Request for a Marriage Certificate
How do I request copies of marriage
certificates?
Wisconsin law requires that applications for copies of marriage 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
marriage certificates.
You can apply for a copy of a marriage 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 marriage 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
marriage certificate
application form (PDF, 145 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 marriage 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 marriage certificates,
requests for uncertified copies are not
completed on the same schedule as certified copies. In-person
requests for uncertified copies of marriage 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 marriage 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
marriage certificates can be expedited for for an additional fee.
Expedited in-person requests for copies of marriage certificates will
be completed within 15 to 30 minutes. Expedited in-person requests for
uncertified copies of marriage 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 marriage 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 marriage 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.
By Mail:
Applications for
copies of marriage certificates should be mailed to:
Wisconsin Vital Records Office
Please use the marriage certificate
application form (PDF, 145 KB) or request an application by sending a self-addressed
stamped envelope to:
Marriage Record Application
Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned unprocessed.
If you are requesting a certificate for a marriage that occurred prior
to 1907, please check our list of earliest
registered marriages to see if we may have the record.
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 marriage 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
marriage certificates will be completed within one month.
Because of the high demand for copies of marriage certificates, requests
for uncertified copies of marriage
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 marriage certificate, you must apply in
person or by fax.
By Fax:
If you require
expedited service for a copy of a marriage 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 marriage certificate application (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 marriage 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 next
business day delivery. The fee for UPS shipping is $17.50 within the
continental U.S.
What if I don't have all the information requested in the
application?
The Wisconsin Vital Records Office can search for marriage certificates even if you cannot
provide all the information requested in the application. For us to search our
files for a marriage certificate when some information is not available, you must provide the name of the husband and a period of
time to search. If you are requesting a certificate for a marriage that occurred prior to
1907, you must provide the county where the marriage occurred.
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 either one of the following multi-year indexes as one
search:
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 marriage certificate from 1907 through 1916 (10 years
of single-year indexes) would be $40.00. |
If you are requesting a marriage certificate for a person with a common
last 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 marriage certificate?
A certified copy of a marriage 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 obtain
benefits.
State law restricts who may obtain a certified copy of a marriage 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
marriage certificate.
An uncertified copy of a marriage 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 claiming insurance benefits.
What information will be on the marriage certificate?
An uncertified copy of a marriage certificate will be
a photocopy on plain, white paper of the original document that was filed in our office. A
certified copy of a marriage certificate will be a
photocopy on security paper of the original document that was filed in our office.
The information provided on a marriage certificate varies from year to year. Typically, a
marriage certificate from 1907 will include the name and birthplace of the husband and
wife, and the date and place of marriage. Marriage certificates from later years may
include additional information such as the occupations and addresses of the husband and
wife.
How do I obtain an authentication or apostille for a marriage certificate?
An apostille is a specific authenticating certificate that
may be required by
certain countries. 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 request a marriage certificate if the marriage occurred
in another state or country?
The Wisconsin Vital Records Office has certificates only for marriages 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 marriage documentation for a
marriage 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 marriage 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 marriage.
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 marriage document, you can find information at the
following U.S. Department of State Web site:
http://travel.state.gov/law/family_issues/marriage/marriage_589.html
(exit DHS).
How do I request proof that I have not been married?
The Wisconsin Vital Records
Office provides a Letter of Non-Marriage solely as a requirement for
marriage in another country. If you require proof that no Certificate of
Marriage has been filed with the Wisconsin Vital Records Office, a
search for a Certificate of Marriage must be conducted for those years that
you were a resident of Wisconsin (1) from the time you turned 16 years of
age until the present OR (2) from the time your last marriage ended in
annulment, divorce, or death.
If no Certificate of Marriage is
found, you will receive a notarized Letter of Non-Marriage as proof that no
Certificate of Marriage is on file in the Wisconsin Vital Records
Office. To request a Letter of Non-Marriage, please complete the
Letter
of Non-Marriage Application (PDF, 30 KB) and submit it along with the appropriate fees to our office. If you
are having difficulties accessing this form, please call our office at (608)
266-1373 to have the form sent to you.
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 22, 2008
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