Published on 12 April 2026
Marriage/Partnership to be performed abroad
If your marriage/partnership is to be performed abroad, it will be subject to the law of the country in question.
The Swiss representation is not in charge of civil status procedures with foreign authorities. For information on the conditions, documents required and formalities to be respected, please directly contact the civil status authorities of the place where you are planning to get married or partnered. Only these authorities can give you authoritative information.
In particular, please enquire as to whether a Swiss certificate of capacity to marry is required or whether an individual Swiss civil status certificate is sufficient, whether other Swiss civil status documents are required and whether the documents need to be legalised.
Since 1 January 2000, there is no longer a compulsory procedure for the publication of marriage announcements in Switzerland before the marriage can be celebrated by the competent civil status authority.
Some countries require a certificate of capacity to marry, which certifies under Swiss law that there are no impediments to marriage. This certificate is issued by the marital status authority concerned in Switzerland.
Both fiancés must order it. The order can be placed in parallel in different places if the couple is not living in the same country.
Presence in person is required in all cases.
If you are ordering the certificate via the Swiss representation, please ask the representation in advance if an interpreter is required. Any additional costs for the interpreter are at your expense.
The following documents must be submitted in person:
as well as
For Swiss citizens:
- original certificate of current residence
- valid passport or identity card
For citizens of other countries:
- original birth certificate establishing who the parents are
- original current civil status record:
a) certificate establishing that they are unmarried
b) divorce decree that specifies when it entered into force
c) registered partnership dissolution decision that specifies when it entered into force
d) death certificate of deceased spouse/partner - original certificate of current residence
- valid passport or identity card
Certain documents may no longer be required if the person is already registered in the Swiss civil status register.
If the second person is domiciled in Switzerland:
- copy of their certificate of current residence in Switzerland
- copy of their valid passport or identity card
For any joint children not yet entered in the Swiss civil status register:
- original birth certificate of your child
- original official decree establishing filiation or recognition of paternity
- original certificate of current residence
- valid passport or identity card
For any joint children who are entered in the Swiss civil status register:
- copy of their birth certificate
- copy of their valid passport or identity card
Issuing authorities for Vietnamese civil status documents:
- As a birth certificate is only issued once in Vietnam, an extract from the birth register (Giấy khai sinh (Bản sao) can be submitted. This extract is issued by the People's Committee of the place where the birth was registered or the place where the person concerned is permanently resident.
- Certificate of civil status (Xác nhận tình trạng hôn nhân): People's Committee of the place where the person concerned has his/her permanent residence.
- Residence certificate (Xác nhận thông tin về cư trú) : Police station of the place where the person concerned has his/her current residence (the family book is not accepted)
- Divorce decree (Trích lục ly hôn / Bản sao Quyết định ly hôn): Court that executed the divorce.
- Death certificate (Trích lục khai tử): People's Committee of the place where the person concerned died. In the case of foreign nationals, at the Justice Department of the last place of residence of the deceased person.
Before submitting the documents to the Swiss Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the following must be obtained:
- Vietnamese civil status documents must first be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City before submitting
- Vietnamese civil status documents must be translated by an official notary office in Vietnam into a Swiss national language or into English
Fees
An advance fee for the order of a certificate of capacity to marry will be paid in cash upon submission of the documents and amounts to:
VND 15'000'000.-- if both parties reside in Vietnam.
VND 11'000'000.-- if only one party lives in Vietnam
The original documents are submitted to the civil status authority concerned in Switzerland and must not be older than six months. They will not be returned. Photocopies are not accepted. Additional documents may be required if necessary.
The costs of a thorough verification, should it be necessary, of the foreign civil status documents by a lawyer approved by the Swiss representation are at your expense.
The individual civil status certificate for Swiss nationals is issued by the civil status authority competent for the persons’ place of origin. This document certifies the personal data of this person as recorded in the Swiss civil status register, such as surname, first name or civil status (single, married, divorced, widowed, etc.).
To order a Swiss individual civil status certificate, click here:
Ordering Swiss civil status documents
If you are not a Swiss citizen and are single or unmarried, you must obtain and retain an original copy of the certificate attesting to your status as single or unmarried before your union is performed. This document will in principle no longer be issued by the foreign authority after the union is performed and you will need it to have your union entered into the Swiss civil status register.
If you are domiciled abroad, your surname is subject to the law of the country in which you are domiciled. The civil status authorities of the place where you get married or otherwise formalise your union abroad can provide information about the rules governing the use of your surname(s) after your union is performed. Please contact them directly.
If you are only a Swiss citizen and not a citizen of your country of residence as well, you may have the use of your surname(s) after the union is performed governed by Swiss law by filing a declaration before your union is performed. Please contact your Swiss representation.
The cantonal civil status authority of your place of origin in Switzerland will decide whether your union performed abroad is to be recognised and whether the surname(s) you would like to bear after it is performed is admissible. If you would like, you may contact these authorities before getting married/partnered to clarify whether the surname(s) you wish to bear are admissible.
- Guidelines on names under Swiss law (German, French, Italian)
- FAQ on the subject of the new legal provisions concerning surnames (German, French, Italian)
In Vietnam, each of the spouses retains his or her name after marriage.
Please note the following information:
After a marriage performed or a partnership registered abroad