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The Registered Partnership Act ceases to apply at the At civil marriage ceremonies, the wedding officiant
end of April 2009. This means that it is not possible usually says the following words to the couple:
to register a new partnership. A partnership that You have declared that you wish to enter into marriage
is already registered will, however, continue to be a with each other. Do you N.N. take this woman/man N.N.
partnership until the partnership is terminated or to be your wife/husband?
converted into a marriage (see below on the possibili- (Answer: I do.)
ty of a registered partnership applying as a marriage). Do you N.N. take this woman/man N.N. to be your wife/
husband?
(Answer: I do.)
I now declare you lawfully married.
If the couple particularly requests it, the wedding of- within a year of entry into force are also authorised
ficiant may say the following words to them instead: to officiate at weddings until the end of April 2010
You wish to enter into marriage with each other. Marria- without special appointment.
ge is based on love and trust. By entering into marriage, A marriage ceremony is conducted according to
you promise to respect and support each other. the marriage procedure applying in the religious
As spouses, you are two independent individuals who community.
can gain strength from your union. A religious community or authorised wedding
Since you have declared that you wish to enter into mar- officiant within a religious community are not under
riage with each other, I ask you: Do you N.N. take this any obligation to officiate at a marriage ceremony.
woman/man N.N. to be your wife/husband, and to love This may mean that a marriage ceremony that a
her/him for better and for worse? couple would like to have in a specific religious
(Answer: I do.) community cannot be held there, even if the couple
Do you N.N. take this woman/man N.N. to be your fulfil the requirements of the Marriage Code. This
wife/husband, and to love her/him for better and for may involve situations in which the religious beliefs
worse? of the religious community or the wedding officiant
(Answer: I do.) prevent a marriage because the parties do not prac-
(The couple can exchange rings.) tice the same religion or because one of the parties is
I now declare you lawfully married. divorced.
When you now go out into your lives and return to your
daily routines, remember your will for this union, your
love for each other and the respect for each other that you Further information
have felt at this moment and that has brought you here. Further information on the background to the new
(Text written by Per Anders Fogelström.) regulations can be found in the Government Bill Äk-
I wish you happiness and prosperity in your marriage. tenskapsfrågor (Marriage issues) 2008/09:80 at www.
regeringen.se and in the Parliamentary Committee
Marriage ceremonies in religious communities on Civil Affairs Report 2008/09:CU19 at www.riks-
Marriage ceremonies may only be conducted in dagen.se (In Swedish only).
religious communities that are authorised to conduct Read more about marriage and marriage ceremo-
these ceremonies and by clergy or other officials in nies on the Government website: www.regeringen.
the religious community who have been appointed se/aktenskap (In Swedish only).
by the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Read more about civil marriage officiants on the
Agency to be a wedding officiant. From 1 May 2009, County Administrative Boards’ website: www.lans-
the requirement for authorisation to officiate at styrelsen.se (In Swedish only).
marriage ceremonies also applies to the Church of Read more about examinations of impediments to
Sweden. As for other religious communities, every marriage, applications for conversion of partnership
Church of Sweden wedding officiant must be speci- and marriage ceremonies abroad on the Swedish Tax
ally appointed by the Legal, Financial and Adminis- Agency’s website: www.skatteverket.se. (In Swedish
trative Services Agency. A member of the Church of only) .
Sweden’s clergy who was legally authorised to con- For information about the possibility of getting
duct marriage ceremonies at the end of April 2009 married in a religious community, see, for example,
will retain this authorisation until the end of April www.svenskakyrkan.se (In Swedish only).
2010. Members of the clergy who have been ordained
Additional copies of the fact sheet can be ordered from the Swedish
Ministry of Justice, tel. +46 8-405 10 00, fax +46 8-20 27 34 or
Ministry of Justice info.order@justice.ministry.se.
Sweden The Government's website: www.sweden.gov.se
SE-103 33 Stockholm, Sweden Fact sheet produced by the Ministry of Justice. Printed by Grafisk Service, Stockholm, Sweden,
Phone switchboard +46 8 405 10 00 May 2009. Article no. Ju 09.01e.