📄 Certificate of civil status

Apostille for a Swiss certificate of civil status

Foreign employers, universities and registries routinely ask for an apostilled certificate of civil status. Here is exactly how it works for this document — and how we take the whole errand off your hands.

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Where this document comes from — and which chancellery

A civil status certificate summarises your current situation — single, married, divorced, widowed — and is issued by any Swiss civil registry office, with the apostille following that office’s canton. It is the document foreign registries ask for before a marriage abroad, and the one most often rejected for being out of date.

Original or certified copy?

Neither leaves your hands: a notary establishes a certified true copy from your uploaded PDF or photo, and the apostille is affixed to that copy — included in the price. If a destination exceptionally insists on the apostilled original, tell us and we organise it by registered mail.

Translation often required

An apostille authenticates, it does not translate. If the receiving authority also wants a certified translation of your certificate of civil status, mention it in the order notes — our partner network delivers both together.

The mistake that gets files refused

Getting it apostilled too early. If the wedding is in four months and the destination accepts documents no older than three, an apostille obtained today expires before the ceremony. Work backwards from the date and order at the right moment — we can hold a completed file until you say go.

Frequently asked questions

The registry abroad asks for a “certificate of no impediment”. Is that the same?
No. A certificate of no impediment is a different document, issued for a specific planned marriage and naming both partners. A civil status certificate only states your own situation. Send us the wording of the request and we will tell you which one you need.
Which countries accept an apostilled certificate of civil status?
All 130 Hague Convention Contracting Parties — from Germany to Brazil to China. For non-members (UAE, Qatar, Egypt…), the consular chain replaces the apostille; order normally and we quote the embassy stage first.
How long for a certificate of civil status?
Standard 1–2 business days from receipt, mostly the chancellery’s own turnaround. Same-day express doubles the service price and jumps every queue.
CHF 140 — Apostille — 1st document · CHF 120 — Apostille — from 2 documents · Prices →

Apostille for other documents

DiplomaBirth certificateMarriage certificateCriminal record extractCommercial register extractPower of attorneyDivorce judgmentNotarised documentSworn translationCertificate of residence

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