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| Image by Tom Ventura from Denver, CO, USA (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
For birth or death certificates issued in Wisconsin contact the WI Vital Records Office or the county's Register of Deeds office. See our Vital Records topic for links to more information on obtaining these records.
Where can I get copies of a marriage, divorce, or domestic partnership declaration or termination certificate?
For marriages, divorces, or domestic partnerships in Wisconsin, contact the WI Vital Records Office or the county's Register of Deeds office. See our Vital Records topic for links to more information on obtaining these records.
Can I file a copy of my foreign marriage or divorce in Wisconsin?
No. Marriage or divorce certificates that were not issued in Wisconsin do not get filed with any Wisconsin vital records office. For more information, see the Marriages Abroad / Out of State section of our Marriage legal topic page.
Where can I get proof that I have not been married?
Contact the WI Vital Records Office to request a Letter of Non-Marriage. See their website for more information.
I'm changing my name. Where do I need to update my name?
We include links for several popular agencies people may need to contact to update their name on our Name Change legal topic page.
Can somebody make a photocopy of a birth, death, marriage, or domestic partnership certificate?
The Attorney General stated in a 1989 AG Opinion #78, "Section 69.24(1)(a) was enacted in apparent response to a substantial increase in the practice of obtaining and using false identification documents by manipulating the existing system. For example, it was easy for a person to procure a photocopy of a birth certificate from a source other than discussed in chapter 69. This certificate, which might be accurate or already altered, could be altered to provide a new identity or other erroneous identifying information……. The Legislature obviously determined that this evil and its consequences could only be prevented by a strict measure which makes copying per se a criminal violation unless done under the authority of subchapter I of chapter 69."
You can request a certified copy from the WI Vital Records Office.
Schools can use the following form from the WI Register of Deeds Association to pull information from a certified copy of a birth certificate: Annotation of birth facts abstracted from certified copy of birth certificate.