From January 1, 2020, after the marriage preparation process has been successfully completed, a wedding can take place without a ten-day waiting period be performed.

According to the previous law, the marriage ceremony can take place at the earliest ten days after notification of the completion of the preparatory process. After Parliament approved the abolition of this waiting period on September 28, 2018, the Federal Council will put it into effect on January 1, 2020. However, the marriage ceremony must still be carried out no more than three months after the end of the preparation process.

This does not change anything in the marriage preparation process. In the preparatory process, the following Conditions for marriage as checked so far:

  • The bride and groom have reached the age of 18 and are capable of judgement.
  • If the bride or groom is not a Swiss citizen, she or he must provide evidence of his/her lawful residence in Switzerland during the preparatory process and at the latest by the time of the wedding.
  • Lineal relatives, siblings and half-siblings are not allowed to marry each other.

It is further excluded that any Obstacles to marriage or grounds for invalidity oppose a wedding. This includes, in particular, investigations into suspected forced marriages or marriages of convenience.

The abolition of the ten-day period between the end of the preparation process and the wedding ceremony makes the marriage process quicker and leaner.

Experts