LLC domestication, state by state.
Domestication moves an LLC from one state to another without ending it. The company keeps its EIN, its tax history and its contracts, and only its state of formation changes. The catch is that both states have to allow it, and not all of them do. Pick the state you are moving into to see what it authorizes and what the filing looks like.
Four things that decide whether you can move.
Domestication is the clean way to relocate an LLC, and it is not available everywhere. These four decide whether the move is possible, what it preserves, and how many filings it takes.
Whether both states allow it
Domestication only works if the state you are leaving and the state you are entering both authorize it. Some states authorize it in both directions. Others do not authorize it at all, and the route there is a statutory merger or dissolving in one state and forming again in the other.
The same entity throughout
This is the reason to do it. The EIN stays, the tax history stays, and the contracts stay with the same company. Dissolving in the old state and forming new in the new one breaks that continuity, triggers a new EIN, and forces contracts to be reassigned.
Inbound and outbound
There are two sides to the move: the filing that brings the company into the new state and the filing that closes it out of the old one. They carry different names in different states, and they have to be sequenced so there is no gap between the two records.
Tax clearance first
The departing state often requires a tax clearance before it will release the company, and that clearance travels with the outbound filing. It depends on a different office from the one that handles the filing itself, so it is the piece worth starting early.
Same company, new home state. Check that both sides allow it first.
Pick your state.
Each state page covers domestication for that state: whether it is authorized and in which directions, what the inbound and outbound filings are called, whether tax clearance is required, and what happens to the operating agreement and the EIN.
A clean handoff, in four steps.
You tell us where the LLC is now and where it is going. We confirm both states allow the move, clear the departing state, file both sides in order, and move the paperwork across with it.
Check both states
The first question is whether domestication is available on both sides of the move. If either state does not authorize it, the plan changes before anything is drafted or filed.
Clear the departing state
Where the old state requires a tax clearance, that comes before the filings. It depends on a different office from the filing itself, so it is started early rather than late.
File both sides
The plan of domestication is drafted, the inbound filing goes to the new state, and the outbound filing closes the record in the old one. The two are sequenced so there is no gap.
Move the paperwork with it
The operating agreement carries over and is updated to the new state, then banking, contracts and ongoing compliance follow. The entity did not change, but every document naming its state did.
Two filings, one company, no break in the chain. That is the whole point.
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The questions people ask before they move.
What is LLC domestication?
It is the filing that changes an LLC's state of formation while preserving the same legal entity. The company that comes out the other side is the company that went in: same EIN, same tax history, same contracts, new home state. It is done with two filings, one in the state being entered and one in the state being left, and it depends on both states allowing it.
Does my EIN change?
Not with domestication. Preserving the EIN is one of the main reasons to use this route rather than the alternative. If you dissolve in the old state and form a new company in the new one, you break legal continuity, a new EIN is triggered, and contracts have to be reassigned to the new entity. Domestication avoids all three because the entity itself never stops existing.
Can every state do this?
No. Some states authorize domestication in both directions, so an out-of-state LLC can move in and an in-state LLC can move out. Others do not authorize it at all, and licensed alternatives such as a statutory merger, or dissolving and forming again, take its place. That is the first thing each state page establishes, because everything else follows from it.
How is domestication different from foreign qualification?
Domestication changes the state your LLC is formed in. Foreign qualification leaves the formation state alone and adds authority to do business in a second state. If you are expanding into a state, qualification is usually the filing. If you are relocating to it and do not want to keep the old registration, domestication is the one that moves the company rather than extending it.
What if my state does not allow it?
There are other routes, and they are covered on the state page for the state in question. A statutory merger can achieve a similar result. Dissolving in the old state and forming in the new one always works, but it breaks legal continuity, triggers a new EIN and forces contract reassignment, which is precisely the outcome domestication exists to avoid.
What happens to my operating agreement?
It carries over with the company and is then updated to reflect the new state, because the agreement usually names the state whose law governs it. Banking, contracts and ongoing compliance follow the same pattern: the entity is unchanged, so nothing has to be reassigned, but every document that names a state of formation should be brought into line with the new one.
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