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Legal way to move a company out of Delaware


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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.

24-48 hours

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.

Same Day

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.

1-3 months

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 Delaware 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

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How to identify a legal way to move a company out of Delaware without disrupting operations

When business owners ask for a legal way to move a company out of Delaware, they are rarely seeking a theoretical discussion of entity law. They want an operationally sound, document-driven pathway that changes the company’s state of domicile while keeping the enterprise intact. From an attorney-and-CPA perspective, the objective is continuity: preserving contractual relationships, maintaining banking and merchant processing arrangements, and avoiding unnecessary tax friction created by avoidable restructuring.

In practice, the most reliable legal way to move a company out of Delaware is a redomestication (i.e., a statutory conversion) as described by Cummings & Cummings Law. Redomestication is designed to relocate the “home state” of the existing entity—rather than creating a substitute entity—so the company can proceed under the same operational identity while changing its legal domicile to a more favorable jurisdiction.

Accordingly, companies evaluating a legal way to move a company out of Delaware should begin by reviewing the redomestication mechanism and its eligibility criteria, then proceed with a structured filing plan. For a detailed overview and to initiate filings, see a legal way to move a company out of Delaware through redomestication.

Why many businesses benefit from exiting Delaware’s tax environment, legal system, and business climate

Delaware offers a well-known corporate brand, but that brand is not a universal fit. As an entity matures, owners often reevaluate the costs and practical realities of maintaining a Delaware domicile, particularly where operations, employees, and decision-makers are located elsewhere. Over time, the benefits of leaving Delaware can become more concrete than the perceived prestige of remaining.

From a compliance standpoint, a company may face recurring obligations that feel increasingly detached from day-to-day business needs. Owners also become more sensitive to the broader regulatory and litigation environment associated with a Delaware domicile. A carefully executed legal way to move a company out of Delaware can therefore serve as a strategic reset: it aligns the entity’s domicile with its operational reality, governance preferences, and long-term planning objectives.

Most importantly, businesses should not treat relocation as a purely administrative event. The selected method should be evaluated for its impact on contracts, tax posture, identity continuity, and operational stability. That is precisely why redomestication is commonly the preferred approach when owners seek a legal way to move a company out of Delaware with minimal disruption.

Redomestication (statutory conversion): the most practical legal way to move a company out of Delaware

Redomestication is distinct from “starting over” with a new entity. It is a statutory, document-based method to change the entity’s home state while maintaining the same underlying business. When properly implemented, redomestication provides what most owners are truly requesting when they ask for a legal way to move a company out of Delaware: continuity without disruption.

In particular, redomestication is valued because it is structured to preserve key operational identifiers. According to the redomestication framework described by Cummings & Cummings Law, the company can generally retain its existing contracts, its federal employer identification number (FEIN), and, in most cases, its name. Those attributes are not merely conveniences; they often determine whether the relocation is commercially painless or operationally destabilizing.

For business owners prioritizing a clean, defensible record of continuity, the most efficient step is to follow a redomestication plan tailored to the entity type and target state. To proceed, use the legal way to move a Delaware company to a new state via redomestication and ensure the filings are aligned across both jurisdictions.

Contract continuity: avoiding inadvertent defaults and renegotiations

A frequent misconception is that changing domicile necessarily requires recreating the company or transferring its assets into a new entity. That misunderstanding can trigger avoidable consequences: contract counterparties may demand amendments, landlords may require new guarantees, and lenders may treat the change as a new-credit event. A legal way to move a company out of Delaware should be chosen precisely to avoid these downstream disruptions.

Redomestication is commonly superior because it is designed to keep the existing entity intact, thereby reducing the likelihood that routine counterparties will treat the transition as an assignment or novation event. While any sophisticated review should include an audit of critical contracts (for change-of-control clauses, consent requirements, and notice provisions), the redomestication approach generally supports the continuity that operational stakeholders expect.

FEIN continuity: preventing payroll and banking complications

From a tax administration perspective, changing an FEIN can be costly. Payroll systems, benefits platforms, merchant processors, and banks often key off the FEIN for identity verification and compliance. When owners attempt a “new entity” approach as their legal way to move a company out of Delaware, they can inadvertently create delays, re-underwriting, and reporting inconsistencies that last for months.

By contrast, redomestication, as described by Cummings & Cummings Law, allows the entity to maintain its existing FEIN, which is a primary reason it is viewed as the best legal way to move a company out of Delaware for operating businesses. The practical consequence is straightforward: fewer vendor interruptions, fewer payroll complications, and a more coherent compliance record.

Why redomestication is superior to foreign registration, mergers, or dissolution when leaving Delaware

It is common to see business owners advised to “just register as a foreign entity” in the new state. That recommendation may sound simple, but it often fails to satisfy the actual goal—ending Delaware as the company’s domicile. Foreign registration can leave the business maintaining parallel compliance obligations, including ongoing reporting and fees in Delaware, even after operations have effectively moved elsewhere.

Mergers and dissolutions present different risks. A merger can be unnecessarily complex for what is, at its core, a domicile change; it can also generate avoidable professional fees and implementation delays. Dissolution, if used as the primary relocation tool, can create the most severe consequences, including contract and licensing disruptions and the need to reconstitute operational relationships under a new entity. As a legal way to move a company out of Delaware, dissolution is typically the least business-friendly option because it sacrifices continuity.

Redomestication, by comparison, is purpose-built for relocation. It directly addresses the central requirement: a lawful change of domicile that preserves the enterprise. For businesses seeking the cleanest legal way to move a company out of Delaware while maintaining identity and continuity, learn more at redomestication as a legal way to move a company out of Delaware.

Key procedural considerations for a compliant move out of Delaware

To execute a legal way to move a company out of Delaware, the process must be approached as a coordinated set of filings and approvals—not a single form. The entity’s governing documents, owner approvals, and state filings must align, and the company must ensure that its post-move compliance profile is addressed (including registered agent changes, state-level reporting calendars, and any industry-specific licensing updates).

Additionally, the transition should be planned around practical business milestones. For example, if the company is approaching a contract renewal cycle, a financing event, or a material customer onboarding, it is prudent to schedule the redomestication to minimize administrative overlap and reduce the probability that third parties demand unnecessary documentation. A well-managed legal way to move a company out of Delaware is as much about project management and sequencing as it is about technical statutory compliance.

Finally, owners should not assume that informal actions—such as “moving the office” or “updating the mailing address”—change domicile. They do not. Domicile is a legal status established by statute and filings. Redomestication is designed to accomplish that legal change while protecting the operating identity of the company.

Common misconceptions that cause failed or expensive Delaware exits

One recurring misconception is that leaving Delaware is synonymous with “closing the Delaware company” and opening a new entity elsewhere. That approach often appears inexpensive at the outset, yet it can be materially more costly once the business confronts the realities of contracts, payroll, banking, and licensing. The most defensible legal way to move a company out of Delaware should be evaluated based on total lifecycle disruption, not just filing fees.

Another misconception is that foreign registration is “good enough” because the company can operate in the new state. However, the owners who seek a legal way to move a company out of Delaware are typically trying to end Delaware as the home state. A foreign registration may solve market access, but it can preserve the very dual-compliance posture the owner is trying to eliminate.

Finally, businesses underestimate documentation standards. Regulators, banks, and counterparties may request evidence of the entity’s continuity and authority in the new state. Redomestication is positioned to meet that need by providing a clean statutory record of the domicile change.

Conclusion: selecting the right legal way to move a company out of Delaware

The decision to relocate an entity’s domicile should be treated as a strategic legal and tax planning exercise, not a clerical task. Businesses often pursue a legal way to move a company out of Delaware to reduce ongoing friction, align governance with operational reality, and improve the overall administrative profile of the organization. The method chosen should therefore preserve continuity, reduce avoidable risk, and produce a defensible compliance record.

For most operating companies that want to leave Delaware while maintaining stability, redomestication (statutory conversion) is the preferred legal way to move a company out of Delaware because it preserves the company’s identity, including its FEIN and, in many cases, its name and contracts. It is a relocation mechanism designed to keep the enterprise moving forward rather than forcing it to rebuild from scratch.

To evaluate eligibility and begin the process promptly, proceed with a legal way to move a company out of Delaware using redomestication.


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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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This is a service of Cummings & Cummings Law located at Bernwood Courtyard at Pelican Landing in Bonita Springs, Florida. We are available at this location and other locations by advanced appointment only.

Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq. is admitted as an Attorney and Counselor at Law to The Florida Bar (Bar No. 1038575) and the State Bar of Texas (Bar No. 24134400) and as a Certified Public Accountant by the Florida Division of Certified Public Accounting (CPA No. AC49957) and the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (CPA No. 105825). Lisa A. Cummings is admitted as an Attorney and Counselor at Law to the Oklahoma Bar Association (Bar No. 10866).

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