Supporting signatures

Constituency nomination

Constituency nominations of non-established parties, that is parties which have not been continuously represented by at least five representatives in the Bundestag or a Land parliament since the last election to that assembly on the basis of nominations made by the party itself, and constituency nominations of individual persons entitled to vote or groups of voters, require the personal handwritten supporting signatures of at least 200 people entitled to vote in the constituency concerned. A form as per Annex 14 of the Federal Electoral Regulations must be used for this purpose. It can be obtained free of charge from the respective constituency returning officer. Constituency nominations by parties may only be signed after the candidate has been selected by an assembly of members or delegates. Otherwise, the signatures will be deemed invalid.

A certificate issued by the municipal authority and stating that the signatory is entitled to vote in the constituency in question must be provided along with the signature. German expatriates are required to complete Annex 2 of the Federal Electoral Regulations for this purpose.

The supporting signatures are collected by the party and must be submitted to the respective returning officer in the original, together with the nomination, by the sixty-ninth day before the election at the latest.

A person entitled to vote may sign one constituency nomination only. Signatures on additional constituency nominations are invalid. It is, however, permissible to support both a constituency candidate and a Land list. They do not have to be nominated by the same party.

Land list

Land lists of non-established parties must bear the personal handwritten signature of at least 0.1% of the persons entitled to vote in the Land at the last Bundestag election, but of no more than 2,000 eligible voters.

Minimum number of valid supporting signatures of eligible voters which are required for Land lists in the 2025 Bundestag election

Land	Number
Baden-Württemberg	2,000
Bayern	2,000
Berlin	2,000
Brandenburg	2,000
Bremen	460
Hamburg	1,299
Hessen	2,000
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	1,315
Niedersachsen	2,000
Nordrhein-Westfalen	2,000
Rheinland-Pfalz	2,000
Saarland	756
Sachsen	2,000
Sachsen-Anhalt	1,790
Schleswig-Holstein	2,000
Thüringen	1,708

A form as per Annex 21 of the Federal Electoral Regulations must be used for this purpose. It can be obtained free of charge from the Land returning officer.

The information provided above on supporting signatures for constituency nominations also applies to Land lists.

Reduced number of supporting signatures required in the 2021 Bundestag election

As a one-off measure in response to the restrictions and more difficult conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic, the legislator reduced the number of supporting signatures required for both constituency nominations and Land lists in the 2021 Bundestag election to a quarter of the usual amount.

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Supporting signatures have to be submitted for nominations of parties or other political associations which have not been continuously represented by at least five deputies in the European Parliament, the Bundestag or a Land parliament since the last election to that assembly on the basis of nominations made by the party itself.

Lists for individual Länder require the personal and handwritten supporting signatures of at least 0.1 % of the persons entitled to vote in the last European election in the respective Land, but of no more than 2,000 persons eligible to vote.

Minimum number of valid supporting signatures for individuel Land lists to be provided for the 2024 European Parliament election by persons entitled to vote

Land	Number
Baden-Württemberg	2,000
Bayern	2,000
Berlin	2,000
Brandenburg	2,000
Bremen	471
Hamburg	1,303
Hessen	2,000
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	1,317
Niedersachsen	2,000
Nordrhein-Westfalen	2,000
Rheinland-Pfalz	2,000
Saarland	768
Sachsen	2,000
Sachsen-Anhalt	1,827
Schleswig-Holstein	2,000
Thüringen	1,741

Lists for all Länder must bear the signatures of at least 4,000 persons entitled to vote. The supporting signatures have to be entered on a form as per Annex 14 of the European Electoral Regulations. Forms to be used for lists for all Länder are available free of charge from the Federal Returning Officer, forms for lists for one Land from the respective Land returning officer.

Nominations may be signed only after the candidates and substitute candidates have been nominated by an assembly of members or delegates. Otherwise, the signatures will be invalid. 

Together with the signature, a certificate has to be provided which states that the signatory is entitled to vote in the land in question. Such certificate is issued by the municipal authority where the respective person is entitled to vote. Germans living abroad have to provide evidence of their voting eligibility to the municipal authority by furnishing the information as per Annex 2 to the European Electoral Regulations and by giving an affirmation in lieu of an oath; Union citizens have to complete Annex 14A of the European Electoral Regulations.

The supporting signatures are collected by the party and have to be submitted to the respective returning officer in the original, together with the nomination, until the 83rd day before the election at the latest.

A person entitled to vote may sign only one nomination. Signatures on further nominations will be invalid.

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