The Bonn Government has approved, upon the request of the West Berlin Senate, the extension to West Berlin of the law on the recognition of marriages that were not solemnized during the Hitler era because of Nazi racial policies.
Under the terms of the law, applications for the retroactive legitimation of such marital unions may be filed until Dec. 31, 1957. Even where one of the partners has died, the marriages can be legitimized retroactively, provided only that the will to contract the marriage was clearly discernible. This is of importance in cases where the surviving partner becomes eligible for a pension when recognized as a widow.
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