Weddingbee Blog

Way back when Mr. Funnel Cake mentioned Plan Z, I secretly started researching how to execute the plan. I knew a foreign marriage application in Switzerland was fairly time and labour intensive process, and I wanted to be prepared if and when Mr. Funnel Cake would agree we should do it. I figured if it came to this, we would need to execute our plan very quickly, and I was right!

(Image via my computer where I was constantly stalking EF)

So, what do you need to get married in Switzerland? Well, if you are Swiss all you need is your Passport or Identity Card. If you live outside the city you wish to marry in, you also need a copy of your residence certificate and civil status certificate from your local registry office, but Mr. Funnel Cake is a “Zürcher” so he just needed to bring his ID card with him.

The documents required from Americans are a little more complicated…

I would need to acquire the following:

Long-form Birth Certificate: Certified copy issued within the last 6 months. (Originals won’t do.) Must show your full name, date and place of birth, the full name of your parents, including your mother’s maiden name. I ordered mine from http://www.vitalchek.com/. Cost:$65.95

US Passport- Luckily I already had one of these or I wouldn’t be in Switzerland! Cost: $0

Affidavit- Because we do not have a central office which keeps track of our civil statuses in the US, Americans are required to go to the American Embassy in Bern and swear under oath to a consular that we are legally free to marry. To do this you need to bring your Passport and if possible, proof of termination of previous marriages. Cost: $50

Once I completed this scavenger hunt we would be able to fill out our application for marriage at the registry office in Zürich. After you apply to get married, there is a waiting period for up to five weeks for the publication of bans where the public can object your marriage. (For reals, but nobody ever objects so don’t worry!)

For more information about Americans marrying in Switzerland, visit The Embassy of the United States in Bern Switzerland. For more information about marrying in the city of Zürich, please visit the city of Zürich website. (Information only available in German at the moment.)

Are you marrying someone from a different country than your own? How complicated is the process for you?