U.S. Embassy in Sweden

Getting Married in Sweden

According to Swedish law, all non-residents/non-citizens of Sweden who wish to get married in Sweden should present a document from their home country stating their marital status. There is no national marriage registry in the U.S., so no equivalent national document can be obtained from the U.S. However, certain states/counties may issue a document regarding a person’s marital status, or a so-called “Record of No Record”. Check with your local County Clerk’s office, or Vital Statistics office, to find out if such a document is available. If not, ask the office to state in writing that no such document exists in the particular state. You may easily find the websites of these offices by using a search engine, such as Google.

The Swedish tax authorities are aware of the difficulties in obtaining a document relating to marital status from the U.S. If no such document is available from your home state, and the county clerk’s office or Vital Statistics office, would not give you a written statement regarding the unavailability, the Swedish tax authorities (Skatteverket) may waive this requirement. Make sure to check with the tax authorities.

In addition, the following regulations should be considered if applicable:

• If previously married – Evidence of termination of previous marriages is required in the form of a certified copy of the final divorce decree or a certified copy of the record of death of the deceased spouse. The officiant may require that the divorce decree be authenticated by the issuing agency. (For more information regarding authentications, please see Notary Public Services.) Swedish law may also require that the divorce be confirmed by a Swedish Court of Appeal (Hovrätten);
• If a minor – Parents’ or Guardians’ consent is required of an American citizen who is a minor (under age 18). Consent must take the form of an affidavit executed by both parents, or by the guardian;
• If serving in the U.S. Armed Forces – Members of the U.S. Armed Forces should check with their Commanding Officer regarding the necessity of permission to marry.

Make sure to contact the Swedish tax authorities well in advance of your planned wedding to make sure you are in possession of all necessary documents.

If you are living in Sweden and would like to change your name on your U.S. Passport and Social Security card, please follow the instructions found on our passport pages.

Validity of Marriage and Divorce

If a marriage, or divorce, is valid according to Swedish law, the marriage/divorce would also be considered valid in the U.S. No special forms or applications have to be filed. The same applies to U.S. marriages/divorces; if the marriage/divorce is valid according to U.S. law, it would also be considered valid in Sweden. However, if you get married/divorced in the U.S., your marriage/divorce will not be automatically registered in Sweden. You need to contact the Swedish tax authorities (Skatteverket), phone number 0771 567 567 (from overseas +46 8 564 851 60), in order to have your marriage registered in Sweden.

If you wish to register your Swedish marriage in the U.S., you need to request an English version of your Swedish marriage certificate, which is a so-called “Personbevis” from the Swedish tax authorities which lists both spouses’ names, and obtain an Apostille certification from a Swedish notary public “notarius publicus”, and send that to the Office of Vital Statistics of the appropriate state. Contact information to the different Vital Statistics offices.

If you wish to register your Swedish divorce in the U.S., you need have your Divorce Decree from the District Court (Tingsratten) translated by an authorized translator, and obtain an Apostille certification from a Swedish notary public (found in the phone book under “notarius publicus”). Send the translated Divorce Decree to the Office of Vital Statistics of the appropriate U.S. state. Contact information to the different Vital Statistics offices.