Steps to move a company out of West Virginia

---

Start Your Redomestication Now

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 West Virginia 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

Start Your Redomestication Now

Steps to move a company out of West Virginia: why the correct sequence matters

In my experience as an attorney and CPA, business owners commonly approach the steps to move a company out of West Virginia as though the task were merely administrative. In reality, a relocation implicates corporate authority, contract continuity, banking, licensing, and multi-state tax exposure. When these considerations are addressed in the correct order, owners can change the company’s “home state” while preserving operational stability and minimizing avoidable risk.

Equally important, the most efficient steps for moving a company out of West Virginia should be designed around continuity. Continuity is not simply a preference; it is often essential to preserving vendor relationships, customer agreements, and financing arrangements. For that reason, redomestication (i.e., statutory conversion) is typically the superior mechanism because it keeps the same entity in existence rather than forcing owners into a new entity, a merger, or a patchwork of duplicative state registrations.

For companies that have outgrown the West Virginia tax environment, legal system, or business climate, the appropriate next action is to evaluate whether the steps to move a company out of West Virginia through redomestication can achieve a clean domicile change while retaining the company’s contracts, FEIN, and (in most cases) its name.

The principal advantages of leaving the West Virginia tax environment and compliance posture

Many owners begin the steps to move a company out of West Virginia after concluding that ongoing compliance costs are disproportionate to the value received. While each business’s tax profile depends on facts, the strategic objective is often the same: reduce the friction created by state-level filing requirements, recurring fees, and an overall compliance posture that can become increasingly burdensome as the company scales.

When a company remains tethered to its former domicile by an ill-fitting structure—such as continuing to maintain dual registrations or filing in multiple jurisdictions unnecessarily—costs tend to compound. The most overlooked expense is not the one-time filing fee; it is the persistent drag of annual reports, registered agent maintenance, and recurring state-level obligations that continue long after operations have moved.

Accordingly, owners should prioritize steps for moving a company out of West Virginia that reduce ongoing compliance and avoid creating two “homes” for the same enterprise. For many companies, a redomestication-based plan for moving a company out of West Virginia delivers the cleanest compliance footprint because the entity’s domicile is transferred rather than duplicated.

Improving legal predictability and governance after exiting West Virginia

The steps to move a company out of West Virginia should be evaluated not only through the lens of taxes but also through the lens of governance and legal predictability. A company’s domicile dictates the statute that governs internal affairs, including fiduciary duties, shareholder or member rights, record-keeping standards, and the procedural requirements for significant transactions. These are not abstract concepts; they influence how disputes are resolved and how corporate actions are validated.

Owners sometimes assume that if operations have moved, the governing legal regime naturally “moves” as well. That assumption is incorrect. The domicile controls the internal rules of the entity. If you relocate operations but leave the company domiciled in West Virginia, you may still be operating under West Virginia’s statutory framework even while attempting to manage the business from another state.

For that reason, the most effective steps for moving a company out of West Virginia are those that align the company’s governing law with where leadership intends to build long-term. In practice, the steps to relocate a West Virginia company via redomestication can provide that alignment without forcing a disruptive change in entity identity.

Why redomestication is superior to foreign registration for a true relocation

A frequent misconception is that “registering as a foreign entity” in the new state completes the relocation. Foreign registration may provide authority to do business elsewhere, but it typically does not change the company’s home state. In other words, a foreign qualification approach can leave the business with ongoing obligations in West Virginia while adding an additional layer of filings, fees, and administrative maintenance in the new jurisdiction.

From a risk-management perspective, foreign registration is often the wrong tool for owners who have permanently ceased operations in West Virginia. It can preserve West Virginia as the entity’s governing domicile even though the business has effectively left. That mismatch can create practical complications in financing, contracting, and governance—particularly when counterparties or investors expect the entity’s formation documents to match its true business footprint.

For many owners, the more prudent steps to move a company out of West Virginia are those that achieve a domicile change rather than a compliance expansion. This is a principal reason that the steps for moving a West Virginia company through redomestication are frequently the preferred option when the relocation is intended to be permanent.

Why a merger is often an unnecessarily expensive and risky substitute

Another common detour in the steps to move a company out of West Virginia is the “merger solution,” typically involving the formation of a new entity in the target state and merging the West Virginia entity into it. While mergers have legitimate uses, they are often deployed when owners are simply trying to accomplish a change of domicile. In that context, the merger can be an expensive mechanism that introduces avoidable complexity.

Merger transactions can also create operational strain: new bank accounts may be required, counterparties may ask for assignment agreements, and internal authorizations become more intricate. Even when the legal work is handled competently, the merger approach tends to multiply documents and decision points, which increases the opportunity for mistakes and delays.

Owners seeking efficient steps for moving a company out of West Virginia should scrutinize whether a merger is truly necessary. In many cases, the steps to move a West Virginia business out of state using redomestication achieve the same end—changing the home state—without turning the relocation into a full-scale corporate reorganization.

The continuity benefits: contracts, FEIN, and name preservation

The most persuasive reason to favor redomestication during the steps to move a company out of West Virginia is continuity. Business owners rightly prioritize uninterrupted operations. The ability to preserve the company’s existing contracts, maintain its federal employer identification number (FEIN), and, in most cases, keep the same name substantially reduces friction with banks, payment processors, vendors, customers, and licensing agencies.

By contrast, forming a new entity or using a merger-based workaround can trigger a cascade of “administrative re-papering.” Counterparties may require written consents, updated W-9s, revised insurance certificates, and sometimes formal contract assignments. These tasks consume time, increase the likelihood of missed obligations, and can introduce disputes about whether rights were properly transferred.

For owners who want the steps to move a company out of West Virginia to be clean and operationally conservative, the continuity features are decisive. They are also why the steps for relocating a West Virginia company through redomestication should be evaluated early in the planning process rather than as an afterthought.

Common procedural considerations that are frequently overlooked

Even when the strategic approach is correct, the steps to move a company out of West Virginia can stall if owners underestimate procedural details. Examples include confirming that the entity is in good standing, confirming that required internal approvals are properly documented, ensuring that state filings align with the company’s governing documents, and identifying licenses or permits that must be updated once the domicile changes.

Another frequent oversight is failing to coordinate the timing of state filings with business operations. If the company is mid-contract renewal, negotiating financing, or onboarding a major customer, a poorly timed domicile change can generate confusion in diligence requests. Sophisticated counterparties often ask for formation documents, certificates of good standing, and evidence of authority; a transition period with inconsistent records can delay closing timelines.

Accordingly, the most reliable steps for moving a company out of West Virginia incorporate a plan for documentation continuity, stakeholder communications, and post-approval cleanup. When those tasks are coordinated through a single process, the steps to move a company out of West Virginia via redomestication can proceed with far fewer operational disruptions.

Misconceptions that lead owners to dissolve or “start over”

One of the costliest misconceptions in the steps to move a company out of West Virginia is the belief that the company must dissolve in order to “move.” Dissolution is a termination event, not a relocation tool. Dissolving may trigger contractual defaults, disrupt credit history, and create practical barriers to preserving the business’s brand identity and continuity.

Similarly, owners sometimes believe that forming a new entity is the simplest solution because it feels straightforward. However, the legal and operational consequences of “starting over” are frequently underestimated. The true cost is measured in lost time, added paperwork, avoidable professional fees to correct errors, and business interruptions that occur when a vendor or bank insists on new onboarding.

Sound planning replaces these misconceptions with disciplined execution. In many cases, the steps for moving a West Virginia company out of state through redomestication provide a lawful, orderly alternative that preserves the existing entity while accomplishing the domicile change.

Conclusion: selecting the right mechanism for a durable relocation

The steps to move a company out of West Virginia should be evaluated as a legal, financial, and operational strategy—not as a set of generic forms. A well-executed relocation reduces ongoing compliance burdens, improves governance alignment, and positions the business to operate in a jurisdiction that better supports its long-term goals. Most importantly, it should accomplish these objectives without needless disruption.

When the intent is a true domicile change, redomestication is commonly the best mechanism because it preserves the company’s identity while changing its home state. It is specifically designed to avoid the inefficiencies of foreign registration and the complexity of merger-based workarounds, while also avoiding the business discontinuity that comes with dissolution.

Business owners who are prepared to implement the steps for moving a company out of West Virginia should begin with a process engineered for continuity and compliance efficiency. The most direct next step is to review the steps to move a company out of West Virginia using redomestication and proceed with a filing strategy that preserves the company’s contracts, FEIN, and operational momentum.

Start Your Redomestication Now

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

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.

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.

Start Your Redomestication Now