Updated September 30, 2025.

Voting from Abroad in 2025

2025 may not be an even-numbered year, but voters abroad still have high-stakes elections important for defending democracy this November — and remember, for Americans abroad, November is NOW.

As a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote from abroad while living, working, or traveling overseas by submitting one form — the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It doesn't matter if you were registered to vote before you left the U.S., how long you’ve lived outside the U.S., or if you've never resided in the U.S. at all. You have the right to vote!

 
🇺🇸 🗳 📣 MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED AND READY TO VOTE FROM ABROAD!

Do it now. Protect your vote and protect our democracy by sending in your ballot request and voting in any elections that you may be eligible for in 2025. We recommend reading your ballot carefully and voting the whole ballot.

• Texas and Tennessee are holding Special Congressional Elections this fall/winter to fill vacant House seats: TX-18 (Houston area) and TN-7 (Middle and West Tennessee). All Texas and Tennessee voters abroad who vote in these districts can vote in these federal elections.
  
  
• Virginia statewide battleground races: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and every seat in the House of Delegates
  
  
• New Jersey statewide battleground races: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and every seat in the General Assembly
  
  
• Pennsylvania statewide battleground races: three state Supreme Court seats
  
  
• California statewide battleground race: Proposition 50, the Election Rigging Response Act, seeks to negate the Texas gerrymander ordered by Trump to steal the 2026 House elections. All California voters abroad can vote in this statewide election.
  
  
• Georgia statewide battlegrounds: two Public Service Commissioner seats
  
  
• Maine has a statewide ballot initiative that, if passed, would require documentary proof from voters in order to vote. (Read more about that here). Requiring additional documentary proof does nothing to prevent (statistically non-existent) voter fraud — but it does make it a lot harder for eligible voters to vote.
  
  
• Mayoral elections: Additionally, 38 major cities are electing mayors, including cities like New York City, Miami, Minneapolis, Boston, Seattle and Cincinnati.

📣 👉 All voters abroad are urged to send in a FPCA and to vote the whole ballot they receive. Even if you currently do not have an election, the FPCA registration and ballot request form will ensure you are registered as an overseas (UOCAVA) voter, update your voter information, and protect you from voter roll purges.

✅ AVOID INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MAIL DISRUPTIONS.

You can ask to get your ballot by email/online delivery; many states will also allow you to return it electronically — but only if you are registered as an overseas (UOCAVA) voter! Go to www.VotefromAbroad.org!

✅ RETURNING A BALLOT BY POSTAL MAIL? VOTE A BACKUP BALLOT!

All voters abroad are urged to vote their ballot promptly and to return it right away. If your state requires that you return a ballot by postal mail, consider also voting a Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB). The Backup Ballot is available only to overseas voters — think of it as insurance for your vote! If both ballots arrive, only one will be counted.

✅ ELIGIBILITY.

All US citizens abroad who will be 18 years of age or older by the upcoming election can register to vote and request an overseas absentee ballot in the state where they last resided (or where their US citizen parent last resided) by submitting a single streamlined application form, the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It just takes a few minutes. Get everything you need at www.VotefromAbroad.org!

🤔 NEED HELP?

• Visit VotefromAbroad.org, check the FAQ, or use the online chat bubble.
  
  
  
• Trained voter assistance is available for live, online voter help (via Zoom). Click here to make an appointment.
  
  
• Email us at: [email protected]

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Step-by-Step Guide to Voting from Switzerland

What's covered on this page: 

1. Register to vote and request your ballot

2. Follow-up to confirm

3. Receive your ballot

4. If your ballot hasn't arrived

5. Vote your ballot

6. Return your ballot

7. Vote the "Back-up Ballot" (FWAB)

8. Avoid Mistakes: Follow Directions

9. Confirm that your ballot is accepted

10. Celebrate! Tell a friend!

11. Need help?

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1. Register to Vote & Request Your Ballot

• In 2025, all voters abroad are urged to complete and return a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at VotefromAbroad.org to register and/or request your ballot for elections this fall. This ensures that they are registered as overseas voters, and not as in-state vote-by-mail voters.
  
  
  • ✅ TIP: The FPCA form registers you to vote, and also requests a ballot for all elections for which you are eligible that calendar year. It is also used to re-register and update any voter information changes— such as name, party affiliation, address changes, or ballot preferences.
    
    
  • Using this form provides additional Federal voter protections that may not be available to domestic vote-by-mail voters, such as:
     
    
    • Getting your ballot sent to you by email/online download;
      
      
    • Receiving your ballot 45 days before a federal election;
      
      
    • Electronic return options for your voted ballot (varies by state);
      
      
    • Use of the Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB) to vote, in case of problems getting or returning their regular ballot, or concerns with postal mail.
      
      
  • The FPCA is exclusively for overseas military and civilian voters abroad (UOCAVA) to use, based on the last place you resided in the US. It does not matter how long you have been abroad, nor whether you still have other ties to your voting residence. Many states will allow US citizens who have never resided in the US to vote based on the last residence of their US citizen parent(s).
    
    
• Go to VotefromAbroad.org — it takes just a few minutes to complete.
  
  
  • ✅ TIP: Ask to receive your ballot by email/online to receive it as soon as ballots are available, and to be able to vote and return it as quickly as possible.
    
    
• Follow directions for returning your signed FPCA to your local election office (LEO) — usually by email. State-specific instructions are provided when you generate your FPCA form at VotefromAbroad.org.

2. Follow-up to Confirm

• After submitting the FPCA form, you may hear back from your local election office within a few days. If not, you can contact them to confirm that they have received your form and that you will receive a ballot.
  
  
  • Your local election office contact information is included in your FPCA instructions.
    
    
  • You can also look up your local election office contact here: VotefromAbroad.org/states
    
    
  • ✅ TIP: Be sure to check your SPAM/JUNK email folder for email from your local election office.
    

3. Receive Your Ballot 📬

• Under federal law (The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA), states must start sending ballots to overseas voters 45 days before a federal election — in 2025 that was September 20. In years without a federal election, state and local ballots may go out later.
  
  
  • ✅ TIP: Avoid election deadline stress. Ask to receive your ballot by email/online to receive it as quickly as possible, then vote and return it right away!
    
    
• After September 20, you can still get a ballot as long as you send in your FPCA form by the voter registration or ballot request deadline for your state. Your local election office will typically send you a ballot within a few days of receiving your FPCA form. If in doubt, get in touch with your local election office.
  
  
  • To look up deadlines for your state, or your local election office contact information, go here: www.VotefromAbroad.org/states

4. If Your Ballot Hasn't Arrived 📭

• Still waiting for your ballot? First, PLEASE CHECK your email spam/junk folder — a lot of ballots get stuck in there.
  
  
• Then contact your local election office, as they are the ones who issue ballots.
  
  
  • Your local election office contact information is included in your FPCA instructions.
    
    
  • You can also look up your local election office contact here: VotefromAbroad.org/states

5. Vote Your Ballot 🗳️

• Follow the directions that come with your ballot on how to vote it. Voters are encouraged to vote the entire ballot they receive.
  
  
• ✅ TIP: Research candidates and issues on your ballot using resources such as Blue Voter Guide, Ballotpedia, Vote411, League of Women Voters, and recommendations by your state and local Democratic parties. Local newspapers, unions, issue advocates, and other associations back home may also provide endorsements. For California voters, CalMatters is an excellent resource.

6. There are lots of ways to return your ballot! 

• Follow the directions that come with your ballot on how and where to return it, and your return deadlines and conditions.
  
  
• Return methods will vary by state: email, online upload, fax (which includes email-to-fax), or postal mail — voters are encouraged to review carefully and prepare to return their ballots by the fastest method allowed.
  
  
• Electronic return — email, online upload, or fax — is free, fast, and reliable. We highly recommend you take advantage of this option if available to you. It’s the best way to ensure your voted ballot gets to your state by the deadline, without the risk of it getting lost or delayed in the mail.
  
  
• Does your state allow fax but not email return, and you don't have access to a fax machine? In that case, we recommend using a free or inexpensive email-to-fax service or app, such as FaxZero, FaxPlus, GeniusFax, HelloFax, or CocoFax. Be sure to confirm that the fax transmission was successful.
  
  
• If your state does not allow electronic return and requires ballot return by postal mail, please check mail delivery times. Be sure to allow enough time for your ballot to arrive by the deadline.
  
  
  • 🚨 CAUTION: Many countries are currently experiencing postal system delays or suspensions of letter service to the US due to tax increases on parcel mail. From Switzerland, using the local postal mail system is currently recommended, but please check with your post office on current conditions. All voters are urged to vote and return their ballot as soon as possible, by the fastest method allowed by their state.
    
    
  • If using international mail via your local post office note that from Switzerland this can normally take from 6 to 10 days.
    
    
    • ✅ TIP: Be sure to provide sufficient international postage on the mailing envelope, and allow enough time for your ballot to arrive. (“US postage-paid” envelopes only work within the US postal service, diplomatic and military mail.)
      
      
    • ✅ TIP: If your state has a postmark requirement, ensure the envelope is clearly stamped with the sending date at the counter.
      
      
    • 🚨 CAUTION: Registered mail / international tracking will not work within the US as election mail is expedited, and can slow delivery.
      
      
  • Consider an express international courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.). From Switzerland, this can take between 2 and 6 days.
    
    
    • ✅ TIP: Plan to return your ballot by election day. International couriers may not provide proof of the date of mailing on the outer mailing envelope, so send your ballot so that it arrives before election day.
      
      
    • ✅ TIP: International couriers will not mail to US P.O. Boxes. Check with your local election office for a street address for ballot return if they did not provide one with your instructions.
      
      
    • 🚨 CAUTION: Do not require recipient signature upon delivery as this can cause your mail to be rejected.
      
      
  • Using the U.S. Embassy or Consulate diplomatic mail: The US Embassy in Switzerland does not operate a public diplomatic mail service for sending mail to the US. Diplomatic mail services are only provided for official personnel and their dependents.
    
    
    • 🚨 CAUTION: US Embassies and Consulates are NOT polling places. Same-day voting is not available outside the United States.

📌 Remember! Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

7. Vote the "Back-up Ballot" (FWAB)

Especially useful for overseas voters who must return a ballot by postal mail, the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a “backup” ballot which can be voted first while you wait for your regular ballot to arrive, or as additional “insurance” if you are concerned about your regular ballot being returned in time, given the challenges of international mail. By law, if both ballots are received, only one will be counted.

• ✅ TIP: To vote a Backup Ballot, go here: www.fvap.gov/fwab. Follow the prompts to fill out the required information and your choices on the ballot itself.
  
  
• ✅ TIP: If the offices and candidates aren’t pre-filled on the website, just type in the office and the name of the candidate you wish to vote for in the next column. If you don’t know or aren’t sure of the candidate name, you can also just write their political party. Example: “Governor – Democrat”
  
  
• ✅ TIP: the Backup Ballot can also be used to vote on ballot initiatives. Write in the proposition number, then whether you support it. Example: “Prop. 50 — Yes”
  
  
• To read more about how to vote a Backup Ballot, go here: https://www.VotefromAbroad.org/faqs/BB1

8. Avoid Mistakes: Follow Directions

• Always follow directions that came with your ballot — state and even election official instruction details will vary. If in doubt, check with your local election office.
  
  
• Many states will allow individually sealed mailing envelopes containing ballots to be placed together in the same outer international courier envelope as long as they are going to the same election office. Some states, however, have rules prohibiting third-party ballot handling. Check with your local election office if in doubt.

9. Confirm Your Ballot is Accepted

• After you have returned your ballot, confirm with your election officials that it was received and will be counted. Go to VotefromAbroad.org/states, select your state, and scroll down to “Track My Ballot.”
  
  
• Or contact your local election official directly for the most up-to-date information. You can look up your local election office contact here: VotefromAbroad.org/states

10. Celebrate! Tell a Friend!

Share that you voted from abroad! You can get a digital “I Voted” sticker from FVAP.gov here: https://www.fvap.gov/IVotedSticker.

11. Need Help?

• Visit VotefromAbroad.org, check the FAQs, or use the online chat bubble.
  
  
  
• Trained voter assistance is available for live, online voter help (via Zoom). Click here to make an appointment.
  
  
• Email us at: [email protected]