Registration of Marriage from abroad in Ch

Hi All, im just new here but hope you all can help me , me ( Filipina) and my fiancee ( swiss citizen) plans to conduct our marriage abroad in HK but were havin a bit doubts cause of what were reading online, is the process of registering our marriage abroad would take ages to recognized by switzerland? Or is it way more better to perform the marriage in switzerland ? Any thoughts and insights about this would help and appreciated thankyou!

If one of the two is Swiss, the process must start at the embassy of Switzerland abroad, where the wedding will take place. You should contact them or look at their website, the embassy will tell you exactly what is required (it varies depending on the country).

I don’t think Switzerland or abroad is much different in terms of documents. Most of the delays relate to obtaining the foreign birth certificate with the necessary legalizations (of you only, as the fiance(e) is swiss). This is where it gets stuck as sometimes they need to check the documents. But this is the same regardless of the place of marriage.

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You don’t mention your current status in Switzerland. Are you living here and if so, what permit do you have?

Why on earth would a marriage abroad have to take place in a Swiss embassy :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

My partner and I, both resident in CH with valid B permits married in the UK. All we needed to do was to give a copy of the marriage certificate to the canton.

Because one of them is Swiss and therefore the foreigner.
If the marriage takes place in Switzerland the process starts on the partner’s embassy here.

Ok I mis-understood. I thought they were saying if they got married in HK it would have to be in the Swiss embassy.

In fairness to you it wasn’t very clearly worded in that post.

In fairness to blings, yes it was :slightly_smiling_face:

On the other hand, if the Swiss partner organizes all the papers they need in Switzerland and takes them along, it will be a lot easier. I know that’s what I would do.

It really wasn’t clear at all.

It should have said « 

at the embassy of Switzerland (abroad*) in the country where the wedding will take place » to make it clear
Or
« 

.at the Swiss embassy in the country where the wedding will take place. »

*abroad is not strictly necessary.

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seriously?
the only places where you will find Swiss embassies is abroad 
 and yes if one wants to get married in Timubktu, it should not be the Swiss embassy in Moscow.

I’m out. This is ridiculous. And not helpful for OP.

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The OP also needs to say where they are legally resident.

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The problem is that a lot in blings’ post is implicit, quite a bit of which might be apparent for a Swiss (resident) but is likely to confuse someone with a non-Swiss mindset/POV (which is likely to apply to OP). Clearly, the latter will apply to people asking OP’s question, people residing abroad, that’s why BM makes a valid point.

Or, to put it as a TLDR, it’s a matter of POV.

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I agree with BelgianMum (BM) that blings’ original statement wasn’t entirely clear. Legally, it could be misinterpreted to suggest that the marriage must take place at the Swiss embassy abroad, rather than at a local authority like a city council in HK. BM’s correction “at the Swiss embassy in the country where the wedding will take place” is accurate and removes any ambiguity.

Curley, I think the confusion arose from the use of “abroad,” which BM rightly pointed out isn’t strictly necessary since Swiss embassies are by definition, located outside Switzerland. The key is to contact the Swiss representation (embassy or consulate) within the consular district where the marriage will occur and not the nearest Swiss embasy/consulate. For example, if you’re in Freiburg, BW, you’d go to the Swiss consulate in Stuttgart, not Strasbourg, for legalizing a German marriage document.

Maria, for your case in Hong Kong, the Swiss consulate there will guide you on the specific requirements to ensure your marriage is recognized in Switzerland.

The process for marrying outside Switzerland differs from marrying within Switzerland, so it’s essential to clarify the specific requirements with the Swiss consulate in HK. Confirm whether they accept official documents in English or if translations into a Swiss language (preferably the one spoken in your fiancé’s canton) are needed.

Additionally, as a Filipino citizen living abroad (*) (no pun intended), you should also consult the website of the Swiss embassy in Manila to verify the documents they typically require from a Filipina marrying a Swiss citizen abroad. These same documents will likely be requested from you as well. For instance, if the Swiss embassy in Manila requests a birth certificate from a Filipina marrying a Swiss citizen in the Philippines, the Swiss consulate in Hong Kong will likely require the same from you.

Be sure to gather these documents well in advance to prevent any delays in the process.

Good luck!

(*) ‘abroad’ here means that you do not live in your country of citizenship.

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“The process must start at the embassy of Switzerland abroad, where the wedding will take place.”

I’m sorry.

I read it as;

“The process must start at the embassy of Switzerland abroad, (which is) where the wedding will take place.”

So I thought they were saying the Embassy is where the wedding must take place. I understand now the they meant the country where the wedding will take place.

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Cool, are embassies doing weddings now?

Will they serve Ferrero rocher chocolates?

I think that’s how most native English speakers would understand it.

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I find it absolutely ridiculous the amount of documents they’re requiring to register our marriage. I’m an American citizen but was born in Jamaica and my husband is a Swiss national. We got married in the US last summer and are still awaiting for the registration after we sent all the “excessively abundant documents” they requested. I even had to get a newly issued Jamaican birth certificate with an apostle that required traveling to Jamaica. Now, they’re asking why is my father’s name not listed on birth certificate though in many countries it is not common for the father to be listed. Very annoying :roll_eyes:

Look on the bright side, if this was the US, you might be doing all that waiting in some squalid detention centre for furriners with incomplete paperwork :grimacing:

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