The New Zealand Consulate General does not provide information about visiting, working or living in Switzerland. However, we have listed the following links that may be useful for planning your stay in Switzerland.
We strongly recommend consulting our SafeTravel website(external link) to best prepare for your trip and to know what assistance may be available to you while overseas.
Schengen area and Switzerland
- Travel tips - travel to Europe (Schengen area)(external link)
- New Zealand/Switzerland 1948 Bilateral Visa Waiver Agreement(external link) (for New Zealand passport holders to stay in Switzerland up to 90 days, regardless of time spent in other Schengen countries - note conditions)
Organisations and information sites that may be useful for planning your stay in Switzerland
- Embassy of Switzerland in Wellington(external link) (for visas and permits) - telephone: (+64 4) 472 1593, facsimile: (+64 4) 499 6302, email wel.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
- Gateway to Switzerland’s federal government, cantons and local authorities(external link)
- Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation(external link)
- Switzerland Tourism and Travel(external link)
- Swissinfo - news and information about Switzerland(external link)
- Expatica - Living and working in Switzerland(external link)
- Glocals - networking for expats in Switzerland(external link)
- Hello - information for relocating to Switzerland(external link)
- InterNations – Connecting global minds(external link)
Getting married in Switzerland
New Zealanders wishing to marry in Switzerland will need to contact the local authorities in Switzerland in the first instance to check requirements which differ between Cantons/Regions.
In most cases you will be required to present:
- A full Birth Certificate which is less than six months old. Birth certificates are available from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office(external link) and may take up to two weeks to process. In addition certificates may require an Apostille which confirms the authenticity of the document. This can take a further week to process. Further information about document authentication is available from the Department of Internal Affairs website(external link).
- Documentation stating your present civil status. This can be obtained by making a sworn declaration before a New Zealand representative or a Swiss Notary Public to the effect that you are single, divorced or widowed.
- A Certificate of No Impediment to Marry (CONI) which states that there is no impediment to the marriage (please note that this does not specify the applicant’s civil status). Application forms are available from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office and can take up to three weeks to process.
- A Certificate of citizenship and domicile. This will be prepared on request by the Consulate General. Proof of citizenship and evidence of last residential address in New Zealand (eg correspondence from an official organisation) will need to be provided.
Please note that there is no legal obligation to have an overseas marriage registered in New Zealand unless you also require a marriage certificate to be issued from New Zealand. For further information about registering an overseas marriage in New Zealand see the Getting Married Overseas section of the Department of Internal Affairs website(external link)