How to Fill Out and Submit the Wisconsin Apostille Request Form

To request a Wisconsin apostille, download form APO3500 from the Department of Financial Institutions, fill out one form per destination country, and mail it with your original or certified documents and payment to the DFI in Madison.¹ The form itself is short. The work is in picking the right office and preparing documents that won’t be rejected on sight.

Pick the Right Office First

Wisconsin has two offices that can authenticate your document, and sending your form to the wrong one wastes a trip through the mail. The DFI issues apostilles only for countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention.² If your destination country is not a Hague member, you need an authentication from the Office of the Secretary of State instead.³ The Secretary of State also handles apostilles for Hague countries, so for a Hague destination you may use either office.

Confirm whether your destination country participates by checking the official status table from the Hague Conference on Private International Law.⁴ One boundary worth knowing: apostilles are not issued for documents staying within the United States or its territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.²

Make Sure Your Documents Will Be Accepted

Most requests that come back unprocessed come back because of the documents, not the form. Every document you submit must have originated in Wisconsin. Neither office can apostille a document issued by another state, so an Illinois incorporation filing or a Minnesota birth certificate has to go to that state’s apostille authority.²

Vital Records

Birth, death, and marriage certificates must be certified copies issued by Wisconsin officials. Photocopies, hospital-issued birth records, and notarized copies of vital records will not be processed.³ A certified copy from the State Vital Records Office is printed on security paper and carries a raised seal with the State Registrar’s signature.⁵ Do not write on, alter, or photocopy the certified copy. Send it exactly as it arrived.

Notarized Documents

Any notarization on your document must have been performed by a currently commissioned Wisconsin Notary Public. Out-of-state notarizations will be rejected.⁶ The notarial certificate needs the venue (Wisconsin and the county where notarization occurred), the date, the notary’s signature and seal, and the commission expiration date.³

The Secretary of State’s office accepts only wet-ink stamped or embossed notarizations and will not process digital or electronic notarizations.³ The DFI likewise requires a complete notarial statement that conforms to Wisconsin notary law.⁶

School and University Records

Transcripts and diplomas are handled differently depending on the institution. A document issued by a University of Wisconsin campus can be submitted directly with the registrar’s or president’s signature on it. Documents from any other school, including private colleges, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, must first be certified by the school’s registrar or another authorized faculty member, and that signature must then be notarized by a Wisconsin Notary Public before you submit the document.³

Certified Copies of Personal Documents

Copies of documents people usually keep themselves, such as passports, driver’s licenses, and diplomas, can be certified by a Wisconsin notary as a true copy. The notary has to personally photocopy the original. A notary cannot certify a photocopy someone else made and brought in.⁶

Filling Out Form APO3500

The DFI’s apostille request form is a downloadable PDF on the department’s website.¹ It asks for your contact information (name, phone number, email), the destination country, the number of documents you’re submitting, and your return mailing address.

Use one form per destination country. If some of your documents are going to Germany and others to France, fill out two separate forms and keep the documents sorted by country in the envelope. Enter the destination country precisely, because the department uses it to confirm the country is a Hague member and that an apostille is the right certificate to issue. Before you seal the envelope, check that the document count on the form matches both the physical stack of documents and the payment amount.

Mailing It to the DFI

The DFI gives you two ways to pay: by mail with a check or money order, or through an online portal where you pay electronically and then mail the documents.⁷ Either way, your original documents have to be physically mailed. There is no fully electronic submission. If you pay online, print both the online request form and your payment receipt, and paperclip them to your documents.

For mail-in payment, make checks or money orders payable to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Expedited processing costs $35 per document and takes one to two business days after the office receives your package, not counting mail transit.⁸ Check the DFI’s fees page for the current standard fee and turnaround.

Paperclip each document separately, clip the stack to your request form, and clip the payment or printed receipt on top.¹ Mail everything to:

Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
PO Box 7838
Madison, WI 53707-7838

If You’re Using the Secretary of State Instead

The Secretary of State is your only option for non-Hague destinations and an alternative for Hague ones. Fees are $10 per document for standard processing and $35 per document for expedited service.³ Standard turnaround runs an estimated 7 to 20 days from the day the office receives your documents.

The SOS also offers an online portal where you can start the order and pay before mailing. For in-person visits, the office accepts cash, check, or money order, but cannot make change for bills larger than $50.³ Mail goes to:

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

Include a prepaid return envelope. The office will use it to send your processed documents back, or you can pick them up at the Capitol Building in Madison.

Expedited and Walk-In Options

The Secretary of State’s office in the basement of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison accepts walk-ins, and same-day expedited service is generally available there at $35 per document.³ This is the fastest option if you can get to Madison, since you skip mail transit on both ends.

The DFI’s expedited mail service takes one to two business days after receipt at $35 per document, but the DFI does not appear to offer a comparable walk-in option.⁸

Non-Hague Countries Need an Extra Step

For countries that have not joined the Hague Convention, an apostille will not be recognized. You need an authentication from the Secretary of State’s office.³ After the SOS authenticates the document, most non-Hague countries require a further legalization by that country’s embassy or consulate in the United States. Contact the embassy directly for their requirements and fees, since the process varies by country.

Foreign-Language Documents

The Secretary of State’s office accepts documents written in languages other than English, as long as the office can read the notarization or certification. When needed, it uses a translation service to verify the basic contents.³ The DFI notes that Wisconsin law does not prohibit a notary from notarizing a document in a foreign language, though best practice is for the notarial certificate itself to be in English or bilingual.⁶ Whether the receiving country will also require a certified translation is up to that country, so check with the institution requesting the apostilled document.

1
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Apostille Request Form
2
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Apostille General Information
3
Office of the Secretary of State. Apostilles and Authentications
4
Hague Conference on Private International Law. Convention 12 Status Table
5
Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Vital Records – Requesting a Vital Record
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Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Requirements for Submitting Documents
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Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Apostille Request Form with Online Payment
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Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Apostille Fees