Getting Married in Sweden

If you'd like to get married on your next Sweden vacation or are planning to elope in Sweden on short notice, keep the following Swedish marriage requirements and regulations in mind:

What eloping couples will need:

• Passports and certified Birth Certificates.
• Document showing requirements for marriage in the couple's home state.
• Proof of being free to marry: This is in the form of an affidavit that may be signed before a Swedish notary public, or before an American consular officer at the Embassy in Stockholm.
• If applicable, previously married partners will need to show a divorce decree for any previous marriages.

For detailed information, contact the Swedish Tax Administration (Skatteverket) at phone number +46 200 270 73498. Also, a marriage officiant should be contacted as soon as possible to organize a time and date. After the marriage has been performed, contact the Swedish Tax Authority. Bring the document from the ceremony (Vigselbevis) in order to obtain the official registration of your marriage.

FUN FACT: In traditional Swedish weddings, the bride's mother gives the bride a gold coin to go in her right shoe, and the bride's father puts a silver coin in her left shoe.

For gay/lesbian couples wanting to get married in Sweden: "Registered Partnership":

Sweden passed a "Registered Partnership Act" in 1994. It is similar to the same-sex partnerships in Denmark and Norway with the exception that it contains a provision giving reciprocity to similar partnerships entered into in other nations. Sweden has a separate Partnership Act for unmarried heterosexual couples. Requirements for same-sex partnerships are similar to Sweden's marriage requirements; for details, contact the Swedish Tax Administration at +46 200 270 73498.

If you're interested in eloping in a different Scandinavian country, take a look at these articles as well:

• Getting Married in Iceland
• Getting Married in Norway
• Getting Married in Denmark