United States

Apostille in Wisconsin

Verified as of August 9, 2026

Everything below is transcribed from this office's own published sources and printed in its words. A value we could not confirm against an official page carries an unverified marker — but the absence of that marker is not a guarantee that a fact was checked, and the source's own doubts stay inside the notes reproduced here verbatim. Confirm fees, addresses and deadlines with the office before you send documents or money.

Who issues the apostille

Competent authority: Wisconsin Secretary of State (Madison)

Which documents this office will accept

Wet ink

The document must carry an original, hand-signed signature (and seal where one applies).

An electronically notarized document — what a remote online notarization produces — cannot satisfy that, so a RON notarization cannot feed this paper chain.

From the source

Notarized documents must bear wet-ink stamped or embossed notarization by a Wisconsin notary; other documents must be certified/issued by Wisconsin public officials. No county-level pre-certification step

By document type

Document type	What this office requires
school documents	must be certified by an authorized school official and then notarized
vital records	must be Wisconsin-issued originals (no copies; out-of-state vital records not accepted)

Certifications you may need first

No additional certification step is required before the apostille.

The request form

Form: A PDF request form.
Where to get it: https://sos.wi.gov/Documents/SOSWIApostille%26AuthenticationOrderForm.pdf
From the source: Instructions: https://sos.wi.gov/Documents/SOSWIApostille%26AuthenticationInstructionSheet.pdf

Requesting online

Online route: Part of the request is made online; the documents themselves still reach the office on paper.
Where: https://sos-services.wi.gov/
From the source: Customers may initiate orders and pay online, but "required documents must still be mailed or delivered to the office"

Where to go in person

Madison

B41 W State Capitol, Madison, WI 53703

Access: Open for walk-in service.
Hours: Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Thu 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Same-day service: Available.
From the source: "continues to accept walk-in visitors and process requests in person"; no appointment requirement stated; same-day generally available with expedited fee

What it costs

Fee

$10.00 USD per document

$10 per document (standard)

Faster service

Expedited service

$25.00 USD per document

Turnaround: Expedited: 1–3 business days per FAQ (how-to page says expedited mail 2–4 business days); walk-in expedited "generally available same-day at the Secretary's office"

The source does not state how an expedited request is submitted.

"additional $25 expedited fee which totals $35 per document"

How to pay

By mail: Check or money order.
In person: Cash.
Make it payable to: Not published. This office accepts a mailed check or money order but prints no payee name — confirm the payee on the official request form before you write it.
From the source: Card, cash, check, or money order (office cannot make change for bills over $50); channels not itemized in source (cash placed in person, check/money order under mail; card channel unattributed). Payee string not published in the source block

Where to send your documents

Mailing address: Wisconsin Secretary of State, PO Box 7848, Madison, WI 53707-7848

How long it takes

By mail: Standard mail: 7–20 days from the day the office receives the documents
In person: Walk-in expedited: "generally available same-day at the Secretary's office"
Expedited: Expedited: 1–3 business days per FAQ (how-to page says expedited mail 2–4 business days)

Checking status and verifying an apostille

Verify an issued apostille: No public verification register is published for this office. That is not the same as an apostille being unverifiable — ask the office how it confirms one.
Check a request's status: No status-tracking page is published for this office.

Remote online notarization

Status: Remote online notarization is permitted here.
Legal basis: Wis. Stat. § 140.145 (notarial acts for remotely located individuals), created by 2019 Wisconsin Act 125 (signed March 3, 2020; published March 4, 2020; effective the day after publication per Wis. Stat. 991.11). DFI: RON available since Act 125 signing
What the notary must register: Yes (notification model) — before the first remote notarial act the notary must notify the Department of Financial Institutions and identify the technology (WS 140.20(2)); in practice the notary registers with one or more DFI-approved RON technology providers, completes the provider's onboarding, and the provider informs DFI (RON status then shows in the notary search database). No state registration fee published. Approved provider list: https://dfi.wi.gov/apps/NotaryTechProvider/TechProvider
How the signer is identified: Personal knowledge (WS 140.07(1)); oath/affirmation of a credible witness; or at least 2 different types of identity proofing (WS 140.145(3)(a)) — credential analysis against trusted third-party data sources plus dynamic KBA (minimum 80% passing score)
Fee caps: No maximum fee is recorded here for a remote act or for a standard notarial act. A missing cap is not the same as “no cap” — the reason is in the notes below.
From the source: Max RON fee: no statutory cap identified — ch. 140 sets no per-act fee schedule (unverified). Max standard fee: no statutory cap identified — no per-act maximum published by DFI or in ch. 140 (DFI lists only commission fees: 4-year application $20, attorney permanent $50) (unverified). Wisconsin notaries are regulated by the Department of Financial Institutions; apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State

Other things the source says

E-register: none found on official site

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