Lübeck, German Empire Civil Registration

Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In DUCHY(DUCHYGERMAN), they were started 1 January 1876. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister. They are an excellent source for information on names and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. These records are kept by the civil registrar (Standesbeamte) at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Study these links to learn what information can be found in them:
 * Births (Geburtsregister)
 * Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
 * Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)

For a comprehensive understanding of civil registration, study the article Germany Civil Registration.

Determining the Location of a Civil Registration Office
Research your town name in MeyersGaz.org to find the location of the registry office (Standesamt). It is indicated by the abbreviation "StdA".

However, some of the offices were merged in 1970's, so the record location might be different than that listed in MeyersGaz.
 * For a small town within a larger municipality:
 * To find the current Standesamt, go to the German Wikipedia, and enter the name of the town in the search box. An article about the town will start with a first line such as: "Besse with about 3200 inhabitants is the largest district of the municipality Edermünde in Hessian Schwalm-Eder-Kreis ." It is probable that the Standesamt is now located in the municipality (in this example Edermünde).
 * To e-mail the municipality to verify that the civil registry for your town is there.
 * From the Wikipedia town article, click on the name of the municipality that links to that article.
 * There will usually be an infobox on the right side of page that lists the address and the website of the municipality.
 * Click on the website. Look for "Kontakt (Contact)" information, which should provide an e-mail address.
 * Send a message asking whether you have the correct office for your ancestors' home town. You can also use e-mail to request records and arrange payment.


 * For larger towns which constitute a municipality:
 * To find the current Standesamt, go to the German Wikipedia, and enter the name of the town in the search box.
 * This type of article will not state that the town belongs to another municipality, because it is itself a municipality.
 * The infobox that lists the address and the website of the municipality will appear directly on a this first page that comes up.
 * Follow the above instructions #2-4 above.

Privacy Laws
Since 2009, birth records have been public after 110 years, marriages after 80 years and deaths after 30 years. A direct relationship (direct descendants and direct ancestors) to the subject of the record sought will 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.

1. Online Records

 * Lübeck Birth Records - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1871. Index and images.
 * Lübeck Deaths - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns - Ancestry.com, ($). 1871-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Personal Index Cards - Ancestry.com, 1300-1850. Index.

Family History Library Microfilms

 * Lübeck Zivilstandsregister, 1726-1855, Lübeck Standesamt - at FamilySearch.
 * Lübeck Zivilstandesregister, 1811-1875, Lübeck Standesamt - at FamilySearch, partial index.

Documents by Mail
Documents can be ordered by telephone at the Civil Registration Office in Lübeck.
 * Information for the following years is accessible:
 * Births 110 years back
 * Marriages 80 years back
 * Deaths 30 years back.
 * If a request is not showing a direct relationship, permission needs to be obtained to show a legal right to this information.

Standesamt Lübeck Ratzeburger Allee 16 23564 Lübeck Germany

Website:http://fb03.luebeck.de/standesamt/