The notice of marriage - public announcement of an intended marriage
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In matrimonial law, the banns refer to the public announcement of an intended marriage. The term originally comes from canon law, but since the introduction of civil marriage there has also been a civil banns.
This practice was used to publicise an impending marriage and uncover possible obstacles to marriage such as existing marriages.
The banns were first prescribed in 1215 by the Fourth Lateran Council. In the German Empire, civil marriage was regulated by the Marriage Act of 1875. This law stipulated that the announcement of a planned marriage had to be publicised.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Marriage Act was repealed on 1 July 1998. In the course of this change in the law and in the interests of data protection and administrative simplification, the public announcement was also abolished.
