265. Where must one go first in Germany if one wishes to get married?

Answer options

1. to the residents' registration office
2. to the public order office (regulatory authority)
3. to the employment agency
4. to the civil registry office (Standesamt)

Explanation

Under § 1310 of the German Civil Code (BGB), a marriage is formed only by declaring the marriage before a registrar; accordingly, the first step is to file a notice of intended marriage at the competent Standesamt, which verifies capacity to marry and possible impediments (§§ 1303–1315 BGB). Article 6 of the Basic Law places marriage and family under special protection, but consistent with church–state separation (Art. 140 GG in conjunction with Art. 137 WRV) only the civil form has legal effect. Compulsory civil marriage was introduced in 1875 in the context of the Kulturkampf, and religious ceremonies have no effect under civil law. The former ban on religious weddings before the civil act (Voraustrauung) was abolished in 2009, without altering the exclusive legal effect of the civil ceremony.