Move your company's home state, not your company.
When you relocate, you can move your LLC or corporation's legal home to your new state without starting over. Domestication transfers the entity's state of formation while keeping the same company: the same EIN, the same contracts, the same bank accounts, and the same history. We confirm both states allow it, file the domestication in the new state, and close out the old one.
A change of address for your entity itself.
Domestication, sometimes called redomestication or a statutory conversion of domicile, moves the state where your company legally lives. It is the clean way to relocate a business. Instead of dissolving your old company and forming a brand-new one, which would break your history, you keep the exact same legal entity and simply change its home state. That continuity matters: your EIN, your bank accounts, your contracts, your licenses, and your track record all carry over. It is different from foreign qualification, where your company keeps its original home state and merely registers to operate elsewhere. Domestication actually moves the home.
One move, two states.
Domestication is a paired filing: you bring the entity into the new state and close its registration in the old one. We handle both ends so there is no gap and no lingering obligation.
- Articles of domestication. Filed in the new state, with the formation documents that bring your entity onto its records.
- A certificate from the old state. The good-standing or existence document the new state asks to see before it accepts the move.
- The withdrawal or conversion in the old state. The filing that closes your registration where you came from, so you stop owing reports and fees there.
- A continuity record. Confirmation the same entity now lives in the new state, kept with your books, along with your unchanged EIN.
It depends on both states saying yes.
Most states now allow domestication, but not all, and the move only works if your destination state permits companies to come in and your old state permits them to leave. Where it is not available, there is a fallback.
- Both your old and new states have domestication or conversion statutes
- You are permanently relocating the business, not just expanding into another state
- You want to keep the same entity, EIN, and history intact
- Your entity is in good standing and current on its filings in the old state
- Either state does not allow domestication, where you would dissolve and reform instead
- You are keeping your home state and only operating elsewhere, which is foreign qualification
- You want to change entity type rather than state, which is a conversion
- You are closing the business entirely, which is a dissolution
Not sure moving the home state is the right call? If you are simply opening up in a new state while keeping your current one, foreign qualification is usually the better fit.
What makes a move clean.
These points are verified against current state guidance and the model business and LLC acts most states follow. The essentials are entity continuity, both states allowing it, and closing the old registration.
State statutes and fees vary and change. We confirm both states' current rules before we file, and check your standing first.
From old home to new home.
- 1Confirm both states allow it
We check that your destination state accepts domestication and your old state permits the move, before anything is filed.
- 2Get you current and certified
We make sure the old state's filings are up to date and obtain the good-standing certificate the new state requires.
- 3File in the new state
We prepare and submit the articles of domestication and the formation documents that bring your entity in.
- 4Close the old state
We file the withdrawal or conversion so nothing is left open, and confirm your EIN carries over.
The danger is a dropped end.
The most common domestication mistake is opening in the new state but never closing the old one, which leaves you paying two states forever. We treat it as a single move with two filings, so both ends are handled.
We file the domestication in the new state and the withdrawal in the old, so you are not left paying two states.
We keep the same entity so your EIN, contracts, and history come with you.
We confirm both states allow the move before you start, and recommend a fallback if they do not.
You see our price and both states' fees up front, kept separate. See pricing →
Other ways to change your structure.
Operate in a new state while keeping your current home state.
Explore → Change entity typeConversionTurn an LLC into a corporation, or the reverse, rather than change state.
Explore → Leave a stateWithdraw from a stateClose a registration in a state you no longer operate in.
Explore → Usually unchangedGet an EINUnderstand when a move does, or does not, need a new EIN.
Explore →Domestication, answered.
Will I keep my EIN if I domesticate?
Usually yes. Because domestication keeps the same legal entity, the IRS generally does not require a new EIN as long as your structure and ownership stay the same. Your bank accounts and contracts carry over too. If you instead had to dissolve and reform, that would be a new entity and typically a new EIN.
How is domestication different from foreign qualification?
Domestication moves your company's home state. Foreign qualification keeps your home state and simply registers you to do business in another one. If you are permanently relocating, domestication is usually right; if you are expanding while keeping your base, foreign qualification is.
Can every business domesticate?
No. Both your old and new states must allow it, and most but not all do. Where a state does not, the fallback is to dissolve in the old state and form a new entity in the new one, which does not preserve your history or EIN. We check both states before you commit.
Do I have to close my old state registration?
Yes, and it is the step people forget. If you do not withdraw or convert out of the old state, you keep owing its annual reports, franchise taxes, and registered-agent fees. We file the closing so both ends are done.
What if I only want to change my entity type?
That is a conversion, not a domestication. Conversion changes what your entity is, such as an LLC becoming a corporation; domestication changes where it lives. They can sometimes be combined, and we will tell you if that applies to you.