FILIPINOS living and working abroad and who are looking to cast their votes in the May 2025 midterm polls may now take the first step in making sure of that as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resumes today overseas voter registration activities.
In a public notice, the Comelec – Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) said the overseas voter registration period will run until September 30, 2024.
“All qualified Filipino citizens who are not registered overseas voters may file their applications for registration at any post abroad, or at designated registration centers outside the post, or at the designated registration centers in the Philippines,” said Comelec-OFOV.
Qualified to register are all citizens of the Philippines who are abroad or will be abroad during the 30-day voting period (April 13, 2025 to May 12, 2025), and are at least 18 years of age on the day of the elections.
On the other hand, disqualified from registering as overseas voters are those who have lost their Filipino citizenship in accordance with Philippine laws, those who have expressly renounced their Philippine citizenship or who have pledged allegiance to a foreign country, except dual citizens as referred to under “The Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003;” those who have committed and are convicted in a final judgment by a court or tribunal of an offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year, and any citizen of the Philippines abroad previously declared insane or incompetent by competent authority in the Philippines or abroad.
To register, the Comelec-OFOV said all applicants must accomplish the Overseas Voter Registration Form (OVF1), which is downloadable at the Comelec website, and personally submit the same to designated registration centers.
