Department of State’s website at Absentee Voting for U.S. Citizens Abroad provides updated information on absentee voting for Americans living abroad including:

• Absentee Voting Basics
• Registration/Absentee Ballot Request
• Receiving Your Blank Absentee Ballot
• Voting and Returning Your Ballot
• Using an Emergency Write-In Ballot

 Embassy Assistance

• The Voting Assistance Officer can be reached at acs_sofia@state.gov .
• If you need notary services, schedule an appointment online.  This is a no-fee service.
• Voting-related materials can be mailed from the consular section back to the U.S. via diplomatic pouch.  Voters are advised that this option will take 3 to 4 weeks and should plan to mail their absentee request forms and ballots accordingly to ensure the materials arrive prior to the deadlines.  Fvap.gov should be consulted for updated information and deadlines for each state.

All U.S. citizens can receive their blank ballots electronically. Depending on the state in which you are eligible to vote, you may get your ballot by email, fax, or internet download.

Returning Your Completed, Signed Ballot: Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically and others do not. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do so through international mail, or professional courier service, or through the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.

If you are sending your ballot through the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, ballots can be dropped off at the U.S. Embassy Service Entrance from 8:30 – 15:30 Monday – Friday. Ballots must be placed in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. domestic postage so they may be delivered to the proper local election authorities (NOTE: postage from Bulgaria to the United States is not required using this method). Please note that it can take up to four to six weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent through the Embassy. All overseas U.S. citizens are advised to submit their forms and ballots accordingly.

Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website (FVAP.gov): If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact U.S. Embassy Sofia’s Voting Assistance Officer at ACS_Sofia@state.gov.