Last day to submit applications for voting abroad in Bulgaria's October presidential election

September 29 is the final deadline for Bulgarian citizens living outside the country to submit an electronic application to vote in the presidential and vice-presidential election scheduled for October 25. The window closes at midnight, Bulgarian time, according to Standart, Dariknews, and Mediapool. Bulgaria holds a directly elected presidency, and diaspora voters can affect results, particularly when domestic turnout is split.

Why submitting an application matters

Filing an application is not a legal requirement to vote abroad, but it has a practical effect. Applicants are added to electoral rolls at their designated overseas polling station in advance, so they will not need to fill out a declaration form on election day. According to Dariknews and Mediapool, pre-registration is expected to reduce queues and speed up processing at polling stations in cities with large Bulgarian communities.

Applications can be submitted online through the Central Election Commission (CIK) website or in person at Bulgarian diplomatic and consular offices. Bulgarians who miss the midnight deadline can still vote at any open polling station abroad by registering on the spot and completing the required declaration, but the process takes longer.

Over 32,000 applications in, Turkey leads the count

As of this morning, more than 32,000 applications had been confirmed, according to Standart and Mediapool. Turkey leads with nearly 12,000 applications, followed by the United Kingdom with close to 5,000, Germany with more than 3,000, and the United States with over 2,300. Spain has submitted around 1,700 applications and the Netherlands is approaching 1,000.

The application totals will directly determine how many polling stations open outside Bulgaria. Under Bulgarian electoral law, a minimum of 40 confirmed applications for a specific location is required before a polling station can be established there, provided other conditions are met. Stations that reach 300 or more applications will be equipped with voting machines rather than paper ballots alone.

The CIK has until October 3 to finalize the list of locations and the number of polling stations abroad. One change for this election cycle, reported by Standart, is the removal of the previous cap on the number of polling stations allowed in countries outside the European Union. Communities in Turkey or the United States could see more voting locations opened if application numbers justify it.

What happens next

Bulgarians abroad who have already submitted an application should show up on October 25 at their designated polling station. Those who have not yet applied have until midnight tonight. The CIK uses the final application count to allocate resources and set the number of polling stations in each country.