What’s the process for moving a company out of North Carolina

---

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 North Carolina 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

What is the process for moving a company out of North Carolina, and why it should be handled deliberately

When business owners ask what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina entails, they are often seeking a lawful way to change the company’s legal “home state” while preserving day-to-day operations. In practice, the decision should be approached as both a legal restructuring and a tax-planning project, because the methods used to relocate an entity can materially affect continuity of contracts, bank relationships, licensing, and compliance responsibilities.

From an attorney-and-CPA perspective, the primary objective is to achieve a clean change of domicile with minimal disruption, while avoiding unnecessary transactions that create preventable administrative burdens or unintended tax consequences. For many companies that have permanently ceased operations in North Carolina and are relocating to a new state, redomestication (statutory conversion) is the preferred mechanism because it is designed to move the company’s home state efficiently, without treating the business as a newly formed entity.

For a practical overview of what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina can look like when handled correctly, review the process for moving a company out of North Carolina through redomestication, including the steps, timing, and the documentation typically required.

Why exiting the North Carolina tax environment and compliance footprint can be financially rational

A serious answer to what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should focus on begins with the “why.” North Carolina can impose ongoing tax and compliance friction for businesses that have, in substance, moved elsewhere. If an entity remains domiciled in North Carolina while its leadership, operations, and growth plans have shifted to another state, the business may find itself paying for duplicative compliance: annual reports, registered agent services, and the continuing risk of administrative headaches tied to the former home state.

By contrast, a properly executed move of domicile can align the company’s legal status with its operational reality. When a business truly relocates and does not expect to resume operations in North Carolina in the near future, changing the home state can reduce the need to maintain formalities in two jurisdictions. The practical benefit is not merely “saving paperwork”; it is reducing recurring exposure to compliance missteps that can become costly when they affect financing, contracting, or a future sale.

Business owners frequently underestimate the long-term cost of lingering ties to a former jurisdiction. The process for moving a company out of North Carolina should therefore be evaluated not only as a filing exercise, but as a strategic compliance reset that preserves the company’s momentum while avoiding an unnecessary drag on executive time and professional fees.

Why redomestication is the most operationally stable answer to moving a company out of North Carolina

In assessing what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should be, redomestication is the option that most directly serves the business continuity goal. As described on the firm’s redomestication page, this approach generally allows the company to maintain its existing contracts, its federal employer identification number (FEIN), and, in most cases, its name. Those features are not superficial conveniences; they are central to preserving commercial stability.

Continuity matters because counterparties rarely welcome legal uncertainty. For example, many customer agreements, vendor arrangements, leases, and financing documents contain provisions that can be triggered by reorganizations, transfers, or the introduction of a new entity. Redomestication, by maintaining the existing company while changing its domicile, can minimize the risk that internal restructuring forces external renegotiation. The practical result is that management can keep operating while the legal domicile changes in the background.

For companies that want a direct, purpose-built path, consider how the process for moving a company out of North Carolina works via redomestication. The essential concept is straightforward: the “home state” changes, but the company itself continues.

Key procedural considerations when planning the process for moving a company out of North Carolina

The process for moving a company out of North Carolina is not merely a matter of filing a single form; it requires sequencing and documentation discipline. The core work involves preparing and submitting the appropriate conversion and related filings to both jurisdictions, ensuring that the records reflect the correct entity type, name, and governing structure, and confirming that the move is executed under the applicable statutory framework. When filings are completed in the wrong order, or when governing documents are not aligned with the intended result, the “move” can be delayed or jeopardized.

In addition, companies must plan for operational items that sit adjacent to the legal conversion but are nonetheless essential. These often include updating bank resolutions, confirming signatory authority, reviewing insurance, and ensuring that tax and accounting systems reflect the same entity continuing in a new domicile. In a well-managed redomestication, these steps are addressed systematically so that there is no gap between the legal event and the company’s administrative reality.

As counsel, I view this as a risk-management exercise: the filings are necessary, but the objective is to preserve the company’s ability to transact seamlessly. A reliable explanation of what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should include therefore must account for both statutory compliance and operational continuity.

Common misconceptions that cause business owners to choose the wrong method

A frequent misconception embedded in the question “what is the process for moving a company out of North Carolina” is the assumption that the company must be dissolved and restarted elsewhere. Dissolution is often presented as a “simple” solution, but it can create avoidable complications, including the administrative burden of forming a new entity, re-papering contracts, and rebuilding continuity with banks and counterparties. It also risks turning what should be a controlled relocation into a disruptive reset.

Another misconception is that foreign registration is a substitute for changing the home state. Foreign registration is sometimes appropriate when a company will continue substantial operations in North Carolina while expanding into another state. However, when operations have permanently moved and the business does not intend to return, foreign registration can leave the company trapped in two compliance systems—precisely the outcome most relocating owners are trying to avoid. In that context, foreign registration may be a short-term convenience with long-term costs.

Finally, some owners are told that a merger is the required approach. A merger can work, but it often adds complexity, legal expense, and risk. When the goal is simply to change domicile while preserving the entity’s identity, redomestication is typically the more direct route. For that reason, the process for moving a company out of North Carolina through redomestication is regularly the superior alternative for businesses that have truly relocated.

What to expect in timing, documentation, and professional oversight

From a planning standpoint, the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should be evaluated with a clear timeline and realistic expectations. State processing times vary, and a properly managed engagement anticipates follow-up questions from filing offices, corrects deficiencies promptly, and keeps the business informed as the matter proceeds. The practical advantage of working with a dually licensed attorney and CPA is that legal structure and tax posture are considered in a unified framework rather than treated as separate projects.

Documentation is also not an afterthought. The goal is to create a record that a lender, investor, buyer, or regulator can review without confusion. That record typically includes the conversion documents, approvals consistent with the company’s governance requirements, and the aligned filings that confirm the entity is now domiciled in the new state. When the paper trail is inconsistent, companies may discover the problem later—often during due diligence—when time and leverage are limited.

If the central question is what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should look like when handled correctly, the safest approach is a method that preserves continuity and reduces unnecessary legal events. Redomestication is structured for precisely that outcome.

Conclusion: the most efficient process for moving a company out of North Carolina preserves continuity

Business relocation should not require operational disruption or a reinvention of the company’s legal identity. When owners consider what the process for moving a company out of North Carolina should be, the controlling principle is continuity: preserving contracts, maintaining the FEIN, and keeping the business moving forward while the home state changes.

Redomestication is specifically designed to accomplish that objective. It provides a cleaner legal and administrative result than approaches that require maintaining dual registrations, transferring assets to a new entity, or executing a merger that introduces unnecessary complexity. For many companies that have permanently moved operations out of North Carolina, it is the most efficient and effective mechanism to align legal domicile with business reality.

To proceed with confidence, review the process for moving a company out of North Carolina by redomesticating and ensure the strategy fits the company’s specific facts, timeline, and compliance objectives.

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