Wisconsin Marriage Records Downloads

Celebrating the union of husband and wife has been splendored for eons. This event is the fruit of months’ or years’ worth of investing love, time and commitment. The many implications of marriages and other vital events towards society has been the reason for their meticulous recording during the past centuries.

As it is an emotional landmark in a couple’s life, marriages also are legal processes made official by a document called a marriage certificate. This serves as a proof of the couple’s new legal duties and responsibilities as man and wife. Such documents are typically signed after the wedding ceremony has occurred, whereupon the husband and his wife, and the officiant of the nuptial sign this manuscript. This accomplished marriage license is then filed by the officiant for the couple. Marriage licenses, like any other public document, can be used for a variety of intentions, such as guarding against bigamous, familial and underage unions, changing one’s name, and as a requirement in a divorce proceeding. For remarrying individuals, the issuance of a new marriage license will require a copy of a divorce record.

Different states in the U.S. appoint different agencies to maintain, distribute, file, change and protect marriage archives. In the state of Wisconsin, this daunting task is assumed by the Wisconsin Vital Records Services, an office working under the shadow of the State Department of Health Services.

There are two types of marriage records distributed by the said office. Certified copies of Wisconsin Marriage Records are issued with a raised seal and a signature of the State Registrar and are printed on security paper. State law limits obtaining certified copies to a handful of parties: The husband and the wife, their parents, children, grandparents and siblings, any representative duly authorized by the mentioned kin, and a person who can prove that the record is required to protect a personal or property right. Uncertified copies, on the other hand, contains identical information with its certified counterpart, but cannot be used to establish any form of identity.

According to Wisconsin State Laws, applying for a copy of a marriage record or any other public document is exclusively done in person, via mail or by fax. All three ways of application will require a person’s identification in order to proceed. Accepted identification documents include Wisconsin-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards, passports, current health insurance cards, among others. One must present the original required identification documents when applying in person, and copies of the same documents if applying by mail or by fax. Each exclusive method has its corresponding processes and payments. For requests done in person, the regular or expedited service can be implored. Requests under the regular service are processed within two hours, and are charged at $20.00 with an additional $3.00 for each copy requested at the same time. The expedited service on the other hand can process requests within 15-30 minutes and costs the same as requests utilizing the regular services with an additional $20.00.
Uncertified copies requested using either method will be processed within three months. The cost is the same if you obtain a certified or an uncertified copy. Processing times for requests per mail is around a month up to three months for certified and uncertified copies, respectively, and has an identical cost with a regular request done in person. Entreaties done via fax are charged like an in person expedited service with an additional $6.00 for credit card processing, and is sent within five business days.

Marriage records can now be reached via the Internet for maximum convenience using any device that can harness its power. Just by performing a quick search using the online records solution of your choice, the desired record can appear within minutes, and can definitely save a whole lot of time, exertion and cash.