Marriage Registration in Switzerland

Marriage legislation in Switzerland

Approximately half of the marriages registered in Switzerland involve a foreign citizen marrying a national. Religious marriages are quite common, but according to the Swiss Civil Code, only civil marriages are legally recognized. The Swiss legislation imposes three conditions in order for citizens to get married:

• - both parties must be at least 18 years old,
• - none of them must be married at the time they apply for marriage registration in Switzerland,
• - individuals with a legal guardian must first obtain consent for getting married.

All marriages are registered with the Registry Office within the Swiss canton one of the spouses resides in. Foreign citizens will register their marriage within the canton the marriage takes place.

What are the required documents for getting married in Switzerland?

Marriages in Switzerland are registered by an officer within the Registry Office. The documents spouses must provide for marriage registration depend on the nationality of the spouses. Swiss nationals must submit the following documents:

• - proof of the civil status,
• - a Swiss residence permit,
• - the identity card or the passport.

Foreign citizens getting married in Switzerland must provide the following documents:

• - a residence permit,
• - the birth certificate,
• - the passport,
• - proof of the civil status.

In case of Swiss divorcees or widowers, they are required to submit the certificate of divorce, respectively the death certificate of the former spouse.

Civil marriage registration in Switzerland

All the documents submitted with the Registry Office must be in German, French or Italian, otherwise a certified translation of the documents must be provided.

For notary services you may rely on our Swiss attorneys.

Once the marriage application is submitted it may take five weeks at most to be processed. During this amount of time, the Registry Office will publish the wedding bans. Once the marriage registration is approved, the couple can register their marriage between 10 days and up to 3 months from the approval. After the marriage is registered, the couple will receive a family book. Marriage certificates must be requested in advance in order to obtain them at the same time with the registration.

Foreign citizens wanting to get married may contact our lawyers in Switzerland for information about marriage registration. Many foreigners also choose exotic destinations like Dubai for getting married, but they should know that there are different regulations there. Another popular destination for getting married is Los Angeles and foreigners should know that there are several rules they must comply with in order to have a LA wedding. Another important matter for married persons is having children and there are medical services for those who can't have heirs on their own.