Standesamt
Encyclopedia
A Standesamt is a German civil registration office, which is responsible for recording births, marriages and deaths.
Soon after the German Empire was created in 1871 from the previous collection of German states (kingdoms, duchies, etc), a universal system of register offices was established, taking effect on January 1, 1876. The system had previously been introduced in Prussia
on October 1, 1874 and had been in use since the beginning of the 19th century in areas where the French Civil Code applied. Usually, the office was located in the local city or town hall.
Today, those register offices (Standesämter) are still part of the administration of every German municipality
(in small communities, they are often incorporated with other offices of the administration). Since 1876, Germans in Germany can only enter into a legal marriage in a Standesamt. Therefore, every German marriage takes place before the local registrar (called Standesbeamter). A religious ceremony can be organised afterwards, but has no legal effect. Apart from that, every child born in Germany has to be registered at a register office (normally by its parents) and every death has to be registered, also. In some Bundesländer
, same sex life partnerships
are also entered into at the register office.
People who are born in Germany can get a copy of their birth certificates in the Standesamt office.
The term "Standesamt" is also used for Austria
n register offices, whereas in Switzerland
the German
word for register office is "Zivilstandsamt".
See also: General Register Office (disambiguation)
, Vital statistics
Soon after the German Empire was created in 1871 from the previous collection of German states (kingdoms, duchies, etc), a universal system of register offices was established, taking effect on January 1, 1876. The system had previously been introduced in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
on October 1, 1874 and had been in use since the beginning of the 19th century in areas where the French Civil Code applied. Usually, the office was located in the local city or town hall.
Today, those register offices (Standesämter) are still part of the administration of every German municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(in small communities, they are often incorporated with other offices of the administration). Since 1876, Germans in Germany can only enter into a legal marriage in a Standesamt. Therefore, every German marriage takes place before the local registrar (called Standesbeamter). A religious ceremony can be organised afterwards, but has no legal effect. Apart from that, every child born in Germany has to be registered at a register office (normally by its parents) and every death has to be registered, also. In some Bundesländer
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
, same sex life partnerships
Civil unions in Germany
Since 1 August 2001, Germany has allowed registered partnerships for same-sex couples. These partnerships initially provided many but not all of the rights of marriage, and currently provide all except joint adoption and full tax benefits...
are also entered into at the register office.
People who are born in Germany can get a copy of their birth certificates in the Standesamt office.
The term "Standesamt" is also used for Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n register offices, whereas in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for register office is "Zivilstandsamt".
Einzelnachweise
See also: General Register Office (disambiguation)
General Register Office (disambiguation)
General Register Office is the name often given to the government office responsible for recording births, marriages and deaths in various countries in the Commonwealth of Nations and elsewhere...
, Vital statistics
Vital statistics
Vital statistics are the information maintained by a government, recording the birth and death of individuals within that government's jurisdiction. These data are used by public health programs to evaluate how effective their programs are...