Voting in the presidential election

The presidential election is held in January every six years. The President of the Republic is elected in a direct election and if necessary there are two rounds of voting. If none of the candidates gets more than half of the votes in the first round, there will be a run-off between the two candidates that received the most votes.

Who's allowed to vote?

• You may vote in the presidential election if you are a Finnish citizen and have reached the age of 18 by the election day.

How can I vote?

• You may vote in advance at any of the advance polling stations in Finland or abroad. 
• On the election day, you may only vote at your own polling station. You can search your polling station on the Äänestyspaikat websiteOpens in a new window.. The polling station is also indicated on the card that will be mailed to you. If you have activated the Suomi.fi Messages service, you'll receive the card electronically to Suomi.fi Messages. Find out more about Suomi.fi Messages.Opens in a new window.
• Elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and chronically ill that are unable to reach the polling station may request support so that they can vote at home. The necessary voting arrangements must be made with the municipal central election board.
• You need to prove your identity at the polling station. You do not need the notification stating that you are entitled to vote. Even though you do not need the notification at the polling station it may be useful when you are voting in advance outside Finland. In those situations, the notification card will speed up the voting process.
• If you are staying abroad or live permanently abroad during the election, you can vote by post. An eligible voter wishing to vote by post has to order the postal voting documents from Finland to an address abroad.

Read more about elections on Vaalit.fiOpens in a new window.