Swiss government backs ending divorced civil status

Switzerland’s Federal Council supports abolishing the civil status of divorced, SRF reported on Thursday. The proposal, submitted by the FDP parliamentary group, would require changes to the law. Parliament will decide on the motion next.

The motion was introduced by Nadine Gobet of the FDP and has the support of 12 National Council members from all parliamentary groups. Gobet argues that the civil status remains in place for years after a divorce, even when the person concerned no longer has any rights or obligations resulting from it.

She said civil status should primarily reflect a person’s current legal situation, rather than their life history. Divorce is a completed legal event, she argued, and requiring people to identify themselves permanently as divorced effectively preserves a private event in administrative records.

The divorce would remain recorded in official registers, meaning authorities would not lose any information if the civil status were abolished. The Federal Council said it was prepared to implement the motion but did not provide a reason for its position.