Several couples have welcomed a change to the Swiss law to allow same-sex marriages by tying the knot on the first day that the legislation comes into force on Friday.
But the Zurich authorities have warned of “legal ambiguities” in regulations concerning fast-track citizenship through marriage.
When couples convert their existing civil partnerships into marital status, the years they have spent together as a registered pair are counted as married. But opting for a newly minted marriage might mean the couple starts at year zero, reports Swiss public broadcaster SRFExternal link.
The Swiss Federal Office for Civil Status recommends that all couples who are trying to obtain fast-track naturalisation would do better to convert their civil partnership status rather than decide on a marriage from scratch, says SRF.
This made Switzerland the 30th country worldwide – and one of the last in Western Europe – to extend civil marital status to male-male and female-female couples.
The law came into force on July 1, updating previous legislation that had only allowed for same-sex civil partnerships since 2007. There are currently around 10,000 same-sex couples living in a civil partnership in Switzerland.
Registry offices were booked out in several Swiss cities on July 1, said officials. The city of Zurich, for example, had 250 appointments to conduct marriages.
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‘Marriage for all’ wins thumping approval of Swiss voters
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A law giving full marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples has been accepted by almost two-thirds of Swiss citizens.
Fight for marriage equality in Switzerland continues
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After years of criticism for its lack of progress on LGBTIQ issues, the Alpine country is paving the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
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