A Certificate of Authority to transact business in Tennessee may be filed online or by paper if your Corporation, Nonprofit Corporation, or Limited Liability Company was formed in another state.  Foreign Limited Liability Partnership and Foreign Limited Partnerships must be filed by paper.  All paper forms can be found on our Business Forms and Fee page.

You will need:

• Proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate), and
• Two proofs of Tennessee residency (such as a voter registration card, a utility bill, vehicle registration or title, or bank statement).
• If your name differs from that on your primary ID, proof of the changed name (such as a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order, etc.)

Learn more about the required documents at the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Voter Photo ID page.

Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day must bring valid photo identification with them to the polls. A driver's license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.

Learn more about what types of ID are acceptable here or call the Division of Elections at 1-877-850-4959.

Visit the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Driver Service Center Locations page for information about locations and hours, closure advisories, and self-service kiosks and online renewal.

No.  If you already have a valid government-issued photo ID for voting purposes, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security will not issue a free photo ID to you.

You may obtain a free photo ID to vote from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security at any participating driver service center across the state. You may use the “express service” line at the driver service center to obtain your photo ID to minimize wait times. Visit the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Voter Photo ID page for more information.

Yes.  If you cannot afford a copy of the documents required to obtain a free photo ID, you may sign a form stating under oath that you are indigent and have been unable to obtain an acceptable photo ID for voting without paying a fee.

Find your early voting and Election Day polling place and hours in the GoVoteTN app.

If you don’t bring a photo ID, you will vote a provisional ballot. You will then have two (2) business days after Election Day to return to the election commission office to show a valid photo ID. Upon returning to the election commission office, the voter will sign an affidavit and a copy of the voter’s photo ID will be made to be reviewed by the counting board.

No, but if you do not have another form of valid photo ID, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security will reissue your license with your photo for free upon request.

The Secretary of State’s Absentee By-Mail Ballot Status Tracker tool allows voters to track the status of their absentee by-mail ballot.

You must mail your ballot in time for your county election commission to receive it no later than the close of polls on Election Day.

You must return your ballot by mail (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.). Hand delivery or handing it to a poll worker during early voting or on Election Day is not permitted.

Learn more about voting absentee by-mail.

Yes, as long as it was validly issued by the federal or Tennessee state government and contains the name and photograph of the voter.

If you are unsure or have questions about your photo ID, contact your county election commission or the Division of Elections at 1-877-850-4959.

Tennessee has a replevin law that provides for the restoration of alienated public records to their rightful custodians. Law enforcement authorities can reclaim these documents without any compensation to the would-be private owner. Contact TSLA if you have knowledge of the whereabouts of misplaced public records, or if you would like to report a lost or stolen public record. We can offer advice on how to proceed. We generally advise callers to contact their county attorney, county sheriff, or county archivist, depending on the unique circumstances of each county. Even though it is up to law enforcement authorities to prosecute theft, we have been able to aid several Tennessee counties in recovering their lost or stolen public records.

Staff members at TSLA's Archives Development Program will work with you to determine whether items are, indeed, government records that belong in a state or county archive. By avoiding the purchase of stolen records on eBay or through other auctions, you will ultimately save time, the loss of your money, and potential lawsuits. It will also ensure that we, as Tennessee citizens, continue to have access to the records of our own government.

f you are a document collector, dealer, or staff member at an archives, library, historical society, or museum, you can:

• avoid buying, selling, or trading in lost or stolen Tennessee public records.
• identify lost or stolen public records and report them to the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Sometimes, collectors like to obtain records relating to, for example, Civil War history or African-American slavery. For more information about the nationwide interest in these items, see our article on "eBay Sales of Public Records."

In some cases, well-meaning citizens have "saved" their county records from destruction or neglect years ago. In other cases, county archives did not exist, and the records were long stored in private hands. Now, however, most counties have a safe place to store county records, and the items need to be returned to their proper location. Please contact TSLA if you need help getting in touch with the proper state or county official in order to return public records in someone's possession.