Getting married in Vaud: the civil-status procedure
How a civil marriage works in Canton Vaud when one or both of you are international: conditions, the preparation procedure, the ceremony, costs, your surname, and what happened to registered partnership. Documents, apostilles and translations are on their own page: Apostille, legalisation and translation.
Key facts
- Four steps: open a marriage preparation procedure (procédure préparatoire de mariage), document check (and authentication if needed), closing meeting at the civil registry office (office de l'état civil), ceremony (État de Vaud).
- Conditions: both over 18, capable of discernment, not already married, not related (État de Vaud).
- Where to apply: the civil registry office of the domicile of one of you, or of the place chosen for the ceremony (État de Vaud).
- Cost: the preparation procedure costs CHF 250 to 500; extra fees are possible for authenticating foreign documents or depending on the venue (État de Vaud).
- Timing: the procedure usually takes a few months; do not fix a wedding date before it ends. The ceremony must take place within 3 months after the procedure closes (État de Vaud).
- Registered partnership: since 1 July 2022 no new registered partnerships are concluded in Switzerland; existing ones can be converted into marriage (État de Vaud).
1. Opening the procedure
- If at least one of you is a foreign national and at least one lives in Vaud, fill in the Vaud marriage form (formulaire à remplir, mariage) and send it with your documents (État de Vaud). The federal memento on marriage in Switzerland (no. 150.1) is linked from the same page.
- If you both live abroad, you apply through the competent Swiss representation (État de Vaud).
- Even if you marry in another canton, the preparation procedure takes place at the office of the domicile of one of you (État de Vaud).
- If your file is complete, you get an acknowledgement with a file number within days; if not, the office tells you which documents are missing (État de Vaud).
- Couples expecting a child are asked to open their file as early as possible and give the due date (État de Vaud).
Which documents, how recent, and when they need an apostille, legalisation or certified translation: see Apostille, legalisation and translation. Some foreign documents are sent by the registry to the Swiss embassy in that country for authentication; from then on the Vaud office has no influence on the delay (État de Vaud).
2. Closing meeting
- Once all conditions are met, the registrar invites you to close the procedure. The meeting usually lasts 30 minutes (about 1 hour with an interpreter) (État de Vaud).
- You sign the declaration on the conditions of marriage and receive the notice that the procedure is closed; you then set the ceremony date. Have 2 preferred dates in mind (État de Vaud).
- Bring a valid passport or identity card. A residence permit is not enough (État de Vaud).
- You pay the marriage fee shown in your invitation at this meeting (État de Vaud).
- An interpreter is at your own cost; tell the registrar at least 1 week before (État de Vaud).
- Appointments are usually available within 2 months of a complete, checked file. Missing an appointment without 24 hours' notice costs an extra CHF 75 (État de Vaud).
3. The ceremony
- Public ceremony with two adult witnesses capable of discernment, each with a passport or identity card (a residence permit is not enough) (État de Vaud).
- It usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes; arrive 10 minutes early (État de Vaud).
- After the ceremony the registers are updated and the commune of residence, the Federal Statistical Office and AVS bodies are informed automatically (État de Vaud).
- A special venue (lieu d'exception) approved by Vaud is possible: procedure plus ceremony costs CHF 1,500, not counting venue rental (État de Vaud).
- Marrying in another canton: you need an authorisation to celebrate the marriage from the office that closed your procedure (État de Vaud).
- Foreign or dual nationals: ask your own embassy or consulate whether you must register the marriage in your country (État de Vaud). See Registering with your own embassy or consulate.
4. Surnames
Each spouse keeps their own name and place of origin. You may declare that you will use the pre-marriage surname of one of you as common name. A double common surname is not possible under the Civil Code currently in force: you keep your own names or choose the pre-marriage surname of one of you (CC art. 160). Vaud links a page on a planned return of the double name; it is not yet in force.
5. Registered partnership and marriage abroad
- No new registered partnerships since 1 July 2022. A partnership concluded before that date, in Switzerland or abroad, can be converted into marriage at any time by a joint declaration at any Swiss civil registry office, optionally as a ceremony with two witnesses. Cost: CHF 75 to 400 (État de Vaud); the federal fee for the conversion declaration itself is CHF 75 (OEEC annex 1, item 7).
- Married abroad: some people must register the marriage in Switzerland through the Swiss embassy, for example foreigners living in Vaud who already had a civil-status event in Switzerland after 1 January 2005 (État de Vaud).
- How Switzerland recognises foreign marriages and partnerships (including why a French PACS is not a registered partnership) and family permits: see Family and partner permits.
- Married to a Swiss citizen: facilitated naturalisation may become possible later; see Becoming Swiss in Vaud.