How overseas (NRI) voters can vote in India

Name: Janadesh Online
Creator: Janadesh Online
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An Indian citizen who lives abroad can be on the electoral roll. But under the rules as they stand, there is no postal or proxy vote for them: they must come to India to vote. Here is how registration works and what has been proposed.

Illustration for the guide "How NRIs can vote in Indian elections" — AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Any map is schematic, not an official boundary.

By the Janadesh Online editorial team.

Who is an overseas elector

Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 entitles a citizen of India to be registered as an overseas elector if the person has not acquired citizenship of any other country and is absent from the place of ordinary residence in India owing to employment, education or otherwise. The person is registered in the constituency in which the place of residence in India, as given in the passport, is located.

The section speaks of citizens. A person who has taken another country's citizenship is not covered, and the Commission's FAQ says the same.

How to register: Form 6A

Registering as an overseas elector

Fill Form 6A
It is filed before the Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency where the passport address is. It can be filed in person, by post, or online.
Attach the documents
A recent photograph, copies of the passport pages with the photograph, the address in India and the valid visa endorsement, self-attested. In person, the original passport is produced.
Verification
According to the FAQ, the Electoral Registration Officer may ask a Booth Level Officer to verify at the Indian address, or the Indian Mission abroad to verify. The applicant's personal appearance is not required.
Decision
The FAQ says the decision is sent by post to the address abroad and by SMS. The roll is also public on the Chief Electoral Officer's website.

Based on: ECI FAQs on overseas (NRI) electors (older edition); ECI SVEEP: Overseas voters. Illustration by Janadesh Online.

The FAQ we relied on is an older edition of the Commission's document. The detailed steps, such as time limits for objections, may have been revised. Use the Commission's current Overseas Voters portal and the Form 6A instructions when applying.

How an overseas elector votes

The Commission's FAQ says an overseas elector votes in person at the polling station of the part where registered. Such an elector is not issued an EPIC, and votes on production of the original passport. An elector who already has an EPIC in India is to surrender it when filing Form 6A.

Section 59 of the 1951 Act bars voting by proxy unless the Act provides for it, and section 60 makes proxy and postal voting available only to defined classes, such as service voters and notified postal classes. Overseas electors are not among them.

What overseas electors can and cannot use

In person
At the passport-address polling station, with original passport
No EPIC
Not issued to overseas electors
No proxy
Not available to overseas electors under the Act as it stands
No postal
None provided for them in the rules we could read

Based on: RP Act, 1951, sections 59 and 60; ECI FAQs on overseas electors. Illustration by Janadesh Online.

Service voters posted abroad are different

Overseas elector and service voter

Overseas (NRI) elector

Section 20A, 1950 Act
Registers using Form 6A
Votes in person at the passport-address polling station
No proxy, no postal ballot

Service voter

Section 20(8), 1950 Act: armed forces, Army Act forces, State armed police outside the State, Government staff in posts outside India
Registers on the service part of the roll (Forms 2, 2A, 3)
Gets a postal ballot, electronically transmitted
Armed forces and Army Act forces may appoint a proxy

Based on: RP Act, 1950, sections 20 and 20A; RP Act, 1951, section 60. Illustration by Janadesh Online.

A person employed by the Government of India in a post abroad, and the spouse ordinarily residing with them, votes as a service voter. So it is the nature of the employment, not where the person is living abroad, that decides which route applies.

What has been proposed, as of 2026-09-25

Proposals to widen overseas voting

2017 to 2018
The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 proposed proxy voting for overseas electors. The Lok Sabha passed it on 9 August 2018. It was still pending in the Rajya Sabha.
On dissolution of the Lok Sabha
Under Article 107(5), a bill passed by the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha lapses when the Lok Sabha is dissolved. Deccan Herald reported in January 2024 that this bill lapsed.
December 2020
The Wire, citing an Indian Express report, said the Election Commission told the Law Ministry it was technically and administratively ready to extend the electronic postal ballot to NRIs, a change needing an amendment to the rules, not to the Act.

Based on: PRS Legislative Research; Article 107; The Wire, 1 December 2020; Deccan Herald, 24 January 2024. Illustration by Janadesh Online.

Status, as of 2026-09-25: we found no notification, rule amendment or Act in the sources we could reach that lets overseas electors vote by post or proxy. The 2020 readiness statement is reported by news outlets, not from a Commission document we could read. If you see a claim that NRIs can vote by proxy or by post, ask for the gazette notification.

Frequently asked questions

Can an NRI who has taken foreign citizenship be a voter in India?

No. Section 20A covers a citizen of India who has not acquired the citizenship of any other country, and the Commission's FAQ says the same.

Can I vote by post from abroad?

Not as an overseas elector. As of 2026-09-25 we found no notification allowing it. Postal voting is open only to the classes described in section 60 and the rules, such as service voters.

Can I appoint a proxy to vote for me?

Not under the law as it stands. Proxy voting is limited to armed forces and Army Act forces service voters. A 2017 bill to extend it to overseas electors passed the Lok Sabha in 2018 but did not become law.

Which documents do I need at the polling station?

According to the Commission's FAQ, the original passport, since no EPIC is issued to overseas electors. Check the Commission's current rules for any additional identity documents allowed.

Where do I register if I have moved house in India since my passport was issued?

The law ties registration to the residence in India as given in the passport. The FAQ notes that the passport referred to need not be the current one, since the original passport may carry the Indian address. For a specific case, ask the Electoral Registration Officer.

Explore the data

Want to see this in real numbers? These pages on Janadesh Online show it for every election we cover.

Sources

Janadesh Online is independent and not affiliated with the Election Commission of India. Rules and procedures can change between elections; the Commission’s own notices are the authority. Spotted an error? Tell us on the contact page.