Overview
- The Swedish Parliament approved the law unanimously on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and it will enter into force on July 1, 2026.
- The measure prohibits marriages between first‑degree cousins and other close relatives, and it also bars marriages between adoptive siblings and step‑siblings in Sweden.
- As a rule the law will not recognise close‑kin marriages solemnised abroad, which could leave many foreign marriages without legal status in Sweden.
- The right‑wing government presented the bill in March, saying the change aims to shield young people and women from family pressure and honour‑based coercion; Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said such violence has no place in Swedish society.
- Sweden joins Norway and Austria in restricting close‑kin marriages, a move that may prompt legal challenges, raise non‑discrimination questions, and force authorities to decide how to handle existing foreign unions.