Family, marriage and partnerships

There are various options for family reunification, i.e. to obtain visas for spouses and children to move to Hong Kong. These options are only open if at least one parent holds a permanent residence permit or has a work or study visa. The section on living but not working in Hong Kong, i.e. not being in gainful employment, provides more information on this.

Marriages contracted abroad or registered partnerships 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.

You are advised to consult the relevant Swiss representation before your marriage regarding the rules you need to comply with so that the marriage can be recognised in Switzerland and entered in the civil status register as soon as possible.

Since 1991, multiple Hong Kong court rulings have granted same-sex couples some rights but there is currently no legal institution in place there such as same-sex marriage or civil partnerships.

While same-sex unions concluded legally in foreign jurisdictions are not granted civil partnership status in Hong Kong, they are recognised for certain purposes. Concluding and ending them is governed by the given foreign jurisdiction, i.e. not under Hong Kong law.