatic office with jurisdiction over a particular region: Nationals of the Republic of Korea can submit an Application for Registration of an Expatriate Voter on behalf of a family member (spouse or direct descendant/ancestor).
· Apply by mail, email, or through the Central Election Management Committee website: Persons residing or staying in a foreign country must make a declaration through a diplomatic office
Declaration of Overseas Absentees- Individualswith resident registration in Korea who fall under one of the followingcategories and intend to vote from overseas (Korean nationals residing abroadwith resident registration in Korea excluded from Assemblymen election by localconstituencies) must submit the Declaration of an Overseas Absentee by mail,email, or through the Central Election Management Committee website within the overseasabsentee declaration period (from 150 days before the election date to 60 daysbefore the election date) for every presidential election or election ofAssemblymen at the end of term. In such a case, individuals staying or residingin a foreign country must make the declaration through a diplomatic office(Paragraph 1 of Article 218-4 of the Public Officials Election Act and AttachedTemplate No. 59-4 of the Public Official Election Management Regulations).
· Individuals who left Korea before the start of a voting period and are due to return after the election date
· Individuals staying or residing in a foreign country who are not due to return by the election date