AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES
MARRIAGE INFORMATION AND RELEVANT ISSUES
Disclaimer: This information is supplied to American citizens planning to get married in Sweden. It is accurate according to Swedish law, but may be subject to change. The Embassy can therefore not assume legal responsibility for the information herein. U.S. citizens seeking detailed advice on marriage in Sweden should contact the Swedish Tax Authorities (Skatteverket), which may be reached at phone number 0771-778 778 (from within Sweden), or at phone number +46 200 270 73498 (from overseas).
Getting Married in Sweden
According to Swedish law, all non-residents/non-citizens of Sweden who wishes to get married in Sweden should present a document from their home country stating their marital status. Since in there is no national registry in the U.S., no equivalent national document can be obtained from the U.S. However, certain states/counties may issue a document regarding a person’s marital status, or a so-called “Record of No Record”. Check with your local County Clerk’s office, or Vital Statistics office, to find out if such a document is available. If not, ask the office, if possible, to put in writing that no such document exists in the particular state. You may easily find the websites of these offices by using a search engine, such as Google.
The Swedish tax authorities are aware of the difficulties in obtaining a document relating to marital status from the U.S. If no such document is available from your home state, and the county clerk’s office or Vital Statistics office, would not give you a written statement regarding the unavailability, the Swedish tax authorities (Skatteverket) may waive this requirement. Make sure to check with the tax authorities.
In addition, the following regulations should be considered if applicable:
• If previously married – Evidence of termination of previous marriages is required in the form of a certified copy of the final divorce decree or a certified copy of the record of death of the deceased spouse. The officiant may require that the divorce decree be authenticated by the issuing agency. (For more information regarding authentications, please see Notary Public Services in the column to the left of this page.) Swedish law may also require that the divorce be confirmed by a Swedish Court of Appeal (Hovrätten);
• If a minor - Parents’ or Guardians’ consent is required of an American citizen who is a minor (under age 18). Consent must take the form of an affidavit executed by both parents, or by the guardian;
• If serving in the US armed forces - Members of the U.S. Armed Forces should check with their Commanding Officer regarding the necessity of permission to marry.
Make sure to contact the Swedish tax authorities well in advance of your planned wedding to make sure you are in possession of all necessary documents.
Please follow the links below for the information you are interested in:
• U.S. citizen marrying a Swedish citizen/resident
• U.S. citizen marrying a non-resident/non-citizen of Sweden
• Getting married in the U.S.
• Validity of Marriage and Divorce
• Filing for Divorce
• Miscellaneous Marriage Information
