Documentation of Physical Presence
Documentation of Physical Presence is used to establish the fact that a person has been physically residing in Wisconsin continuously during a specific period of time. Each item of documentation must include your name and a date within the period of time in question. Examples of some types of documentation of your physical presence in Wisconsin follow. You are not limited to these examples, however, and may submit other records more appropriate in your situation. Check with our office to verify that records not included on this list will suffice. We understand the difficulty some may have in producing these documents, but we must include them with your records to satisfy residence audits.
You may submit copies of your documentation rather than originals with the exception of letters written on your behalf. In most cases, several items per month will suffice. It may sometimes be necessary, however, to request additional documentation depending on individual circumstances.
Appropriate documents include:
• Canceled checks you wrote to local businesses or credit card receipts you signed with charges to local businesses.
• Bank statements showing ATM transactions in Wisconsin, if the account is only in your name.
• Credit card statements showing purchases in Wisconsin, if the account is only in your name.
• Envelopes (excluding window envelopes) addressed to you at your Wisconsin address with a legible postmark.
• Verification of, and/or bills from doctor or dentist appointments in Wisconsin.
• Letters you may have received in Wisconsin relating to your employment search or copies, signed by prospective employers, of job applications you have submitted in this State (e-mail correspondence not acceptable).
• Documentation of volunteer work or involvement in community activities in Wisconsin. (ie: a letter from a Volunteer Coordinator on official letterhead).
• Documentation of visits to health club/fitness center, public library receipts, etc.
• A signed statement from a landlord or resident manager verifying your physical occupancy of the rented premises during the period of time in question. This statement must be written on letterhead stationery or, if letterhead is not used, the statement must be notarized.
Unacceptable documents include:
• Duplicate checks: These do not show the original signature. Only canceled checks are acceptable.
• A lease: This does not attest to one’s physical occupancy during the dates in question.
• Letters written on your behalf from friends and relatives. Only letters written by impartial individuals are acceptable.
• Any document that indicates the physical presence of two people (i.e: envelopes or bills addressed to spouses or registered domestic partners).
• Window envelopes (see #4 in “Appropriate documents”).
