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=== Rights-to Privacy Laws === | === Rights-to Privacy Laws === | ||
Until recently, stringent rights-to-privacy requirements in Germany limited access to all civil registration records created in 1876 or later to the subject of the document and their parents, siblings, and direct-line descendants. | Until recently, stringent rights-to-privacy requirements in Germany limited access to all civil registration records created in 1876 or later to the subject of the document and their parents, siblings, and direct-line descendants. Strict | ||
Civil registrars often use international extract forms to fill requests from foreign countries. Not all the information present in the original record may be copied onto the extract. As a rule, marginal notes are left out, but other details from the record, such as parents’ names and residences in marriage records, may be omitted. | A law passed in February 2007, the [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personenstandsrechtsreformgesetz Personenstandsrechtsreformgesetz], makes civil registration records more accessible for family history research. Since 1 January 2009 the records are accessible to any researcher after these time periods have passed: | ||
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*births: 110 years | |||
*marriages: 80 years | |||
*deaths: 30 years | |||
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A direct relationship to the subject of the record sought will only be required in cases where the required time period has not yet elapsed. Even then, the records may be accessible if it can be shown that all "participating parties" have died at least 30 years ago. Participating parties are both parents and the child in birth records, and both spouses in a marriage. Special regulations apply to records of adoptees and other special-needs groups. | |||
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If the records were created more recently than these time periods, and the death of the participants cannot be proven, the former restrictions still apply. Paragraph 61 of the [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personenstandsgesetz_(Deutschland) Personenstandsgesetz] clearly defines who has a legal right to civil registration information under these cirumstances. When requesting a record from the Standesamt (civil registration office), the relationship to the person named in the record should be clearly stated. In 2008, the fee for a copy of a civil birth-, marriage-, or death record was seven Euros plus postage. | |||
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Civil registrars often use international extract forms to fill requests from foreign countries. Not all the information present in the original record may be copied onto the extract. As a rule, marginal notes are left out, but other details from the record, such as parents’ names and residences in marriage records, may be omitted.<br> | |||
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Prior to the passing of the 2007 law, it was difficult or impossible to obtain any post-1875 civil registration records of birth-, marriage-, or death records for non-direct-line relatives (such as a great-aunt or -uncle), even if they were already deceased. Now it is not only possible to obtain records that meet these time requirements, but these records are even starting to become available online. | |||
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=== Recent Changes in Rights-to-Privacy Laws === | === Recent Changes in Rights-to-Privacy Laws === | ||