Wisconsin Birth Certificate: Fees, Ordering and Who Can Get a Copy

The Wisconsin Vital Records Office, part of the Department of Health Services (DHS), issues Wisconsin birth certificates. A certified copy costs $20, plus $3 for each additional copy of the same record, ordered by mail or online and by phone through VitalChek. The state office's in-person counter is closed, but county Register of Deeds offices and the Milwaukee and West Allis City Health Offices also issue vital records. For other states, see our guide to birth certificates by state.

Information last verified on October 8, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This page covers how to order a Wisconsin birth certificate, what it costs, who may get a certified copy, and how to correct, amend or late-register a Wisconsin birth record. It applies to births that occurred in Wisconsin.

Where to order a Wisconsin birth certificate

The state office is the Wisconsin Vital Records Office, PO Box 309, Madison, WI 53701, phone 608-266-1373. DHS says its request a vital record page covers Wisconsin birth records "from October 1907 to now."

DHS's vital records page says "In-person counter services closed" at the state office, and that requests are taken by U.S. mail, online through VitalChek, or by phone through VitalChek at 877-885-2981.

County and city offices

DHS says you can also get vital records through local Vital Records Offices: "72 county Register of Deeds offices and two City Health Offices (Milwaukee and West Allis). Not all records are available." Check the local office's own website for its hours, fees and which records it holds before you go.

How to order

Online or by phone (VitalChek)

DHS says "VitalChek Network Inc. completes online and phone services orders" and that "VitalChek charges an extra fee for these orders." You can pay with a major credit card, and shipping options include USPS regular mail, UPS Next Day Air and UPS Worldwide. DHS does not state the VitalChek fee amount, so check it at checkout.

By mail

Use the Wisconsin Birth Certificate Application (form F-05291). Send the completed form, a copy of acceptable ID, payment, a self-addressed stamped business-size envelope, and any proof or authorization required to State Vital Records Office, PO Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309.

Pay by cash, check or money order in U.S. funds, made out to "State of Wis. Vital Records." The form asks for your street address and says it "cannot be a P.O. box."

How much a Wisconsin birth certificate costs

The first-copy fee is a search fee: DHS says "The $20 search fee is nonrefundable," and the form says the fee is not refundable if no record is found. Birth records from October 1, 1907, through 1947 are indexed by single year, and any five-year period in that range is one $20 search; DHS treats 1948 to the present as one search. Long and short forms cost the same.

How long it takes

DHS publishes different mail times in two places, so plan for the longer one:

• Web page: DHS's request a vital record page says, "Once we get your order, it takes about 10 business days to complete. This does not include the time it takes to mail it to and from our office."
• Application form: form F-05291 says requests "may take up to 2 weeks plus mail time to complete."

For VitalChek orders, DHS says "Requests are completed in about five business days," and "If you need it sooner, you may be able to get it faster for another fee." These are DHS's published estimates, not guarantees.

Who can get a certified copy

Under Wis. Stat. §69.20(1), as the state's application form puts it, "a certified copy of a birth certificate is only available to those with a 'direct and tangible interest.'" The form groups eligible applicants into five categories:

• A. The person named on the certificate.
• B. A member of the immediate family. The form lists a parent whose name is on the certificate and whose parental rights have not been terminated, a child, a maternal or paternal grandparent, a brother or sister, a current spouse, and a current domestic partner registered in the Wisconsin vital records system.
• C. The legal custodian or guardian.
• D. A representative authorized by someone in A, B or C, including an attorney.
• E. Anyone who can show the certificate is necessary to determine or protect a personal or property right.

The form notes that grandchildren, stepparents, stepchildren and stepbrothers or stepsisters can get certified copies only under categories C through E.

Uncertified copies

Anyone else may request an uncertified copy. It has the same information as a certified copy but is printed on plain paper, marked "uncertified," and cannot be used for identity or legal purposes. The form says uncertified copies cannot be obtained by anyone for a child born to unmarried parents where paternity has not been established or was established by court order.

ID requirements

Send a readable copy of ONE of these: a state-issued driver's license or ID card, a U.S. government-issued photo ID, a U.S. or foreign passport, or a tribal or military ID card. Or send copies of TWO of these: a bank or earnings statement, a current dated and signed lease, a health insurance card, a utility bill or traffic ticket, or a vehicle registration or title.

DHS says it cannot use expired documents. If the person named on the certificate has no ID, that person can write a signed statement allowing someone else to apply.

Long form and short form

DHS says short-form certificates "work for most legal and identification purposes." The long form adds the birth facility, the mother's residence, the time of birth, birth weight and crown-heel length, if those items were reported when the record was filed. It costs the same; write "Long Form" on the application.

The current application form (F-05291, 05/2026) describes the forms a little differently: it lists parents' birth dates, birth time, weight and length on the long form only. If an agency or a foreign government needs parents' birth dates, ask for the long form.

DHS does not say which form passport agencies accept. For a first U.S. passport, federal rules call for a birth certificate that shows your full name, place and date of birth, and your parents' full names, is signed by the official custodian of birth records, bears the issuing office's seal, and shows a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42).

For REAL ID, federal rules accept a certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the vital statistics office in your state of birth (6 CFR 37.11). For use abroad, DHS says a Wisconsin apostille can come from the Wisconsin Secretary of State or the Department of Financial Institutions (only the Secretary of State issues authentications for non-Hague countries). You can send the apostille request with your birth certificate application to the Vital Records Office, which forwards the new certified copy with your apostille application (DHS).

Correcting or amending a Wisconsin birth certificate

The steps depend on how old the record is, per DHS's amend a vital record page.

Within 365 days of the birth

The mother receives a Notification of Birth Registration form in the mail, which can be used to make corrections and order copies. If you already ordered certificates that are wrong, mail them back with a signed note saying what needs to be corrected.

To change any part of a child's name, contact the office for the Name Change Within the First Year of Life form. DHS says: "For a one-time name change within 365 days after the child's birth, there is no charge."

More than 365 days after the birth

Mail a certified copy of the record with a note explaining what is wrong and what the correct information should be; if you do not have a certified copy, apply for one and include the explanation. DHS reviews the record and sends amendment instructions if needed. Wisconsin law also provides a court-order route for correcting a birth record (Wis. Stat. §69.12).

Legal name change

DHS accepts a certified legal name change court order "from any court in the United States or Canada." The fee to file it is $10, which does not include the amended certificate; the first certified copy is $20 and each extra copy is $3.

The same $10 fee applies to a confidential name change order, but after it is processed DHS needs a court order to issue any future copy, so DHS recommends paying for the certificates you need when you submit the order. The court process itself is covered in our guide to Wisconsin name change laws.

Sex designation

DHS's amendments page (last revised April 18, 2025) says to mail "a certified copy of a court order from the United States or Canada that orders the sex designation on the birth record to be changed," plus a $20 filing fee. The fee does not include a certified copy of the new certificate ($20 for the first, $3 for each extra).

Parent labels

To change a certificate's labels from mother and father to parent and parent, DHS says to contact the Vital Records Office by email or at 608-266-1373.

If a birth was never registered

Under Wis. Stat. §69.14(2), when a birth was not registered within 365 days, the person, or a parent or guardian, may ask the state registrar to register it. The application needs "at least 2 pieces of documentary evidence for each item if the record is filed prior to 7 years after the date of birth or at least 3 pieces of documentary evidence for each item if the record is filed 7 years or more after the date of birth." The items are the name, date of birth and place of birth.

Only one piece of evidence per item may be an affidavit of personal knowledge, and at least one non-affidavit document is required for the parents. If the state registrar denies the registration, the applicant may petition the circuit court of the county of birth. DHS's pages we reviewed do not list a delayed-registration fee.

Adoption and new birth records

When a person born in Wisconsin is adopted, DHS says, "our office seals their original birth certificate. A new one is then created showing their adoptive parents and new name." DHS says the sealed original is released only by court order. Filing the adoption court order costs $20, as listed on DHS's adoptions page; more on access is in our guide to Wisconsin adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

Certified copies are limited to people with a direct and tangible interest, but uncertified copies are available more widely, with the exceptions above. Whether birth certificates are public in other states is covered in are birth certificates public records.

DHS's genealogy page says the state office "doesn't publish any records or indexes online." Researchers can search birth records filed through September 30, 1907, and birth indexes through 1984, in person by appointment at the state office.

This article is general legal information about Wisconsin birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; confirm with the Wisconsin Vital Records Office before ordering. Information last verified on October 8, 2026.

Related

• Birth certificates by state
• Are birth certificates public records?
• Wisconsin adoption records
• Wisconsin name change laws

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Wisconsin?

The Wisconsin Vital Records Office charges $20 for the first certified copy and $3 for each additional copy of the same record. VitalChek online and phone orders add an extra VitalChek fee.

How long does it take to get a Wisconsin birth certificate by mail?

DHS's web page says about 10 business days after it receives the order, not counting mail time, while the application form says up to 2 weeks plus mail time. VitalChek orders are completed in about five business days.

Can I get a Wisconsin birth certificate in person?

Not at the state office, where in-person counter services are closed. County Register of Deeds offices and the Milwaukee and West Allis City Health Offices also issue vital records, but not all records are available there.

Who can order a certified Wisconsin birth certificate?

Only someone with a direct and tangible interest under Wis. Stat. 69.20(1): the person named, immediate family, a legal custodian or guardian, an authorized representative such as an attorney, or someone who needs it to protect a personal or property right.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Wisconsin?

Within 365 days of the birth, use the Notification of Birth Registration form or return incorrect certificates with a signed note. After that, mail a certified copy with a note explaining the error, and DHS sends amendment instructions if needed.

What is the difference between the long form and short form Wisconsin birth certificate?

DHS's web page says the long form adds the birth facility, mother's residence, time of birth, weight and crown-heel length; the current application form lists parents' birth dates, birth time, weight and length on the long form only. Both cost the same, and DHS says the short form works for most legal and identification purposes.