Background & Purpose
There has been a need to strengthen protections against honor-related violence and pressure. By restricting close-relative marriages, the goal is to ensure that individuals are not forced into unions against their will.
The Decision
The parliament has officially banned marriages between cousins and between people who are closely related through adoption or half-sibling status, and will no longer recognize such marriages from abroad.
Does this affect you?
- Couples planning to marry: Individuals who are cousins or close relatives can no longer legally register their marriage in Sweden.
- People with foreign marriage certificates: Those who have married a cousin abroad will find that their marriage is generally not recognized under Swedish law.
In Practice
- It is no longer legal to marry your cousin in Sweden.
- Marriages between people where one is a direct descendant of the other's sibling are prohibited.
- Exceptions for half-siblings or siblings through adoption to marry are removed.
- Foreign cousin marriages will generally not be legally recognized by Swedish authorities.