The Swiss government supports removing “divorced” status from official documents

The Swiss government announced on Thursday that it supports removing the civil status of “divorced” from official documents, following an initiative by liberal parliamentarian Nadine Gobet. The measure would eliminate the requirement for divorced people to mention this status on forms, even many years after their marriage ended.

Nadine Gobet, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), believes that divorce is a legal matter that has already been settled and that retaining this category in administrative documents is no longer necessary. She argued that the constant request to state one’s “divorced” status turns a private event into information perpetuated by the administration.

The parliamentarian proposes that divorced people return to the “single” category on official forms. The initiative has not yet been approved. The Swiss Parliament is due to examine the proposal and, if it accepts it, initiate the necessary legislative changes. Removing the category would change how marital status is reflected in official documents and administrative procedures in Switzerland.