Request for a Divorce or Annulment
Certificate
How do I request copies of divorce or annulment
certificates?
Wisconsin law requires that applications for copies of divorce or annulment
certificates include both a signature and the appropriate fees. Therefore,
the Wisconsin Vital Records Office cannot accept applications through this Web
site, by e-mail, or by telephone. This applies to both information
from and copies of divorce certificates.
You can apply for a copy of a divorce or annulment certificate
three ways: in person, by mail, or
by fax. If you still have questions after reading the
information below, please contact us.
In Person:
You can apply in person for a copy of a divorce or annulment
certificate at 1 West Wilson Street, Room 158, in Madison,
Wisconsin (driving
directions/parking). The office is open from 8:00 A.M. until 4:15 P.M. (C.S.T.),
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
Applications are available in our office or you may fill out the
divorce certificate
application form (PDF, 146 KB) and
bring it with you.
Identification is required to pick up copies of vital records in
person. The acceptable forms of identification are listed below.
Requires ONE of the following:
Wisconsin driver's license, with photo
Wisconsin I.D. with photo
Out-of-state driver's license/I.D. with photo
OR
Requires TWO of the following:
Government-issued employee I.D. badge with photo
U.S. passport
Checkbook/bankbook
Major credit card
Health insurance card
Recent dated, signed lease
Utility bill or traffic ticket
All forms of identification must show your current name and
address. Expired cards or documents will not be accepted.
You do not have to present identification if the certificate copies are
mailed to you. There is no additional charge for postage.
Our office provides both regular
service and expedited service for
in-person requests.
Regular Service:
In-person requests for certified copies
of divorce certificates are completed within two hours of acceptance at
our counter if received by 2:00 p.m. Requests received at our
counter after 2:00 p.m. will be completed by 10:00 a.m. on the next
business day.
Because of the high demand for copies of divorce certificates, requests
for uncertified copies are not completed
on the same schedule as certified copies. In-person requests for
uncertified copies of divorce certificates may take up to three months to
complete.
The cost for the search, which includes one copy of the certificate, if
found, is $20.00. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the
same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether
you request a certified or uncertified copy of the divorce certificate.
The fees are not refundable if no record is found. Acceptable methods
of payment for in-person requests are cash, personal check, or money
order. Credit and debit cards are not accepted for in-person
requests.
Expedited Service: In-person requests for both
certified and uncertified copies of
divorce certificates can be expedited for an additional fee.
Expedited in-person requests for
certified copies of divorce certificates generally will be
completed 15 to 30 minutes. Expedited in-person requests for uncertified copies of divorce
certificates will be completed within two hours. Expedited requests will not be processed after
4:00 p.m.
The cost for expedited service is
$20.00 per record in addition to the $20.00 divorce certificate search
fee. Additional copies of the
same certificate, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each.
The cost is the same whether you request a certified or an uncertified
copy of the divorce certificate.
The fees are not refundable if no record is found. Acceptable
methods of payment for in-person requests are cash, personal check, or
money order. Credit and debit cards are not accept for in-person requests.
By Mail:
Applications for
copies of divorce certificates should be mailed to:
Wisconsin Vital Records Office
Please use the divorce
certificate application form (PDF, 146 KB) or request an application by sending a self-addressed
stamped envelope to:
Divorce Record Application
Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned unprocessed.
Our office does not have certificates of divorces or annulments that
occurred prior to October 1907.
The cost for the search, which includes one copy of the record, if
found, is $20.00. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the
same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether
you request a certified or uncertified copy of the divorce certificate.
The fee is not refundable if no record is found. You must enclose
a personal check or money order made payable to Wis. Vital Records. Please do
not send cash.
Please include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope with
your request.
Requests for certified copies of
divorce certificates will be completed within one month. Because
of the high demand for copies of divorce certificates, requests for
uncertified
copies of divorce certificates are not completed on the same schedule as
certified copies and may take up to three months to complete.
Expedited service is not available by mail. If you require
expedited service for a copy of a divorce certificate, you must apply in
person or by fax.
By Fax:
If you require
expedited service for a copy of a divorce certificate and cannot apply
in person, you may submit a fax application. The certificate can be sent
to you by regular mail or overnight United Parcel Service (UPS) Next
Day Air.
Please use the
fax divorce certificate application form
(PDF, 36 KB)or call (608) 266-1373 to have the form faxed to you.
Once the application is filled out, please fax it to the number listed on
the top of the form.
All requests received by fax will be charged for expedited service.
The cost for expedited service is $20.00 per record in addition to the usual
$20.00 divorce certificate search fee. The search fee includes
one copy of the certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same
certificate, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each.
All costs must be paid by credit card and there is an additional $6.00 fee
for credit card processing.
The fees are not refundable if no record is found.
Faxed requests for both certified and uncertified copies to be
sent by regular mail will be completed and mailed within five business days.
Faxed requests for copies to be sent by overnight UPS will be
completed and shipped within one to two business days.
UPS requests are processed until 1:00 p.m. each business day for the next
business day delivery. The fee for UPS shipping is $17.50 with the
continental U.S. There may be additional shipping costs for areas
outside the continental United States or for Saturday delivery. UPS
requires a signature for delivery.
What if I don't have all the information requested in the
application?
The Wisconsin Vital Records Office can search for divorce or annulment certificates even if you
cannot provide all the information requested in the application. For us to search
our files for a divorce or annulment certificate when some information is
not available, you must provide the name of the husband
and a period of time to search.
Because of the different ways in which Wisconsin vital
records have been indexed over time, how they are searched differs
depending on the year(s) being searched. Please read the following
carefully to see what constitutes a search and how much it will cost.
| Can search any five-year period in the
following single-year indexes as one search:
Can search any one of the following multi-year indexes as one
search:
- October 1, 1907 through 1935
- 1965 through 1978
- 1979 through 1986
- 1987 to the present
For the $20.00 fee, we will search a five-year period in the
single-year indexes OR one multi-year index. You may request
that an additional five-year period of single-year indexes is
searched OR an additional multi-year index is searched for
$20.00 each. For example, the cost for our office to search for a divorce certificate from
1940 through 1949 (10 years of single-year indexes)
would be $40.00.
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If you are requesting a divorce or annulment certificate for a person
with a common name such as Anderson, Johnson, or Smith, you must include additional
identifying information such as the name of the wife of the county of occurrence.
Please include as much additional information as possible to assist in the search.
What is the difference between a certified and an
uncertified copy of a divorce or annulment certificate?
A certified copy of a divorce or annulment certificate issued by our office will
have a raised seal, will show the signature of the State Registrar, and will be printed on
security paper. A certified copy may be required to change your last name or remarry.
State law restricts who may obtain a certified copy of a divorce or annulment
certificate. A certified copy may be issued to:
- The persons named on the record,
- The spouse of the persons named on the record,
- A parent of the persons named on the record,
- A sibling of the persons named on the record,
- A child of the persons named on the record,
- A grandparent of the persons named on the record,
- A person authorized in writing by one of the above. The written authorization must
accompany the request and the relationship of the authorizing party to the subject of the
record must be clearly explained,
- A person who can demonstrate that the record is required to protect a personal or
property right.
If you do not meet one of the above criteria, you cannot receive a certified copy of a
divorce certificate.
An uncertified copy of a divorce or annulment certificate is available to anyone
who applies. An uncertified copy will contain the same information as a certified copy but
will not be acceptable for legal purposes such as remarriage.
What information will be on the divorce or annulment
certificate?
An uncertified copy of a divorce or annulment
certificate will be a photocopy on plain, white paper of the original document that was
filed in our office. A certified copy of a divorce or
annulment certificate will be a photocopy on security paper of the original document that
was filed in our office. The information provided on a divorce certificate varies
from year to year. Typically, a divorce certificate from 1907 will include the names of
the husband and wife and the date and county of divorce. Divorce or annulment certificates
from later years may include additional information such as the number of children and
place of marriage.
How do I obtain an authentication or apostille for a divorce or annulment
certificate?
An apostille is a specific authenticating certificate that
may be required by
certain countries or states. In Wisconsin, an apostille is issued by the Office
of the Wisconsin Secretary of State. Information on how to obtain an apostille is available on the
web at
http://www.sos.state.wi.us/apostilles.htm (exit DHS) or
by calling (608) 266-5503.
If you are ordering a certified certificate from our office
and also need an apostille, our office can mail your certified certificate
directly to the Office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State. Clearly indicate
on your application that your certificate should be sent to the Office of
the Wisconsin Secretary of State and contact their office to arrange for the
payment of their fees and return shipping.
Fees for the State of Wisconsin Vital Records Office must be
paid separately from the fees required by the Office of the Wisconsin
Secretary of State.
How do I obtain a certificate if the
divorce or annulment occurred in another state or country?
The Wisconsin Vital Records Office has certificates only for
divorces and annulments that occurred in Wisconsin. You can find information
on obtaining certificates from other states or U.S. territories on the
Internet at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm (exit DHS).
For information on obtaining documentation for a divorce or
annulment that occurred outside of the United States or U.S. territories,
you can find information on the sites listed below:
1. If you want a copy of the divorce or annulment certificate on file in
that country, you may contact the U.S. Embassy in that country or that
country's consulate located in the United States.
Reminder: This document will most likely be completed in the
official language of the country of divorce or annulment.
Addresses and telephone numbers for consular offices in the U.S. can be
found on the Internet at
http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco (exit DHS).
2. If you want a consular office to authenticate a certified copy of your
foreign divorce or annulment document, you can find information at the
following U.S. Department of State Web site:
http://travel.state.gov/law/info/marriage/marriage_641.html
(exit DHS).
How can I contact the Wisconsin Vital Records Office directly?
If you have a question that is not answered on this Web site, please contact us
directly in one of the following ways :
- E-mail: Our e-mail address is
DHS VitalRecords@wisconsin.gov.
- Telephone: For automated assistance 24 hours a day, please call (608) 266-1371.
To contact our service counter during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:15 P.M.
(C.S.T.),
Monday through Friday, please call (608) 266-1373.
- Mail: Our mailing address is Wisconsin Vital
Records Office, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI
53701-0309.
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Last Revised: July 18, 2008
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