Obtaining a certificate of cantonal partnership in Geneva

People who satisfy the conditions established by the law and who wish to have their cohabitation and their status as a couple recognised must visit the civil registry in the district in which one of the two partners is resident to obtain the list of documents that must be submitted. Once the dossier has been prepared, the civil registry office will make an appointment for you to complete and sign the declaration of partnership.

The partners are provided with proof of this declaration in the form of a partnership certificate, an original copy of which is given to each partner. The certificate testifies to the official nature of the partnership and the partners’ right to be treated in the same way as married persons in their dealings with the public administration, with the exception of taxation and the allocation of welfare benefits unless otherwise stipulated by a provision under public law.

The conditions of the cantonal partnership

This declaration can only be made by people:

• who are adults;
• who are capable of making informed decisions;
• who are not married or bound by a registered partnership and are not already partners under the law of the Canton of Geneva;
• at least one of whom is resident within the territory of the City of Geneva.

The partnership is prohibited between direct relatives and between whole-blood, consanguine or uterine brothers and sisters, regardless of whether kinship is based on direct inheritance or adoption. Adoption does not eliminate the preclusion resulting from the kinship that exists between the adopted person and his/her descendants on the one hand and his/her natural family on the other.

What to do

The partners must complete the request form with a view to contracting a cantonal partnership (available below, by e-mail or on the ground floor of the service), sign it and return it by post or by e-mail (mariage.civ@ville-ge.ch) together with a copy of the identity documents of both partners and a copy of any residence permit.

The Civil Registry Office examines whether the request has been duly submitted and whether the identity of the partners is established and sends them the list of documents to be presented.

• The documents are sent by post or handed over to the security officer on duty on the ground floor of the Registry Office.
• If the documents presented are valid and the conditions for obtaining the declaration of partnership from the Canton of Geneva have been met, the Office contacts the partners to schedule an appointment to sign the declarations.

An original of the record of civil partnership is issued for each of the declarants. It certifies the official nature of the partnership from the day it is issued. 

Cancellation

The partnership can be cancelled by joint declaration or unilateral declaration by one of the partners made before an officer or employee of the civil registry office in the district in which one of the two partners is a resident. In the absence of residence in the Canton of Geneva, the declaration of cancellation can be made in the civil registry office in the district in which the original declaration of partnership was made.

The partnership is dissolved systematically if one or both of the partners undertakes a registered partnership or gets married.

Fees

The local civil registry offices receive the following fees:

a) declaration of partnership: CHF 150

b) certificate of partnership or registration of the partnership: CHF 150

c) unilateral declaration of cancellation of the partnership: CHF 200

d) joint declaration of cancellation of the partnership: CHF 150