Published on 1 February 2026

New Zealand: Family, marriage and civil union

Find out about family reunification and reporting requirements if you are planning to emigrate to New Zealand. The FDFA can provide you with information about this.

Joining your family in New Zealand

Please find information on different types of visa options to join your family in New Zealand on the webpage of New Zealand Immigration.

Registering marriages and partnerships

Marriages contracted abroad under civil law are recognised in Switzerland and must be registered with the Swiss civil status authorities. Swiss nationals who get married abroad are required to register their marriage with the competent Swiss representation abroad. The representation translates and authenticates the marriage certificate and forwards it to the civil status authority in Switzerland free of charge. In exceptional cases, you can also notify your cantonal civil status authority, which will forward the marriage certificate and related documents to the representation abroad for translation and authentication. In this case you will be required to pay a fee.

Find out what you need to do as early as possible

Before you get married, contact your Swiss representation to find out what you will need to do to make sure your marriage is recognised and registered in the civil status register without delay.

Civil unions

New Zealand recognises, in addition to marriage, civil unions of same-sex partners and of women and men.

---

All topics

Back to the overview