How to Request an Adoption Record

All requests for access to records must be in writing and must specify the service that is being requested. To request an adoption record, you will need to submit a packet with the following items.

• A completed Request for Access to Sealed Adoption Records/Release of Information and Other Services form. This form must have your signature.  If you wish for us to mail you a form to complete, please contact us using the information below.
• Verification of your identity.  Examples include a picture ID, a driver’s license, or a passport.
• Other supporting documents can help us identify if we have a record, such as a birth certificate, order of adoption, or order of paternity.

You may submit this packet by mail or by email.

Mailing Address:

EI_DCS.PostAdoptionRecords@tn.gov

Download Request for Access to Sealed Adoption Records/Release of Information and Other Services form 

Download instructions

Fee

There are fees associated with records requests.  If eligible, the fee to access the record is $150.00. Once your record is received, there is a 25-cent per-page copy fee. After we receive your request and determine that we have a record, we will contact you to collect the fee.

What you need to know:

After you submit your request, it is reviewed by post-adoption staff for eligibility. A post-adoption Program Specialist will provide you with the next steps to continue with your request.  Please do not send your fee or documentation before receiving instructions from the Program Specialist.

Sealed Records are not kept in this office and must be retrieved to process your request.  Requests are processed in the order they are received.

When no record is on file, the department will search for records of the adoption when provided sufficient information to identify the court and/or agency, and upon payment of a fee or a fee waiver.

For more information

Call the Post Adoption Records Information Line at (615) 532-5637.

EI_DCS.PostAdoptionRecords@tn.gov