Parents have the right and duty to care for their child’s welfare. This includes, for example, caring for and bringing up the child, its education and legally representing the child until the age of 18, i.e. the age of majority. Parents also have the right to determine where their child lives and to manage the child’s assets.

For married parents, the father and mother generally have joint parental custody of children who are minors. Parents who are not married can also jointly exercise custody. When the child is acknowledged at the appropriate Registry Office they can make a declaration about parental custody at the same time, or do so later to the Swiss Child and Adult Protection Authority (Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzbehörde - KESB).