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The Redomestication Process in a Nutshell

1. Enter your biz name HERE.

Then click "get exact price" and follow the steps.

Takes less than five minutes.

Submit payment securely online then sit back and relax.

2. We prepare the legal docs.

Our dually-licensed attorney+CPA prepares the legal documents and sends them to you via DocuSign.

You sign. We take it from there.

3. We submit the legal filings to the states.

We monitor the status closely, respond to inquiries from their offices, and send you weekly updates.

No extra charge. 100% success rate.

4. Approved! ✅

We send you a checklist of go-forward obligations and simple steps for your tax pro to follow.

120% money-back guarantee if we do not succeed.

Did you know? The average business that moves to a state without state-level income tax saves over $12,500 in taxes per year.

Still have questions? Schedule a free meeting with our attorney and CPA.


Redomestication, also known as redomiciling, refers to the lesser-known legal process of transferring or moving the "home state" of an existing Corporation, partnership, or LLC, from South Dakota to a new state. It means keeping your existing company name, credit, and federal employer identification number (FEIN) without wasting time and money creating a new business entity, applying for foreign registration, or moving assets between companies.
— Prof. Chad D. Cummings, Esq., CPA

Why hire Cummings & Cummings Law?
Our Law FirmOther Law FirmsLegalZoom® /
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Licensed Attorney
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Licensed CPA
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Owes you fiduciary duties under the law
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No*
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Experience
500+
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*It is illegal in all states to practice law without a license, and only a licensed attorney can render legal advice to or prepare custom legal documents for clients. LegalZoom®, RocketLawyer®, and similar services are not attorneys nor law firms and cannot perform redomestications.

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The easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota without disrupting operations

Business owners commonly ask for the easiest way to move their business out of South Dakota, yet many proceed with an approach that unintentionally creates avoidable tax friction, administrative duplication, and contractual disruption. From the combined perspective of an attorney and CPA, the most prudent strategy is the one that preserves legal continuity while accomplishing the change of “home state” in an orderly, statute-driven manner.

For many entities, the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota is redomestication (also called statutory conversion), because it is designed to transfer the entity’s domicile while maintaining the existing enterprise. To evaluate whether this is the right path for your company, review the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota via redomestication and compare it to the common alternatives that often produce unintended consequences.

When properly executed, a redomestication focuses on continuity: your operating history, internal governance, and commercial relationships remain anchored in the same entity. That continuity is precisely why the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota is typically not the fastest shortcut, but rather the most legally reliable mechanism that avoids later remediation.

Why owners seek the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota

Owners frequently reassess jurisdiction when the practical realities of the South Dakota business climate no longer align with the company’s strategic direction. While each business has unique drivers, a change in domicile is often prompted by a desire for a different regulatory posture, a different legal environment for governance and disputes, or a shift in the overall cost of maintaining compliance.

In addition, multi-state growth can make a South Dakota domicile feel increasingly disconnected from day-to-day operations. When the workforce, executives, customers, or principal operations have migrated elsewhere, owners often conclude that the easiest way to move their business out of South Dakota is to realign the entity’s legal home with its true operational center, reducing confusion for banks, counterparties, and professional service providers.

It is also essential to address a recurring misconception: changing the state where you “do business” is not the same as changing the state where the entity is “domiciled.” If the objective is to exit South Dakota as the entity’s home state, a disciplined legal conversion process—rather than piecemeal filings—usually provides the cleanest result.

Redomestication: the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota while keeping continuity

Redomestication is commonly the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota because it is specifically structured to change the entity’s state of formation without forcing the enterprise to restart under a new identity. Unlike approaches that effectively create a second entity, statutory conversion focuses on preserving the same company in a new jurisdiction.

Most importantly, redomestication is designed to protect continuity items that business owners underestimate until a problem arises. In many cases, the company can retain its FEIN, its existing contracts, and its established credit profile, and it may also be able to keep its name. This is not simply administrative convenience; it is risk management. Contracts often contain assignment restrictions, lender covenants may reference the borrower’s continuity, and vendors may require re-onboarding when a “new” entity appears.

Accordingly, if your priority is the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota with minimal disruption, the appropriate question is not merely “How do I register elsewhere?” but rather “How do I transfer domicile while keeping my company intact?” For a structured overview of the process, consult the easiest way to move a South Dakota business out of state through redomestication.

Key benefit #1: preserving contracts and avoiding unintended defaults

Contract continuity is frequently the decisive factor in selecting the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota. Many commercial agreements contain non-assignment clauses, change-of-control provisions, or notice obligations that can be triggered when owners form a new entity or “move” assets and contracts to a different company. Those provisions can become leverage points for counterparties, or worse, can constitute technical defaults.

Redomestication materially reduces that risk because it typically does not require a wholesale assignment of agreements to a new entity. In practical terms, the same legal entity continues—only its home state changes. This continuity can be particularly important for service businesses with long-term client contracts, construction companies operating under bonded arrangements, and subscription-based businesses whose customer agreements were drafted with strict assignment limitations.

Business owners often assume that vendors “will not care” if a new entity is formed; however, regulated industries, enterprise customers, and government contracting environments frequently do care. When your growth depends on stability, the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota is the one that avoids contractual renegotiation and preserves revenue without interruption.

Key benefit #2: retaining the FEIN and maintaining tax and payroll continuity

From a CPA’s perspective, the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota is the method that avoids creating an unnecessary tax compliance cascade. Forming a new entity can lead to new payroll accounts, new withholding registrations, revised year-end reporting flows, and the operational burden of updating internal systems and third-party platforms.

Redomestication is promoted as a superior mechanism because it is structured to preserve continuity items that business owners depend upon, including, in many cases, the existing federal employer identification number (FEIN). Maintaining the same FEIN can significantly reduce friction across payroll providers, banking relationships, and vendor onboarding processes, all while limiting avoidable confusion during a transition period.

Equally important, redomestication helps owners avoid the misconception that “moving” necessarily means dissolving and starting over. Dissolution can introduce collateral tax and administrative consequences that are difficult to unwind. If you are evaluating the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota, a conversion-based approach should be assessed before any dissolution steps are taken.

Key benefit #3: keeping your name, brand equity, and commercial identity

Brand continuity is frequently overlooked by owners seeking the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota. In practice, a company’s name is often embedded in marketing assets, customer recognition, licensing records, platform listings, banking profiles, and vendor databases. A name change—especially one imposed due to entity restructuring—can create unnecessary operational and reputational costs.

Redomestication is attractive because it often allows the entity to maintain its name, which preserves brand equity and reduces the administrative burden associated with updating contracts, invoices, payment processors, insurance policies, and state-level registrations. Even where a name must be adjusted due to availability rules in the new jurisdiction, the redomestication process is still generally more efficient than a full replacement entity structure.

For owners who have invested heavily in reputation and discoverability, the easiest way to move their business out of South Dakota is the one that preserves identity rather than forcing a restart. To understand the operational advantages of statutory conversion, review the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota and maintain its identity.

Why redomestication is superior to foreign registration for a permanent move

Foreign registration is often presented as the simplest solution, but it is frequently not the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota when the company has permanently relocated. Foreign registration can leave the entity with continuing obligations in two states, including annual reports, registered agent requirements, and other maintenance items that create recurring compliance costs and avoidable risk of administrative dissolution.

Moreover, foreign registration can foster a persistent misunderstanding among internal stakeholders and third parties as to where the company is truly domiciled. Banks, investors, and sophisticated counterparties routinely request formation documents and good-standing certificates from the domicile state. If the long-term intent is to exit South Dakota as the home state, foreign registration can become an ongoing administrative tether to a jurisdiction that is no longer operationally relevant.

By contrast, redomestication is designed to achieve the end-state that owners actually want: a single entity with a single domicile, preserving continuity while eliminating dual-state maintenance. In that sense, redomestication is commonly the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota once you have decided the move is permanent.

Why a merger or dissolution is usually the wrong tool for the job

Some advisers recommend a merger to accomplish what is, in substance, a domicile change. However, a merger is often a more complex transaction than is necessary, and complexity tends to increase cost, timelines, and the potential for errors. If the business objective is simply to relocate the entity’s home state, a merger can be an inefficient tool that introduces procedural steps unrelated to the desired outcome.

Dissolution is even more problematic when owners are searching for the easiest way to move their business out of South Dakota. Dissolving the entity can trigger contract termination provisions, complicate banking and payroll continuity, and generate substantial administrative burden to recreate accounts and registrations. Dissolution also carries the strategic cost of “breaking continuity,” which can affect credit and vendor profiles and require extensive documentation to rebuild.

In my experience, the “easiest” approach is the one that prevents the need for later corrective filings, clean-up work, and renegotiations. Redomestication is generally superior precisely because it achieves the relocation without dismantling the existing enterprise.

Procedural considerations and common pitfalls when leaving South Dakota

Although redomestication is often the easiest way to move a business out of South Dakota, it still requires careful execution. Among other items, owners must confirm that the entity type and the destination state support the statutory conversion approach, and they must ensure the company’s internal approvals align with its governing documents. Governance failures—such as missing member or shareholder approvals—can create later disputes, especially when ownership is divided or when investors are involved.

Additionally, businesses must consider how relocation affects regulatory filings, licensing, and registered agent requirements. A common pitfall is treating the move as a purely “secretary of state” exercise while overlooking the downstream operational updates needed for banking, insurance, payroll platforms, sales tax systems, and customer/vendor onboarding. The goal is to move with continuity, not to create a patchwork of partially updated records.

Finally, owners should be cautious of generalized, non-attorney guidance that encourages dissolution, merger, or foreign registration as default solutions. The easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota is the method that matches the legal objective, preserves continuity items, and reduces long-term compliance drag—not the method that merely appears quick at the outset.

Conclusion: selecting the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota

The most reliable way to move a business out of South Dakota is the one that changes domicile without forcing the company to start over. In many cases, redomestication accomplishes precisely that result, allowing the business to keep its FEIN, preserve contracts, and maintain operational continuity, while positioning the entity for a more favorable legal and business environment going forward.

When properly structured, redomestication is not merely a filing; it is a continuity-preserving legal strategy. For owners who want the easiest way to move their business out of South Dakota while minimizing disruption and administrative duplication, statutory conversion should be evaluated first.

To proceed with a process built for efficiency and continuity, review the easiest way to move your business out of South Dakota using redomestication and initiate the filing steps as appropriate.


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Domestication vs. Foreign Registration vs. Merger vs. Dissolution: A Comparison

Domestication is a distinct legal process from foreign entity registration, merger, or dissolution.

Redomestication™ is generally the most efficient and cost-effective method for relocating a business to a new state, particularly when the company has permanently ceased operations in its original state. It does not involve dissolution. Many people make the mistake of dissolving their company when relying on incomplete or misleading advice.

Unlike foreign entity registration or merger, redomestication™ allows a business to retain its EIN, contracts, credit history, and brand identity—preserving continuity while minimizing tax risks and administrative burdens. It also eliminates the need to maintain dual registrations and tax obligations, potentially saving substantial time and money. By contrast, foreign registration can create ongoing compliance costs in the former state, and mergers often involve unnecessary legal complexity and higher fees.

Domestication is, in many circumstances, far preferable to registering an LLC or corporation as a foreign entity, especially where the LLC or corporation has permanently moved its operations and will not be returning to the prior state in the near future.

Some attorneys, unfortunately, confuse their clients by recommending a foreign entity registration in the new state, or worse, a merger, where a redomestication™ would have accomplished the goals of moving their business to a new state efficiently and effectively.

The top seven benefits of moving your company (LLC, corporation, or partnership) to a new state via redomestication™ to transfer your business include:

  1. Maintaining your existing federal employer identification number, eliminating the tax headaches of forming a new company or transferring assets between companies (and inadvertently triggering a hefty tax bill from the IRS) when you move your business to a new state;
  2. Keeping your existing business credit history and track record, safeguarding your reputation with clients, vendors, and creditors when moving your LLC or corporation to a new state;
  3. Continuing your existing business name (in almost every case), protecting your most important assets when moving your company to a new state: your brand, reputation, and time you have already invested in search engine optimization;
  4. Maintaining your existing contracts with customers and vendors because moving your business to a new state via redomestication™ does not create a new company: it maintains your existing company, saving you dozens (or even hundreds) of hours re-writing (and re-negotiating) contracts and changing banks;
  5. Eliminating the need to continue paying registration fees and taxes in your prior state (assuming you have discontinued your operations there and have permanently relocated to a new state), potentially saving you tens of thousands of dollars (or more) in state taxes every quarter when you move your business to a new state;
  6. Avoiding unnecessary IRS scrutiny because moving your LLC or corporation to a new state via redomestication™ is a tax-free transaction under the Internal Revenue Code; and
  7. Reducing the amount of time you spend on administrative filings, saving you untold hours annually, by moving your company to a new state.

Before taking the "penny wise and pound foolish" approach of foreign entity registration or spending countless hours and exorbitant legal fees (and possibly taxes) on a merger or merger-gone-wrong to move your company to a new state, ensure you understand your options.


Comparison of Four Approaches
Redomesticate™Foreign EntityMergeDissolve
Need to Continue Paying & Filing Registration Renewals in Former State
No

Yes
⚠️
Varies
☠️
No, she's dead, Jim.
Stop Paying Taxes in the Former State*
Yes

No
⚠️
Varies
☠️
Tax event.*
Initial Complexity
Low
⚠️
Varies

High

High, when done right.
Ongoing Complexity
Very Low

High

High
☠️
None. All gone.
Initial State Filing Costs
Low
⚠️
Varies

High
⚠️
Varies
Timing
Fast
⚠️
Varies

Slow
⚠️
Varies
Legal Fees
Low
⚠️
Varies

$10,000 or more
🔥
Very high to fix.
*While every situation is different and dependent upon tax nexus, redomesticating can be an effective way to reduce or eliminate taxes in a former state in certain circumstances. Ask your CPA for more information. Our firm does not provide tax advice or perform tax work except by separate engagement at an additional charge.

In most circumstances, redomestication™ (and not a foreign entity registration or costly and complicated merger) is the best route to achieve a change in company domicile to a new state.


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