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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 North 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?
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Licensed CPA
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Owes you fiduciary duties under the law
Yes

Yes

No*
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Experience
500+
⚠️
Varies

None*

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Success Rate
100%
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Varies

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Who knows?
Money-Back Guararantee
120%
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Timeline 🚀
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6 months+
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Months to fix
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Months to fix
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Very high to fix
*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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How to relocate a company from North Dakota without disrupting contracts, banking, or tax administration

Business owners searching for guidance on how to relocate a company from North Dakota are typically attempting to accomplish two objectives at once: (i) exit an unfavorable tax or compliance environment and (ii) preserve the enterprise they already built—its contractual relationships, financial identity, and operating history. When approached correctly, a change of “home state” can be executed in a manner that is operationally seamless and legally durable.

The principal mistake I see—both as an attorney and as a CPA—is treating the question of how to relocate a company from North Dakota as a simple “file a new entity elsewhere” project. That approach frequently triggers avoidable risk: contract assignment disputes, bank account disruptions, licensing gaps, and federal and state tax complications caused by changing the taxpayer identity. For most established businesses, the preferred solution is statutory conversion, commonly referred to as redomestication.

For a direct, efficient pathway, business owners should review how to relocate a company from North Dakota via redomestication and proceed with a process designed to preserve continuity, rather than recreate the business from scratch.

Why exiting the North Dakota tax and compliance environment can be a rational business decision

When evaluating how to relocate your company from North Dakota, it is prudent to begin with the “why.” Many companies initially select North Dakota for historical or logistical reasons and later outgrow the state’s practical fit for their business model. In that circumstance, the cost of maintaining the prior domicile may appear in ways that are easy to underestimate: time spent on annual reports, registered agent administration, duplicative filings, and state-level tax exposure that is unnecessary once operations are meaningfully elsewhere.

From a tax planning perspective, leaving the North Dakota environment may support a broader strategy to align the company’s legal home with its economic reality. Where operations and management have permanently moved, continuing to maintain the entity’s domicile in North Dakota can create confusion around nexus, apportionment, and compliance expectations. While each fact pattern must be evaluated carefully, owners should not assume that “keeping the company in North Dakota” is neutral; it can be an affirmative, ongoing decision with recurring costs.

Accordingly, the inquiry is not merely how to relocate a company from North Dakota, but how to do so in a manner that closes the door on unnecessary legacy obligations while protecting the enterprise’s legal and financial continuity.

Redomestication as the most reliable answer to how to relocate a company from North Dakota

Redomestication is specifically designed to change a business entity’s home state while maintaining the entity’s existence. In other words, the business does not “die” in North Dakota and “reappear” elsewhere; it continues, but under a new jurisdiction’s statutory framework. For owners considering how to relocate their company from North Dakota, this is the pivotal distinction, because continuity is typically the most valuable outcome.

As explained in the firm’s redomestication materials, statutory conversion commonly allows the company to retain its federal employer identification number (FEIN), preserve its contracts, and—in most cases—keep the same name. Those are not superficial conveniences. They are the mechanisms that keep payroll, banking, vendor relationships, customer agreements, and credit history operating without the friction that arises when a “new” entity is formed and forced to re-paper the business.

Owners seeking a structured pathway should consult how to relocate a company from North Dakota using a redomestication strategy, particularly where the business has matured beyond a simple startup profile and has active contractual and financial infrastructure that must be preserved.

Key continuity advantages: FEIN, contracts, and brand identity

The best practical summary of how to relocate a company from North Dakota is that the legal mechanism must match the business objective. If your goal is to continue operating with the same payroll systems, tax accounts, vendor arrangements, and customer commitments, then you should avoid methods that force a new taxpayer identity or require widespread contract assignments. Redomestication is tailored to avoid those outcomes.

FEIN continuity is a frequent deciding factor. A new entity formation typically requires a new FEIN, which can cascade into changes to payroll provider accounts, retirement plan records, merchant services, and federal and state tax registrations. Contract continuity is equally critical; many agreements restrict assignment, require consent, or contain change-of-control or reorganization provisions that can be triggered by poorly structured moves. Brand identity continuity is also important, as maintaining the same entity name (where available) avoids customer confusion and reduces the operational burden associated with rebranding or rewriting public-facing compliance materials.

For owners who want the least disruptive implementation, how to relocate your company from North Dakota while keeping the same FEIN and contracts should be the guiding framework, not an afterthought.

Common misconceptions that create legal exposure when relocating from North Dakota

In practice, many problems arise because business owners are given oversimplified answers to how to relocate a company from North Dakota. One misconception is that foreign qualification in a new state “moves” the company. It does not. Foreign registration typically authorizes the existing North Dakota entity to do business in the new jurisdiction, but it leaves the entity domiciled in North Dakota, often requiring ongoing North Dakota filings and, depending on the facts, continuing state tax exposure.

A second misconception is that dissolution is a clean exit. Dissolution may terminate the entity and can trigger downstream issues: asset transfers, contract assignments, tax reporting complexity, and avoidable disputes with banks, vendors, or licensing authorities that expect the same entity to remain in place. Dissolution can be appropriate in limited circumstances, but it is not a default answer for a business that intends to continue operations.

A third misconception is that a merger is “the professional option.” Mergers can be effective in complex reorganizations, but they are frequently overused for what is fundamentally a domicile change. A merger can add legal steps, increase cost, and create opportunities for error—especially when owners are attempting to implement a move quickly. For most companies, the better question is not whether a merger can be done, but why it is being done instead of redomestication.

Procedural considerations that should be addressed before changing the company’s home state

To execute how to relocate a company from North Dakota properly, the planning phase should be treated as a legal and tax compliance project, not merely an administrative filing. At minimum, owners should identify (i) the target state’s eligibility requirements for statutory conversion, (ii) the company’s current entity type and governance documents, and (iii) whether any regulated licenses or permits are tied to the entity’s domicile.

It is also prudent to review key contracts for provisions related to assignment, consent, notices, and corporate changes. Although redomestication is designed to preserve contracts, sophisticated counterparties sometimes draft broadly. A disciplined review prevents unpleasant surprises and allows the company to deliver proper notices to banks, payment processors, landlords, and major vendors at the appropriate time.

Finally, any relocation plan should incorporate a post-conversion compliance checklist: updates to registered agent information, internal governance records, annual report calendars, and state tax registrations aligned with the new domicile. The objective is not simply to “get approved,” but to ensure the company remains in good standing and avoids compliance drift after the move.

Why professional guidance is essential for an efficient and defensible outcome

Owners often approach how to relocate their company from North Dakota with an understandable desire to minimize legal fees. However, the true cost driver is not the filing fee; it is the downstream remediation when a relocation is implemented in a manner that inadvertently changes the entity, disrupts contracts, or creates conflicting state tax positions. Correcting an avoidable error frequently requires more time and expense than completing the process correctly at the outset.

A properly managed redomestication engagement is designed to be predictable and orderly: confirm eligibility, prepare the conversion documentation, coordinate state filings, and then provide clear operational guidance for the business and its tax professionals. This structure reduces uncertainty and allows the company’s management team to remain focused on revenue-generating activity rather than procedural troubleshooting.

For a streamlined approach, business owners should use how to relocate a company from North Dakota with a redomestication filing as the baseline strategy, particularly where the business has meaningful contracts, a functioning banking ecosystem, employees, or established vendor relationships.

Conclusion: the most efficient path for how to relocate a company from North Dakota is statutory conversion

For an established business, the practical question is not merely how to relocate a company from North Dakota, but how to accomplish the relocation while preserving what gives the company value: continuity of legal existence, continuity of tax administration, continuity of contracts, and continuity of brand. Redomestication is purpose-built to deliver those outcomes.

In most cases, statutory conversion is superior to foreign registration, merger, or dissolution precisely because it is designed to avoid operational disruption. When properly executed, it allows the company to move its home state while keeping the existing FEIN, maintaining contractual relationships, and preserving the business’s identity and track record.

To proceed with the appropriate mechanism, review how to relocate your company from North Dakota through redomestication and implement a legally sound plan that aligns the company’s domicile with its future operations.


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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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