NRI Indians can register online and vote with their passport for the upcoming Lok election

Are you a Non-Resident Indian living overseas and have not acquired any other citizenship? You can now register online to vote in the upcoming election. However, you need to go to India to cast your vote. Previously you had to be in India to even apply for the Voter ID /Election card. So lets take that as a win for now. Election commission of India is currently conducting trials for e-ballots and proxy voting. Once those trials are successfully completed, there is all the likelihood that an NRI can vote from abroad. But for the upcoming 2019 election, if you are visiting India or are able to make a quick trip, please do consider registering to cast your vote.

Getting down to how you can do it- I was surprised to learn how simple the process was. Kudos to the people who made it possible. All you need to do is to fill up an online form, and it is not one of those long and painstaking procedures. It took me around 5 - 7 minutes to complete it. At the end you will need to upload a passport size photo and a copy of your passport and so keep them handy. I guess if you are overseas you probably already have them on your computer or phone, ready to go.

So here is what you need to do

Go to: Election commission of India Website, FORM 6A and fill it up. Well technically that’s about it.

Once you complete your application, you are given a tracking number. Check out mine below.

Surprisingly, the process is extremely quick as well. Well done India! As you can see below, I submitted my application on the 22nd of March and within 4 days the entire process was completed. Btw, it includes a field verification step- which means some one from the department will go to your house and verify that you are real person. As a part of your application you will need to include/nominate one person from your household to basically tell the person going to your house that you are real and that the address you provided is your real Indian address.

As an overseas (NRI) elector you are not issued an EPIC but you will be allowed to cast your vote in your constituency, in person at the polling station upon production of your original passport. Therefore, do not forget to take your passport to the booth. According to estimates of MEA, there are about 31 million NRIs living in different countries across the world. Which makes us a significantly large chunk of the voting population. So please, if you are able to travel, go on and cast your vote. If you found this helpful or have any question drop a line in the comment section. Have a nice day ☺