Married couples in Switzerland can use double surnames from 2027

From January 1, 2027, married couples will be able to adopt an official double surname in Switzerland. The Federal Council has set that date for a change to the Civil Code passed by parliament, restoring an option that ended for couples marrying in 2013. The surname can be written with or without a hyphen.

The change will apply to couples who marry after the new rule takes effect and to people who are already married. Existing couples will be able to apply at a registry office. The reform also draws a clear line around the new choice: children will not be able to take double surnames under the amendment.

The return of official double surnames will also affect identity documents. Switzerland’s unofficial “alliance name” will eventually disappear from passports and identity cards, after a transition period for technical changes.

The reform restores a choice removed in 2013. Until that year, married couples in Switzerland could use a double surname. After the Civil Code changed, couples intending to marry had to choose a shared surname or keep their respective surnames.

An unofficial hyphenated “alliance name” remained available, but it was not the couple’s official surname. From 2027, spouses will once again be able to use a double surname officially, with or without a hyphen. That distinction matters for the name recorded in civil registers, rather than only a name used socially.

The change follows parliament’s adoption of the Civil Code amendment. The Federal Council has now fixed the date it will enter into force, giving couples and registry offices a start date for the new rules: January 1, 2027.

Couples already married will be able to make an application, too. From 2027, they can contact a registry office to adopt an official double surname under the amended Civil Code. The reform is therefore not limited to couples marrying after the start date.

For couples who currently use an alliance name, the change has a separate consequence for identity documents. The unofficial name will no longer be included in passports or identity cards under the new arrangements. Authorities will keep recording alliance names during a transitional period while they make technical adjustments to the documents.

The Federal Council will bring the relevant amendment to the Identification Documents Act into force in due course. It will announce the end of the transition period well in advance. Until then, the transition allows the existing entry to remain while the document system is adjusted.

The new surname rule does not extend to children. Couples will be able to use an official double surname, but the amendment will not let them pass a double surname on to their children. The distinction is part of the rules taking effect in 2027.

For adults, the change brings back a legal option that was removed in 2013 and replaces the narrower arrangement under which an alliance name could be used unofficially. The new official surname may include a hyphen, but a hyphen is not required.

The Civil Code amendment starts on January 1, 2027. The separate change governing alliance names on passports and identity cards will follow through the Identification Documents Act, with a transitional period for technical adjustments. The Federal Council has said it will announce the end of that period well in advance.