Hello everyone. It's my first-ever post here, although I've been reading the forum for useful tips for a few years. I've searched for previous posts along these lines, and while there are a few, none really has a definitive answer.

I'm leaving Switzerland after 5 years living in Leysin, canton Vaud. I'm Canadian, and I'm returning to Canada. In order to close my deuxieme and troisieme piliers and get back the many thousands of francs I've put in over the years, my provider, the Fondation BCV, wants a piece of paper that I can't really provide: a Certificat de Status Civil, an official piece of paper showing that I am single. I've talked to government civil servants in Canada, and they say that there is no such document in Canada. The best I can do is to provide the results of a search of the marriage registry in one province (Ontario) (one of ten provinces!) for a given 5-year period that shows that I didn't get married in Ontario in that 5-year period, which is not the same thing as showing I'm single.

I contacted a notary public in Aigle, the nearest town, asking what I could do and she said that I could either just point to the line on my attestation de depart or I could write up a statement myself and sign it in her presence, but she said that would have pretty dubious legal standing. I am about to phone the Canadian embassy to see if they have any suggestions, but it's all a bit Kafkaesque.

Any and all advice, particularly from Canadians, would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance

I had to get one of these, which also don't exist in the UK. The British Embassy were able to provide me with one (for a fee) - I just had to go there and promise them that I wasn't married, and then they printed me out the official form...

So to summarise - get on with that call to the Candian Embassy and see what they can do for you.

What is Recognised as Proof of Marital Status (I’m single)

Your leaving certificate will show your Status, Pictet in Geneva accepted this but required one for the 6 months after I had left CH, that was easily obtainable to my huge surprise from the register of births & marriages in the country of my new residence. The Local British Consulate were unable to help.