Foreigner Voting Rights and Foreigners Advisory Council
General voting rights only apply to German citizens. But some people can vote in certain circumstances even without German citizenship.
Since 1994, citizens of the European Union have been allowed to vote and stand for election in local elections if they have been registered in the community for a period of at least three months. In German this is referred to as "passiv" (to stand for election) and "aktiv" (to be allowed to vote).
EU citizens are also eligible to vote for European Parliament elections if they choose to vote in Germany rather than in their country of citizenship. EU citizens wishing to vote in European elections for the first time in Germany must register with their local authority. Information on this is available from the election office of the local authority.
Non-EU citizens do not have voting rights for local, state, federal and European elections in Germany. The only way to influence politics in their community is by way of the Foreigners Advisory Councils ("Ausländerbeiräte"). These councils exist in many German towns and cities. They advise and support local politics. Members of the local community of foreigners elect the foreign members of the council.
You can find out if there is a council in your local community, how the elections take place and how it functions at your local authority.
You can also acquire further information on Foreigners Advisory Councils at the Federal Foreigners Advisory Council, the federation of a large number of local councils: 
www.bundesauslaenderbeirat.de.
Print :