Published on 29 March 2026

Birth

Please refer to the french or german page for Cabo verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal- specific informations.

The birth of your child must be reported to your Swiss representation abroad so that the data in the various Swiss registers can be updated.

If your child is born abroad, the competent foreign authorities will not necessarily inform the Swiss representation. This is why you need to submit the required documents to your representation. The civil status authority in Switzerland is in charge of entering the information on the birth in its register.

If your child was born in Switzerland, you will also have to have this birth entered in the Register of the Swiss Abroad.

• Birth abroad (to parents who are married)

  If your child is born abroad, this must be entered in the Swiss civil status register. This updating of the register is free of charge.

  For parents who have not yet had their marriage registered in the Swiss civil status register:

  Marriage and registered partnership

  Please submit the following document to your Swiss representation:

  • original birth certificate of your child
  • if you have a Swiss family certificate (formerly family record book) and you would like to have it updated, please submit that too, in the original, to your representation.

  The original documents are submitted to the civil status authority concerned in Switzerland and must not be older than six months. They will not be returned. Photocopies are not accepted. Additional documents may be required if necessary.

  The cost of a thorough verification, should it be necessary, of the foreign civil status documents by a lawyer approved by the Swiss representation are at your expense.

  Use the online desk to upload copies of the required documents. The Swiss representation will then check the documents to ensure they are correct and will ask you to submit the original documents.

• Birth abroad (to parents who are not married)

  If your child is born abroad, this must be entered in the Swiss civil status register. This updating of the register is free of charge.

  Please submit the following documents to your Swiss representation:

  • original birth certificate of your child
  • original official decree establishing filiation or recognition of paternity

  If you (a parent) do not hold Swiss nationality and are not yet registered in the Swiss civil status register, please submit the following:

  • original birth certificate
  • original civil status record at the time of your child's birth:
    • a) certificate establishing that they are unmarried
    • b) divorce decree that specifies when it entered into force
    • c) dissolution decree that specifies when it entered into force
    • d) death certificate of deceased spouse/partner
  • original certificate of current residence
  • copy of passport

  The original documents are submitted to the civil status authority concerned in Switzerland and must not be older than six months. They will not be returned. Photocopies are not accepted. Additional documents may be required if necessary.

  The cost of a thorough verification, should it be necessary, of the foreign civil status documents by a lawyer approved by the Swiss representation are at your expense.

  Use the online desk to upload copies of the required documents. The Swiss representation will then check the documents to ensure they are correct and will ask you to submit the original documents.

• Birth in Switzerland

  If your child was born in Switzerland, this must also be reported to the Swiss representation abroad responsible for the location where the child is currently domiciled so that the data in the Register of the Swiss Abroad can be updated. These updates are free of charge.

  Please submit one of the following documents (electronically or on paper):

  • copy of your child's birth certificate
    or
  • copy of the Swiss family certificate/book including your child, if available

  Report the birth of your child online:

  Online desk

• Ordering a birth certificate

  If your child was born abroad, you must order their birth certificate from the authority concerned of the country in question.

  Click here to order a certificate of your child's birth if they were born in Switzerland:

  Order Swiss civil status documents

• Citizenship and Swiss identity documents

  Information on Swiss citizenship is available at

  Citizenship

  • Are your children Swiss or can they become Swiss?

    PDF321.20 kB30 January 2026

  For information on your child acquiring the nationality of the country they were born in, please contact the authorities concerned of the country in question.

  A standard Swiss identity document can only be issued if the child's birth has been entered in the Swiss civil status register, and if the Swiss nationality of the child born has been confirmed by the civil status authority concerned. In case of emergency, please contact your Swiss representation.

  Applying for an identity document

• Residence permit for stays abroad

  For a residence permit for your child's stays abroad, please contact the appropriate foreign authorities.