You can vote.
Even if you are new.

Municipal and district elections are March 18.
Check if you can vote

When do you get to vote?

You may vote

Are you a new Dutch citizen living in Amsterdam? Or have you been living in the Netherlands for 5 years, with a residence permit and are you registered in Amsterdam? Check here to see if you can vote >>

Why do you get to vote?

In the Netherlands, voting is both a right and a responsibility. By voting, you show what you think is important in your city.

What determines your voice?

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Lees meer over deze thema’s van de verkiezingen

These articles from RFG Media will help you do just that.

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"My first time voting was special. I felt I really belonged."
Hanieh Ahaninpanjeh
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When do you get to vote?

As a newcomer, you may vote in Amsterdam municipal elections if you:

  • Are 18 years of age or older (16 for city districts)
  • Being Dutch
  • registered in Amsterdam
  • Have been living in the Netherlands with a residence permit continuously for at least 5 years. If you have lived in the Netherlands with a residence permit for at least 2 years, you may vote for city councils.

Are you from an EU country?

Then you are usually allowed to vote immediately once you are registered.

Safe & free voting

In the Netherlands, you can vote what you want.

Your voice is safe and anonymous.

Voting is a right; not a duty.

Prepare well.
We will help you.

Everything you need to know (Q&A)

You may vote for city council and city districts if you:

  • 18 years of age or older. Note: For the city districts, you may already vote when you are 16 or 17 years old. This also applies to the administrative committee of Weesp (part of the municipality of Amsterdam).
  • Be Dutch or have the nationality of a country in the European Union (EU),
  • and is registered with a municipality in the Netherlands.

Are you from outside Europe, for example because you have fled? Then you may vote in Amsterdam (and Weesp) if you:

  • registered in Amsterdam,
  • Have a valid residence permit,
  • and have been registered in the Netherlands for 5 years or more consecutively; for voting for city councils in Amsterdam or Weesp’s executive committee, you must have been registered in the Netherlands for at least 2 years consecutively.

These rules do not apply to people from Ukraine who are in the Netherlands with the Temporary Protection Directive (RTB). Their stay is temporary. Therefore, they are not allowed to vote. This applies even if they have been living in the Netherlands for 5 years.

Source: Refugee Help: How do municipal elections work? – RefugeeHelp

Want to know how voting works? Then read: How does voting work?

Also see ProDemos’ Election Newspaper: Election Newspaper in clear language
And specifically for the municipality of Amsterdam: I vote | Municipality of Amsterdam
How voting works in 15 languages, including English, Arabic, Farsi and Tigrinya: Your vote counts | Municipality of Amsterdam

In the Netherlands, voting is not a duty but a right. This means that you don’t have to vote. You choose whether you want to vote.

If you don’t vote, nothing happens to your vote. Your vote does not go to any party or to anyone else. No one knows you didn’t vote. You don’t get punished and no one checks you.

Even if you do vote, it is safe. In the Netherlands, voting is secret. Nobody knows who you vote for. In the voting booth, no one watches you. No one follows you when you leave the polling station. You don’t have to tell anyone what you voted.

Want to know how voting works? Then go to: how does voting work?

When you go to vote, you must show proof of identity. This can be a passport, ID card, Dutch driver’s license or residence permit.

You show your ID to prove that you are really the person who is allowed to vote.

The polling station checks:

  • Whether you are on the voter list (i.e., whether you are eligible to vote),
  • Whether your name on the voting card matches the one on your ID,
  • and whether you haven’t already voted earlier that day.

This prevents someone else from voting in your name.

So is your vote still secret?

Yes. Your ID is only checked to see who you are. No one sees what you are voting. In the voting booth, you are alone. Your name is not on the ballot paper. So you show who you are, but not who you are voting for. Your vote is secret.

Voting is important because in the Netherlands you get to participate and decide what happens in the country and in your municipality. With your vote you elect people who make decisions about issues such as housing, work, education and healthcare. These decisions affect your daily life.

Link to page – election themes

Voting is a right. That means you can participate and give your opinion. In the Netherlands, voting is free and secret. You choose whether to vote and for whom.

For newcomers, voting can be exciting or new. Maybe voting in your country was not safe or fair. In the Netherlands, things are different. Here, voting is safe and every vote counts.

Many people think voting is important because it shows that you belong. Voting shows – and perhaps makes you feel – that you are part of the Netherlands and of society. Voting is therefore important not only for democracy, but also for you personally.

Municipal elections are elections in the Netherlands in which residents vote for members of the municipal council once every four years. The municipal council is the main administration of a municipality. The council decides on plans and rules in the city or village. For example, about: housing, garbage collection, sports and culture, and local taxes.

Throughout the Netherlands, the rules for these elections are the same everywhere. Elections also take place on the same day everywhere. But municipalities do not all operate exactly the same. Therefore, the situation may differ from one municipality to another.

In Amsterdam municipal elections, you may vote for:

  1. The city council and
  2. The district committees (and the board committee in Weesp).

Thus, if you are allowed to vote, you will receive two voting cards in 1 envelope (or 1 voting card if you are 16 or 17 years old and/or you are from outside the EU and have only lived here for 2 years).

City Council

The City Council is the highest government of the city. Its members are elected by the residents. They make decisions on important issues for the entire city. Think of public transportation, sports, culture and new construction projects. The city council also controls the city’s executive board: the mayor and aldermen.

The district commissions (and administrative committee Weesp):

Amsterdam has 7 city districts (North, East, Southeast, West, New West, South, Center). Each district has its own district committee. City district Weesp has an administrative committee.

These committees deal with issues in their own neighborhood or district. For example: maintenance of streets, parks, and plans in the neighborhood. The members stand up for the interests of residents. They give advice to the district council, the city council and the college. They also decide on money for plans in the neighborhood.

Source: municipality of Amsterdam

Link to page “How does voting work?

If you want to learn more about politics in the Netherlands in your language, go to Refugee Help: Politics in the Netherlands – RefugeeHelp

During municipal elections, you vote for a person from a party.

Different parties and individuals care about different things. By using a voting aid, such as Stemwijzer, Young Voice (especially for young people), or Het Parool ‘s voter guide, you can find out which party thinks the same things are important to you.

Link to page “how do I prepare?

You can also (re)watch debates on AT5, follow parties or politicians on social media and talk about the election with friends or family.

Have you found your party? Then also look at the people on that party’s candidate list: who appeals to you and who seems to fit in well with your ideas? After all, you are not just choosing a party: you are voting for a person who will help determine how the city is run on your behalf.

Tip: Some parties offer their election programs in different languages on their websites. There are 35 political parties participating in the municipal elections in Amsterdam.

There is no voting aid for the district committee and the administrative committee Weesp. Every resident of Amsterdam does receive an election newspaper in the mail containing a list of candidates for the boroughs.

How to prepare further:

Refugee Help publishes articles in all languages. Go to: Politics in the Netherlands – RefugeeHelp
Here you will also find information on “right” and “left.

Refugee Help also publishes videos in Arabic via instagram.

Also check out ProDemos’ election newspaper that explains how to prepare for the election and, for example, the ballot paper: Election paper in plain language

The Amsterdam newspaper, Het Parool, is creating an election dossier that can be accessed online. The articles can also be read in English:
Live: elections 2026 | Small parties satisfied after poll; broad support for ballot agreement ‘No Amsterdammer is illegal’ | Het Parool

There are more than 400 polling stations in Amsterdam and Weesp where you can vote on March 18. Polling stations can be found, for example, in libraries, educational institutions, sports clubs and community centers. There is always a polling station nearby.

Polling stations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on March 18.

All polling stations in Amsterdam and Weesp

BOOST is also a voting site.

You may vote for the city council anywhere, but for the district committee and administrative committee Weesp, you may only vote at a polling station in your own district or city area. It is therefore wise to vote in your own neighborhood.

Between February 24 and March 1 you will receive 1 or 2 voting passes in your mailbox, depending on how long you have been in the Netherlands. In many cases, casting your vote is done within 5 minutes.

  1. Take your voting card and an ID to a polling place near you. You may go with someone, but that person may not enter the voting booth with you.
  2. When you enter, you will see three people sitting at a table. Hand one of them your voting pass and ID and you will receive 1 or 2 ballot papers (depending on your age) in return. So in Amsterdam these are: one ballot paper for the city council and one of for the city districts (in Weesp for the board committee).
  3. In the voting booth, color one box per ballot: of the candidate you want to vote for.
  4. Fold the ballot.
  5. Throw the ballot paper in the correct ballot box. So in Amsterdam there are two: for the city council and the city districts (administrative committee in Weesp)

If you don’t want to vote (but can), you can also choose to vote blank. Blank voting means that you vote, but do not choose a party or person. You then hand in an empty ballot paper, you do not fill in anything on the paper. Your vote counts as a valid vote, but it goes to no one.

What happens to a blank vote:

  • Your vote will be counted among the total votes.
  • Your vote does not go to any party or candidate.
  • Blank votes do not affect the distribution of seats.

Why do people vote blank? Some people vote blank because:

  • they don’t like any party,
  • they want to show that they do participate,
  • But not wanting to make a choice.

So blank voting is different from not voting. If you don’t vote, your vote doesn’t count at all. In blank voting, you show: I participate, but I don’t elect anyone.

If you can’t vote

Can’t come to the polling place yourself? For example, because you are sick, have to work or are abroad? Then you can have someone else vote for you. This is called voting by proxy.

How does proxy voting work?

You authorize someone else to vote on your behalf. This person is called a proxy.

There are two ways:

Through your voting card:

  • You fill out the back of your voting card.
  • You and the proxy both sign.
  • You provide a copy or photo of your ID.
  • The proxy takes your voting card and the copy of your ID to the polling place.

The proxy must cast your vote at the same time as his or her own. A proxy may vote for a maximum of two other people.

By written power of attorney (through the municipality)

Can’t find anyone in your community? Or are you away for a long time? Then you can request a power of attorney online from the municipality. See: https://www.amsterdam.nl/verkiezingen/

You must arrange this no later than March 13.

I found the first time voting very exciting because I didn't know I had to vote for a candidate..."
Mekonnen Ykeallo
Read the story