Swiss debate double-barrelled names for spouses and registered partners
The House of Representatives had agreed on the bill drafted by its legal affairs committee in the 2024 spring session, but subsequently referred it back to the committee.
Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
A bill that would once again permit married couples and registered partners in Switzerland to have a double-barrelled surname has moved one step closer.
Switzerland’s House of Representatives has approved a reform to the country’s naming laws. Children would be exempt from this, however, and would still only be allowed to have a single surname.
The House of Representatives had agreed on the bill drafted by its legal affairs committee in the 2024 spring session, but subsequently referred it back to the committee. The committee was tasked with revising the draft so that double-barrelled names would only be introduced for spouses and not for children.
The bill that has now been adopted by the House of Representatives is based on the concept that every engaged couple can individually choose the name they wish to have after marriage, whether or not they want a double-barrelled surname.
If they choose to have a double-barrelled surname, they would have to declare the order in which the names should appear and whether they should be joined with a hyphen.
The bill will now go to the Senate.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp
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