Can you marry a family member?

Verified 26 June 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

You are prohibited from marrying a close family member, whether it is a family relationship (biological or adoptive) or a covenant (created by marriage).

You can not marry one of the following:

  • Your father, your mother, your child, your grandfather, your grandmother, your grandson or your granddaughter
  • Your brother or sister
  • Your half-brother or half-sister
  • Your uncle, aunt, niece or nephew.

The situation varies depending on whether it is a plenary adoption or a simple adoption :

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Plenary adoption

The prohibitions are the same as in the case of biological kinship.

You can not marry one of the following:

  • Your father, your mother, your child, your grandfather, your grandmother, your grandson or your granddaughter
  • Your brother or sister
  • Your half-brother or half-sister
  • Your uncle, aunt, niece or nephew.

Please note

The same prohibitions apply to your family of origin.

Simple adoption

You can not marry one of the following:

  • Your adoptive parent, your adopted child
  • Another adopted child of your adopting parent
  • Another child of your adoptive parent, a descendant of your adopted child
  • The former spouse (or Civil partnership partner) of your adopted child, the former spouse (or Civil partnership partner) of your adopting parent.

As a simple adopted child, some marriages are also forbidden to you in your original family, to which you continue to belong.

You can not marry one of the following:

  • Your father, your mother, your child, your grandfather, your grandmother, your grandson or your granddaughter
  • Your brother or sister
  • Your half-brother or half-sister
  • Your uncle, aunt, niece or nephew.

Prohibitions depend on the situation:

Marriage

The covenant is the bond that results from a marriage.

By getting married, you become an ally of all those who are related to your spouse.

You can not marry the following people:

  • Your stepfather (father of your wife/husband), your stepmother (mother of your wife/husband)
  • Your son-in-law, your daughter-in-law (your husband).

Moreover, in a blended family, you can not marry the following people:

  • Your father-in-law (ex-husband of your mother), your mother-in-law (ex-wife of your father)
  • Your stepson (son of your ex-wife or ex-husband), your stepdaughter (daughter of your ex-wife or ex-husband).

These prohibitions persist in the event of divorce or widowhood.

Please note

If the person who created the alliance has died, a derogation may, in certain cases, be granted by the President of the Republic. In practice, it is exceptional.

Civil partnerships

General scenario

The Civil partnerships: titleContent does not create of covenant preventing a marriage.

Simple adoption

You cannot marry your adoptive parent's Civil partnership partner, or your adopted child's Civil partnership partner.

Cohabitation

Cohabitation does not create of covenant preventing a marriage.

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