Same-sex marriage in Switzerland

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Switzerland since 1 July 2022. This means two people of the same sex can get married like any other couple.

The idea to allow same-sex marriage was discussed and voted on by people in Switzerland. In December 2020, the Swiss Parliament decided that same-sex marriage should be allowed.

Some people did not agree with this decision, so they asked for a special vote called a referendum. On 26 September 2021, people in Switzerland voted, and many said yes to same-sex marriage. This meant that the law could go into effect. The law officially started on 1 July 2022, making Switzerland one of the countries in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Before same-sex marriage was allowed, Switzerland had something called registered partnerships. These started on 1 January 2007 after a vote in 2005. Registered partnerships gave same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples, but not all. Now that same-sex marriage is allowed, registered partnerships are no longer available.

Registered partnerships

See also: 2005 Swiss referendums

In a nationwide referendum on 5 June 2005, Swiss voters approved a registered partnership law. This law gave same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples. These rights included next of kin, taxation, social security, insurance, and shared housing. However, same-sex couples could not jointly adopt children, access fertility treatments, or get easier Swiss citizenship for a foreign partner.

The law was passed by the National Council and the Council of States in 2003 and 2004. The Federal Democratic Union collected signatures for a referendum, and the Swiss people voted 58% in favor of the law on 5 June 2005. The law became effective on 1 January 2007. Switzerland was the first country to pass a same-sex union law through a referendum.

The ability to create new registered partnerships ended on 1 July 2022. Couples could keep their status as registered partners or change their partnership to a recognized marriage.

Adoption and parenting

The partnership law talked about the rights and duties about a partner's child. It required the partner of a parent to give financial support for the child and allowed them to make decisions for the child. If the partnership ended, the ex-partner could still keep close ties with the child. In 2010, Swiss groups started a petition for broader adoption rights. In 2011, the National Council debated but rejected this idea. However, in 2012, the Council of States voted to allow same-sex couples to fully adopt children, but the National Council did not agree. Later, in March 2013, they agreed to let a partner adopt their partner's child.

In 2014, the Federal Council agreed to allow stepchild adoption as part of adoption law changes. This meant registered partners and couples living together could adopt, and the minimum age to adopt was lowered from 35 to 28. The law was approved by Parliament in June 2016 and took effect on 1 January 2018.

Statistics

The first same-sex partnership happened on 2 January 2007 in the canton of Ticino. By the end of June 2022, 12,332 same-sex partnerships had taken place in Switzerland.

Cantonal laws

Some Swiss cantons have special rules to help couples who live together but are not married. For example, cantons like Vaud, Zurich, and Geneva support both different-sex and same-sex couples who want to live together and start a family without getting married.

In Geneva, a law from 2001 gives unmarried couples, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, many of the same rights as married couples. But this law does not cover things like taxes or health insurance. In Geneva schools, new forms now let same-sex parents be recognized, instead of old forms that only had spaces for “father” and “mother”.

In Zurich, voters approved a law in 2002 that lets same-sex couples register their partnership. This law is stronger than Geneva’s but couples must live together for six months first.

In Neuchâtel, a law from 2004 gives registered partners all the same rights at the cantonal level as married couples. The constitution of Fribourg also supports same-sex couples registering a partnership.

In Zurich, a plan to change the canton’s constitution to only allow marriage between a man and a woman was voted down in 2016. More than 80% of people voted against it.

Same-sex marriage

Political parties and support

In 2012, Switzerland’s government asked leaders to think about changing family laws. By 2015, they suggested letting same-sex couples marry. Many political groups agreed, like the Green Party and Social Democrats. Some groups, like the Swiss People’s Party, did not agree.

In 2021, Swiss voters decided whether to allow same-sex marriage. Over 64% voted yes, making it legal starting July 1, 2022. Now, two people who love each other can get married, no matter if they are a man and a woman or two men or two women.

Popular initiative "For the couple and the family"

Signature gathering and approval

Some people wanted to change laws to make sure married couples and couples who live together get similar benefits. They tried to change the Swiss Constitution to say marriage is only between a man and a woman. But in 2016, voters decided not to change it. Later, leaders decided not to try again.

Referendum

In 2016, voters chose not to change marriage laws to only allow a man and a woman to marry. Most people voted no.

Parliamentary initiative "Marriage for All"

Parliamentary deliberations

In 1998, someone first suggested letting same-sex couples marry. It took many years, but in 2020, leaders voted to make it legal. Then, in 2021, Swiss voters agreed. On July 1, 2022, same-sex marriage became legal.

Referendum

Main article: 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum

In 2021, Swiss voters decided if same-sex marriage should be legal. Over 64% voted yes. This made Switzerland the 30th country to allow same-sex marriage.

Federal leaders said the new law would start on July 1, 2022, and the first same-sex weddings happened that day.

Impact

A study in 2024 showed that some people felt more stressed during the voting about same-sex marriage. But many supported it.

Marriage statistics

By the end of 2024, over 5,900 same-sex couples had married in Switzerland, mostly in some areas like Zurich and Lake Geneva.

Religious performance

Some religious groups in Switzerland do not allow same-sex marriages. But others do, like some Protestant churches. Jewish groups also support civil same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church does not allow same-sex marriages.

Public opinion

Many people in Switzerland supported allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children. In 2013, a survey showed that 63% of people agreed. Later surveys showed that support grew, and most people agreed that same-sex couples should be able to marry. Different groups, like Green voters and Social Democratic voters, showed even more support. Overall, most Swiss people believed in allowing same-sex marriage and related rights like adoption and fertility treatments for couples.