The month-long voting for overseas Filipinos for the May 2025 midterm national elections officially began on Sunday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in a statement that overseas voting in countries with registered overseas voters started 8 am local time.

The overseas voting period will run from April 13 until 7 pm of May 12 , the same period when voting will close in the Philippines. Comelec said.

"The voting of our Filipino overseas voters in 77 posts is via internet voting, while in 16 posts will be by going to their respective embassies or consulates", Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in a radio interview on Sunday.

In a press briefing on Friday, Garcia said that around 48,000, out of the 1,231 million Filipino voters abroad, have registered.

Garcia added that internet voting abroad is open 24 hours a day.

Voters from areas in New Zealand (GMT+12) under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Philippine Embassy were the first to cast their votes around 4 am Pacific Standard Time (PST)

It will be followed by Australia and Guam (6 am PST), Japan and Korea (7 am PST), Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Singapore (8 am PST), Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia (9 am PST), Bangladesh (10:00 am PST), India (10 am PST), Pakistan (11 am PST), United Arab Emirates and Oman (12 pm PST).

Next are Greece, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, and Israel (1 pm PST), Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, Denmark, Italy, Norway, France, Czech Republic, Rome, Sweden, The Netherlands, The Vatican, Poland, Egypt, and South Africa (2 pm PST), Portugal, United Kingdom, and Morocco (3 pm PST), Brazil and Argentina (7 pm PST), New York, Ottawa and Toronto, Canada; and Chile (8 pm PST), Chicago and Houston (9 pm PST), Mexico (10 pm PST), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C.; and Vancouver, Canada (11 pm PST), and Honolulu at 2 am PST on Monday. Marie Manalili/DMS