Welcome!
The Office of the Secretary of State of Wisconsin
"I believe my most important job is being there when you
need help."
- Doug La Follette, Secretary of State
The Office of the Secretary of State processes requests for apostilles and authentications. The fee for standard service (up to a 10-day processing time) is $10 per document. We offer expedited service to assist those who have serious emergencies. This service (1-2 day processing time) is available for $35 per document.
B41W State Capitol, Madison WI 53703
ALERT
Due to rising concerns about COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) the State Capitol Building has been closed. The Secretary of State Office is temporarily suspending walk-in services to better protect the health and safety of our staff and customers.
The phone lines will remain open from 9:00am-12:00pm and from 1:00pm-4:00pm daily, and we will continue to respond to email during working hours. We are currently continuing to process documents received via USPS, UPS, FedEx, and other couriers.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience during this time.
How soon can I get my Apostille or Authentication?
About the Office:
The Office of the Secretary of State is headed by an elected Secretary of State, whose term of office is four years. Wisconsin's Constitution requires the Secretary of State to maintain the official acts of the Legislature and Governor, and to keep the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin and affix it to all official acts of the Governor. In addition, the Office administers program responsibilities set forth in approximately 100 sections of the Wisconsin Statutes, issuing authentications and apostilles; filing oaths of office; and filing deeds for state lands and buildings.
The Secretary of State is a member of the
Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL).
Public Records:
These Wisconsin documents are among those preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State:
- City, Village and Town Records *(available on-line)
- Forest Land Deeds *(available on-line)
- Wisconsin Blue Books (Complete set dating from 1853)
- Statutes and Laws of Wisconsin (Dating from 1836)
* These Databases are maintained by the Office of the Secretary of State and can be accessed on-line at sos.wi.gov. If you wish to obtain a copy of an entire database, please contact:
The Office of the Secretary of State
P.O. Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707 - 7848
608-266-8888, then press 3
statesec@wi.gov
There will be a programming charge to format the database to meet your specific needs.