Bern Restores the Double Surname, at its Own Deliberate Pace

Thirteen years after the Swiss state decided that married couples must choose between absolute identity merging or complete legal separation of names, Bern has allowed commonsense to prevail. Starting January 1, 2027, spouses will once again be permitted to carry an official double surname, optionally joined with or without a hyphen. The Federal Council recently enacted the long-awaited revision to the Civil Code, formally reversing a restrictive rule that had outlawed administrative double names since 2013.

Under the existing framework, those tying the knot faced a stark administrative binary. Couples could either retain their respective pre-marital names or adopt a single family surname. Anyone wishing to display marital unity without entirely sacrificing their original identity had to resort to the so-called alliance name—an unofficial, hyphenated compromise allowed on identity cards but lacking formal legal standing in the civil status register. The desire to maintain individual history while signaling family bonds was acknowledged in principle, yet systematically thwarted by official doctrine.

The upcoming revision changes the landscape for adults, but the legal architects in Bern drew a hard line when it comes to the next generation. While spouses receive the liberty to construct double names in whichever typographical format they prefer, children remain firmly excluded from carrying double surnames. The modern Swiss family may embrace flexible naming conventions for the parents, but extending multi-part surnames to offspring was deemed an unacceptable burden for the state registry.

For those already married, switching names requires a formal declaration at the local civil status office from 2027 onward. Yet, true to the country's bureaucratic rhythm, the transition will not happen overnight. Bern has built in an extended grace period for identity documents, allowing non-official alliance names to remain on passports and identity cards for an unspecified duration. The Federal Council acknowledged that this temporary allowance is necessary to give authorities enough time to complete the required technical adaptations in state databases.

While the underlying Civil Code amendments are now official, executive adjustments to the Civil Status Ordinance are still being finalized, with approval anticipated in November. Amendments to the Identity Documents Act will follow once consultations with regional authorities wrap up. It is a quintessentially Swiss administrative exercise: granting a basic personal freedom, carefully packaged in procedural phases and software update delays.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com