Request for a Copy of a Termination of Domestic Partnership
Certificate
How do I request copies of a termination of domestic partnership
certificate?
Wisconsin law requires that applications for copies of
termination of domestic partnership 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 a
termination of domestic partnership certificate.
You can apply for a copy of a termination of domestic
partnership certificate in 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 termination of domestic
partnership 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 and designated
furlough days.
Applications are available in our office or you may fill out the
termination of
domestic partnership
application form (PDF, 365 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 termination of domestic partnership 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 vital records, requests for
uncertified copies are not
completed on the same schedule as certified copies. In-person
requests for uncertified copies 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 termination of domestic
partnership 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 a termination of domestic partnership
certificate can be expedited for an additional fee.
Expedited in-person requests for copies of a termination of
domestic partnership certificate will
be completed within 15 to 30 minutes. Expedited in-person requests for
uncertified copies 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 termination of domestic partnership record 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 termination of domestic partnership 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 a termination of domestic partnership
certificate should be mailed to:
Wisconsin Vital Records Office
Please use the termination of domestic partnership application form (PDF,
365 KB) or request an application by sending a self-addressed
stamped envelope to:
Termination of Domestic Partnership Records Application
Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned unprocessed.
Our office does not have records for terminations of domestic partnership
that occurred prior to 2009.
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 termination of domestic
partnership 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 a termination of
domestic partnership certificate will be completed within one month.
Because of the high demand for copies of vital records, requests
for uncertified copies 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, you must apply in
person or by fax.
By Fax:
If you require expedited service for a copy of a termination of domestic partnership
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 termination of domestic partnership certificate application (PDF,
167 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 termination of domestic partnership record 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
termination of domestic partnership certificates even if you cannot provide all the information requested in the application. For us to search our
files for a termination of domestic partnership certificate when some information is not available, you
must provide the name of one of the partners and a year range to search.
If you are requesting a termination of domestic partnership 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 other partner or the county where the termination
was filed. 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 termination of domestic partnership certificate?
A certified copy of a termination of domestic partnership
certificate from 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 for many legal purposes.
State law restricts who may obtain a certified copy of a
termination of domestic partnership certificate. A certified copy may be issued to:
-
The persons named on the record,
-
The current spouse of the persons named on the record,
The current domestic partner 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 termination of domestic partnership certificate.
An uncertified copy of a termination of domestic partnership
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 entering
into a new domestic partnership.
What information will be on the termination of domestic
partnership certificate?
An uncertified copy of a termination of domestic partnership
certificate will be
a photocopy on plain, white paper of the original document that was filed in our office. A
certified copy of a termination of domestic partnership certificate will be a
photocopy on security paper of the original document that was filed in our office.
The information provided on a termination of domestic partnership
certificate will
typically include the full names of both partners, the date the
termination was filed at the Register of Deeds office, and the county where
the termination was filed.
How do I obtain an authentication or apostille for a
termination of domestic partnership certificate?
An apostille is a specific authenticating certificate for a termination
of domestic
partnership
certificate that may be required by other 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 site of
the Office of the Secretary of State at http://www.sos.state.wi.us/apostilles.htm
(exit DHS).
If you want our Vital Records office (located in Madison, Wisconsin) to
assist you with obtaining a certified copy of a termination of domestic partnership certificate and
submitting the certified copy of the termination to the Office of the
Wisconsin Secretary of State (also located in Madison, Wisconsin), you
must do the following:
- Request a copy of a termination of domestic partnership certificate from our Vital Records office
using the application and procedure shown on the Vital Records Web site
at http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/vitalrecords/dpartnership.htm;
- Request an apostille from the Wisconsin Secretary of State's office
using the order form and procedure shown on their Web site at
www.sos.state.wi.us/apostilles.htm (exit DHS),
only instead of submitting your request to the Secretary of State,
- Submit the required Vital Records application form and fee and the
Secretary of State's order form, fee, and prepaid envelope (from the
Secretary of State to you) to Vital Records for processing. NOTE:
You must submit separate payments and completed application/order forms, one for
Vital Records services and one for Secretary of State services, if you
want our Vital Records office to assist you with this process.
Once Vital Records has received forms and fees for both agencies from
you, we will create a certified copy of the termination of domestic partnership
and will
submit the certified termination of domestic partnership copy, Secretary of State's
application, Secretary of State's fees, and prepaid envelope directly to
the Office of the Secretary of State. They will complete their process and
return the certified copy of the termination of domestic partnership and apostille directly to you in
the envelope you provided for them.
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: DHSVitalRecords@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: October 02, 2009
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