The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, T.D., has made the Presidential Election Order for the forthcoming Presidential election, setting out the key dates in the election process. These are:
Last day for receipt of nominations: 24 September 2025
Day on which the poll shall be taken: 24 October 2025
Hours of poll: 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.
The nomination period commences at 10 a.m. on 5 September 2025 and closes at 12 noon on 24 September 2025.
The Minister has appointed Barry Ryan, a Principal Officer in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to be the Presidential Returning Officer. The address of the Presidential Returning Officer, to whom nomination papers must be delivered and other communications sent is: Presidential Returning Officer, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Custom House, Dublin 1, D01 W6X0.
Every Irish citizen who is 18 years of age or over and included in the Register of Electors is entitled to vote at the election. The total electorate is currently approximately 3.6 million.
People can check their voter registration details on www.checktheregister.ie. People who are eligible to vote but who are not registered as electors still have time to apply for entry in the Register of Electors on www.checktheregister.ie and therefore, be eligible to vote on 24 October 2025. For those who wish to do so, paper application forms can be downloaded from www.checktheregister.ie (or can be obtained from the relevant city, county or city and county council). Applications for inclusion on the Register of Electors, whether online or by hard copy, must be received not later than 7 October 2025.
To be eligible for inclusion on the register a person must be an Irish citizen, must be 18 years of age on or before polling day and must be ordinarily resident in the State.
Certain categories of people are eligible to apply for a postal or special vote. Applications for postal and special votes must be received by the relevant local authority not later 29 September 2025.
The website of the Presidential Returning Officer is https://www.presidentialelection.ie/.
The website provides official information about the holding of a presidential election. It contains information for use by both candidates seeking nomination and voters at the election. Official results will be available on the website on the day of the count.
Postal vote applications
A postal vote is available to certain categories of people who can’t go to their polling station on polling day. Postal vote applications must be signed or certified by a third party so they can’t be completed online.
The following categories of people are eligible to apply for a postal vote:
- members of the Garda Síochána;
- whole-time members of the Defence Forces;
- Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses or /civil partners;
- persons living at home who are unable to go to a polling station to vote because of an illness or disability;
- persons whose occupations are likely to prevent them from voting at their local polling station on election day, including full-time students registered at home who are living elsewhere while attending an educational institution in the State;
- electors unable to vote at their polling station due to circumstances of their detention in prison, pursuant to an order of the court;
- certain election staff employed at a polling station outside the constituency where they live; and
- persons who consider their safety, or the safety of a member of their household, would be at risk if their name and address were to be published, may apply to be an anonymous elector. Such electors may only vote by post.
An application form for a postal vote is available for download at www.checktheregister.ie. It is also available from a city, county or city and county council directly.
Special vote applications
A person who lives in a hospital, nursing home, mental health facility or similar care facility and is unable to go to their polling station due to illness or disability on polling day may apply to be added to the special voters list. This enables the person to vote at the care facility on polling day. A ballot paper is brought to the voter by a Special Presiding Officer.
An application form for a special vote can be downloaded at www.checktheregister.ie and is also available from a city, county or city and county council directly.