Bistum Erfurt, the Diocese of Erfurt in Thüringia, Germany has German parish records for all parishes in this Catholic diocese.

“The diocesan archive includes:

• The archives of the bishops’ general vicariate of Erfurt (for the Thuringian part of the diocese of Fulda) and of the Episcopal Office of Erfurt-Meiningen as predecessor institutions of the bishopric of Erfurt, the bishop’s vicariate of Meiningen and the episcopal ordinaries of the new bishopric Paderborn and Fulda.

• The former archives with records and documents of the former St Marien (1030-1837), the Archbishop (Mainzer) or Bischöflichen (Paderborner and Fuldaer) clerical court, as well as the church of St Marien.

  This is connected with the historical Dombibliothek; It contains numerous manuscripts and early prints.

• The regional archive of the East Ordinary Office, with the written and documentary material of the Berlin Ordinary Conference (BOK), the Berlin Bishops’ Conference (BBK), the Bishops of the East Region and associated institutions and committees (1954-1996).

• Parish archives, among them, for example, church records, which are largely available on microfilm.

• Estates of church personalities.

• “Collections, such as maps and plans, seal stamps, photos.”

They have a list of state and city archives where various registrations may have been kept, with links to each archive.

German privacy rules:

• Christening books: 120 years after birth/baptism

• Marriage books: 100 years after marriage

• Death books: 40 years after death (You can’t be presented with the whole death book until 100 years after the date of the last entry but you can request individual death information from a book.)