Guidance

Switzerland: notarial and documentary services guide

How someone in Switzerland can get documents legalised, witnessed or certified, take an oath, make an affirmation or affidavit and obtain informative notes.

Overview

You can find general information on notarial and document services abroad, including advice on legalising documents, getting married, and registering a birth or death abroad.

The British embassy in Berne can only provide a very limited range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Switzerland.

Where local notaries public can provide services, the British embassy will not provide them. This will be the case for the vast majority of notarial services requested.

Take a look at our list of English-Speaking Lawyers in Switzerland or search for an English-speaking Notary in Switzerland.

These professional bodies can generally provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.

At the bottom of this page you can also find Informative Notes which you can download and present to the Swiss authorities if they require an explanation of certain UK laws.

Services we provide in Switzerland

The British embassy in Berne can only provide notarial services for British nationals in Switzerland where the requesting authority and the applicant can provide evidence that no other alternative is acceptable.

Where evidence can be provided, we can perform the following services by confirmed appointment only:

  • Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit – for British nationals who need to provide a declaration of civil status to the local authorities (in English, German, French or Italian). This service is not intended for marriage purposes.

  • Witness a signature – we do not handle wills or probate, power of attorneys, or witness deed polls. You must not sign the document before your appointment.

  • Make a certified copy of a document, including British passports, Home Office registration/naturalisation certificates, British driving licenses and some British divorce decrees.

If you need your UK university degree certificate to be legalised (apostille), visit the Legalisation Office website for further information. The British embassy in Berne cannot provide certified copies of educational certificates for legalisation purposes by the Legalisation Office. Visit the Higher Education Degree Datacheck website at www.hedd.ac.uk for further guidance.

For information about documents relating to marriage under local law, please see getting married abroad.

If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, please see other services provided by the British embassy in Switzerland.

What to bring to your appointment

You must have a confirmed appointment before you come to the embassy. Once your appointment is confirmed, you will need to present the following documents on the day:

  • Prepared documents – the consulate will not draft documents for you. You must have the document drawn up and/or checked by a professional. If you are making a declaration of civil status, the consulate will provide a pre-prepared document.

  • Proof of identity and proof of address – we accept British passports as proof of identity. We accept Swiss residence permits, utility bills, rental agreements or tax returns as proof of address.

  • The correct fee – see the full list of consular fees and payment options.

If you fulfil the above requirements, you can request an appointment for a notarial service:

Payment

We accept payment by credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard or Maestro only). Payment by cash is NOT accepted. See the full list of consular fees.

Services provided elsewhere

Legalise a UK document

Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on an official public document is genuine. It does not certify the authenticity of a document or give approval of its content. The Legalisation Office in the UK can legalise UK public documents such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. This is also known as an apostille.

The British embassy in Berne cannot legalise UK public documents. You can find information on how to get your document legalised.

Life certificates

We no longer provide life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad. Please refer to the list of people working in a recognised profession who can do this for you.

Name change

It is not possible to change your name and/or surname by deed poll or declaration in Switzerland. You cannot change your name by deed poll if you’re a permanent resident overseas.

Informative notes

Informative notes are required for a variety of notarial and bureaucratic procedures in Switzerland. You can download the following Informative notes as explanations of English law to show to the Swiss authorities. These notes cannot be personalised.

Change of name in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Civil partnerships in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Common-law spouses in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Dual nationality in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Family certificate and civil status in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Recognition or validity of marriage in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Military service in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Nationality: confirmation of British nationality

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Nationality: Holder of a British Passport

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

UK passport number changes with passport renewal

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Holder of two passports in the UK

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Data protection

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.

Disclaimer

This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy / consulate by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCDO and the British embassy / consulate will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.

For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy/consulate will be accepted.

Published 5 April 2013
Last updated 25 September 2023 + show all updates
  1. Content reviewed and updated.

  2. The services provided by the Embassy have been updated.

  3. Added informative notes that can be printed and presented to Swiss authorities.

  4. Change appointment booking process for British Embassy Berne to online system.

  5. Process for Life Certificates added

  6. First published.