MARRIAGE LAWS - SWITZERLAND

To marry in Switzerland the followings are required to be met in order to get married:
1. the betrothed must be over 18;
2. neither must be already married;
3. persons under guardianship must obtain the consent of their legal representative;
4. the law prohibits marriage between (half) brothers and (half-)sisters or to one's parents or
grandparents, as well as between a person and their spouse's child (even if that marriage has been
annulled).

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
1. Photo ID such as Drivers License or passport
2. Notarized affidavit, mentioning the current address and marital status (single,
divorced or widowed).
3. Birth Certificate (certified copy) showing the names of the parents (this certificate may be issued at
most six months before the planned marriage)
4. If previously married, be prepared to show a certified copy of the final divorce decree, or death
certificate if marriage ended due to death of spouse.
5. If the person wishing to marry is a foreign national may have to submit his/ her
1. passport
2. An affidavit stating that he is free to marry.

PROCEDURE
• Marriage is divided into two stages:
I. the marriage preparation procedure and
II. the marriage ceremony procedure.

Marriage preparation procedure

• The betrothed may contact the competent Registry Office and submit the necessary documents.
• The competent Registry Office is that of their place of residence in Switzerland.
• If residing abroad, the Swiss representation in their country of residence or the Registry Office of the
place where the wedding is to take place.
• The Registry Office issues the Marriage Request Form to be filled in and signed.
• Having duly filled in and signed the form and submitted a number of documents, the betrothed make
a personal statement to the registrar (respectively to the Swiss Consulate) to the effect that they do
meet all requirements to get married.
• The registrar reviews the marriage request and informs the betrothed in writing whether the
marriage may be celebrated.
WEDDING CEREMONY
1. The ceremony may be held as soon as the marriage preparation procedure is completed.
2. In of foreign nationals who do not meet the above-mentioned requirements may nevertheless be
allowed to get married according to the national law of either of the betrothed.
3. Such authorization is issued by the Cantonal Registrar supervisory authority of the place where the
marriage is to be celebrated and its cost varies as a function of the complexity of the case.
4. If the betrothed wish to get married in another place than that of the marriage preparation, they
must ask the registrar of the latter place, subject to a fee, for an authorisation to celebrate the
wedding which will enable them to get married in the commune of their choice.
5. In any case, the marriage must be celebrated within a minimum of 10 days (this deadline may be
shortened in case of imminent death) and a maximum of three months following the granting of the
marriage authorisation.
6. The civil wedding is a public ceremony held at the Registry Office in the presence of two witnesses of
age chosen by the betrothed.
7. If one of the betrothed cannot travel, the marriage may exceptionally be celebrated in another place
(hospital, home of the betrothed etc.).
8. The spouses and witnesses sign the marriage register.
9. Upon completion of the ceremony, the registrar issues the family record book and the marriage
certificate.
10. Submission of either of these documents will be required in order to subsequently celebrate a
religious wedding.

COSTS
1. The actual fee for the application is CHF 175.00
2. The Registry Office collects a fee for the marriage celebration and the documents issued.

General Information

You should contact the civil registrar in the city or town where you wish to be married for information
concerning fees, witnesses and the translation of documents. No period of residence in Switzerland is
required for marriage by a civil registrar. The waiting period after the documents are submitted to the civil
registrar can last up to 5 weeks to allow for the publication of bans. The addresses of the main civil registrars'
offices are:

Zivilstandsamt
Rittergasse 11
4051 Basel
Tel: 061 267 95 90
Fax: 061 267 67 49
www.zivilstandsamt.bs.ch
E-mail: zva@bs.ch
Zivilstandsamt
Zieglerstrasse 29
3007 Bern
Tel: 031 387 38 38
Fax: 031 387 38 39
E-mail: info.za-bern@pom.be.ch
Etat civil
37, rue de la Mairie
1207 Genève
Tel: 022 418 66 50
Fax: 022 418 66 51
E-mail: webmaster@ville-ge.ch
Etat civil
8, rue Beau-Séjour
1003 Lausanne
Tel: 021 315 29 82
E-mail: centre.etatcivil@vd.ch
Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Palazzo Civico
Piazza Riforma
6900 Lugano
Tel: 091 800 70 33
E-mail: di-usc.lugano@ti.ch
Zivilstandsamt
Obergrundstrasse 1
6003 Luzern
Tel: 041 208 81 11
www.stadtluzern.ch
E-mail: za@stadtluzern.ch
Zivilstandsamt Stadthaus
Stadthausquai 17
8001 Zurich
Tel: 01 216 31 11
www.stadt-zuerich.ch