You are outside Québec
Summary
If you are outside Québec, for work or travel, for example, you can register to vote outside Québec, subject to certain conditions. If you are registered and a general or by-election is held during your absence, you will be able to vote by mail.
You can fill out an application to register to vote outside Québec at any time. You must provide a departure date from Québec and a return date.
For the current by-election, your application must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, on [day -19].
Your application must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, on [day -19].
You can register for this service in two ways.
- Online, through the secure service: Request to Register to Vote Outside Québec
- By mail, using the Application to Register for Voting outside Québec (PDF)
In both cases, you must include a copy of two supporting documents.
Requirements
To vote outside Québec, you need to:
- Have been domiciled in Québec for at least 12 months at the time of your departure
- Have the intention of returning to Québec
- Have been outside Québec for five years or less (this time limit does not apply in all cases)
To vote in an election, you must also meet certain conditions, such as:
- Be 18 years of age or older on election day
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Not have lost your election rights
Exceptions to the five-year time limit
If you are in one of the following situations, you can continue to vote outside Québec more than five years after your departure.
- You work for the Government of Québec or the Government of Canada and are assigned outside Québec as part of that employment.
- You work for an international organization of which Québec or Canada is a member and are assigned outside Québec as part of that paid work.
- You are a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and you are posted or transferred outside Québec.
- You are a student studying outside Québec.
In these cases, you must provide an attestation of assignment or an attestation of enrolment in an educational institution with your application.
In these circumstances, your spouse and any dependants who meet the general conditions for voting and who live with you can also vote by mail. You must fill out an application to register to vote outside Québec for each person who wishes to vote by mail and include the attestation explaining your situation outside Québec.
Upon returning, be sure to make the necessary change(s) of address and make sure you are entered on the list of electors at your new address so you can vote in Québec again.
Voting outside Québec: How it works
After registering, when an election is called, you will receive the materials needed to vote by mail.
- Instructions on how to vote
- A ballot paper on which you must write the name of the candidate you wish to vote for
- Three envelopes
You will receive the list of candidates in your electoral division once the nomination period has ended. If you gave us an email address, you will receive it quickly by email. Otherwise, we will mail it to you.
We must receive your ballot no later than 8:00 p.m. on [day 0].
You are responsible for the cost of mailing your ballot paper to Québec. We refuse any deliveries with postage due. You can choose the shipping option that is most convenient for you. However, we must receive your ballot paper in time for the counting of the votes on polling day.
Returning to Québec earlier or later than expected?
If your return date to Québec has changed, you must notify us.
- After the return date indicated in your application, you will no longer be allowed to vote by mail. You will have to vote in person at a polling station in Québec.
- If you return earlier than expected without notifying us, we will still send your ballot paper to the address you provided outside Québec. In that case, you will not be able to vote in person at a polling station in Québec.