People also ask
Article 4, §2 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that the Tennessee legislature may deny the right to vote to persons convicted of "infamous" crimes. Pursuant to this provision in the Tennessee Constitution, the Tennessee legislature has excluded individuals convicted of various felonies from the right of suffrage.
However, the legislature has also established conditions and procedures through which individuals who have lost their voting rights may regain them. The manner in which a person may restore a lost voting right depends upon the crime committed and the year in which the conviction occurred. If your conviction has been expunged, you should answer, ‘No,’ on the voter registration form when asked if you have a felony conviction.
Tennessee Rule 1360-07-03-.03 states
- The records shall be retained in a safe and secure manner, for five years following the date of the notarization.
- A backup of the electronic records shall also be maintained for five years following the date of the notarization.
- A notary can elect to store such recordings with a custodian, or a repository and such recordings may be stored separately from the journal if it is cross-referencing the place of storage and how the record is stored.
- The original records and backup shall be protected from unauthorized use.
No, the State of Tennessee only offers notaries and remote online notaries.
A fee can be required not to exceed $25 for each online notarization per Tennessee Rule 1360-07-03-.03.
You can file form SS-4800 to change the mailing address by mail or in person. A change in Registered Agent or principal address requires filing Articles of Amendment and paying the statutory $20 filing fee. Forms can be found on our the Forms & Fees page for mail and in person filings.
Yes, each vendor that you are utilizing their software to remotely notarize documents should be listed in your dashboard under your vendor technologies. You have the option to add new vendor technologies in your dashboard for free. The same documents are required to be uploaded.
In accordance with Tennessee Rule 1360-07-03-.04, an online notary public shall use an electronic seal that substantially conforms to the following design: a circular, square, or rectangular seal with the notary public's name as it appears on the commission printed at the top, the county of election printed at the bottom, the words 'Tennessee Notary Public' printed in the center, and the words "Online Notary Public" printed below. The electronic seal must also be accompanied by a statement of the date upon which the online notary public's commission expires.
No, the Tennessee Secretary of State does not recommend nor endorse any third-party vendors. Whatever platform you choose should provide identity proofing, credential analysis, and storage for your video recordings of notarial acts. It should also be capable of attaching your electronic seal, electronic signature, and electronic notarial certificate to an electronic document.
An Administrative dissolution occurs for the following reasons:
- Failure to file an annual report
- Being without a registered agent
- A foreign entity fails to maintain its assumed name due to a name conflict
- Returned payment by a financial institution
A certificate of existence is a document issued by our office that certifies that an entity is active and in good standing.
Training is available via WebEx. Please contact Safe at Home directly for scheduling.
In April of 2018, the Tennessee Legislature passed Senate Bill 1758 known as the “Online Notary Public Act”. This Act went in effect as of July 1, 2019. The Act defines “Online Notarization” as “a notarial act performed by means of two-way video and audio conference technology…”. This means that the notary and the principal whose signature is notarized are not in the same place but interact remotely over the internet. All regular notary rules apply to these transactions including the requirement for the notary to confirm the identity and state of mind of the principal, the voluntary nature of the act and the legality of the document. This will require online notaries to have access to significant technological resources via a contract with a third-party online notary vendor. This Act authorizes Tennessee notaries to perform remote online notarizations after the completion of an application and approval from the Tennessee Secretary of State. The steps which must be taken for a notary to perform online notarizations can be found in the Online Notary Public Guide.
A Notary is considered a public official and may be removed from office just as any other official. Complaints concerning official misconduct should be directed to local Law Enforcement in the county in which the Notary is elected or in which the alleged misconduct occurred.
With regard to criminal conduct of a notary, Attorney General Opinion No. 07-157 states:
"Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-7-103, the District Attorney General has the duty of prosecuting all violations of state criminal statutes which occur in his or her district. This duty includes prosecutions of criminal acts committed by notaries. A citizen who wishes to file a criminal complaint against a notary public may do so by contacting the District Attorney General of the judicial district in which the alleged criminal conduct occurred and proceeding through the complaint process."
Additionally, as explained in the above opinion of the Attorney General, a notary may be removed from office through the ouster proceedings set forth in Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-17-101.
A directory of District Attorneys can be found at Tennessee District Attorneys General Directory.
- The name of your vendor and a description of the technologies it uses to provide the services listed in the Tennessee Rules [1360-07-03-.02(h), (i), (l ), (m), (n)]
- An explanation of the method or technology you will use to maintain an electronic notary journal as required by the Rules;[1360-07-03-.03(12)]
- A copy of your unique electronic seal; [1360-07-03-.03(k)]
- A copy of your unique electronic notarial certificate or other technology for rendering a notarized electronic document tamper-evident;[1360-07-03-.04(13)]
- A copy of the instructions or techniques supplied by the vendor that allows the online notary public's electronic notarial certificate to be read and authenticated;[1360-07-03-.04(8)]
- A copy of the instructions or techniques supplied by the vendor that allow the online notary public to conduct identity proofing and credential analysis. [1360-07-03-.02(m)]
In e-notarization, the notarization uses digital signatures but must occur in the physical presence of the notary, similarly to a traditional/pen and paper notarization. In remote notarization, the person is not in the physical presence of the notary but is present through audio and visual equipment such as a webcam.
An assumed name is a name other than the true entity name under which it conducts business. Tennessee does not recognize 'DBAs' (doing business as) or fictitious names. The assumed name is good for 5 years and can be renewed.
- The correct fee is not paid. The annual report fee for a corporation is $20, and an additional $20 is required if any change is made concerning the registered agent/registered office. The annual report fee for LLCs is $300 minimum up to a maximum of $3000. The fee increases by an additional $50 per member for every member over 6 members up to a maximum of $3,000.
- An officer is not listed. If the business is a Tennessee for-profit corporation, the corporation must list at least one officer. If the business is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation, a president and secretary or required.
- The board of directors are not listed, the box indicating that the board is the same as the officers listed is not marked, or the box indicating that the corporation does not have directors is not marked.
- The annual report is not signed and/or dated.
- The annual report is not typed or filled out in ink.
- The required filing fee was not enclosed.
- The document has not been signed
- The document is not clear and legible.
- The document was not enclosed.
- The document is not dated.
- An email address was not provided.
- The name that you have requested is unavailable because it is not distinguishable from another business entity on file.
- We were not able to obtain tax clearance from the Department of Revenue. Please, contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue at (615) 253-0600 or (800) 342-1003. Once you have satisfied their requirements, resubmit your document to our office for filing.
- The address of the registered office must be a physical Tennessee address; it cannot be a post office box, route number, or box number alone.
A business entity that has failed to file its annual report on a timely basis may be administratively dissolved and placed in inactive status. The filing history of every business is shown in the Business Information Search. Click on “filing history” for details on your business.
The third-party vendor you have chosen should provide you with the certificate.
The portion of a notarized electronic document that is completed by the notary public, bears the notary public's electronic signature and official electronic seal, official title, commission expiration date, any required information concerning the date and place of the electronic notarization, and states the facts attested to or certified by the notary public in a particular electronic notarization.
The application fee is $75.
A registered agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your entity. Tennessee requires that all entities (except General Partnerships (GP) to maintain a registered agent/office in the State of Tennessee at all times.
Tax clearances are required to obtain a certificate of existence, to reinstate, and to terminate, cancel or withdraw an entity from Tennessee.