Looking for an economical way to move your LLC to a new state?
LLC domestication is usually the most cost-effective way to move your LLC to another state. We provide several options to ensure a smooth transition for your business at a reasonable cost. Click the link below to get a free, no-obligation analysis, or continue reading to find out more.
LLC domestication—known in some states as LLC conversion1—is usually the simplest and most cost-effective way to move an existing LLC from one state to another.
The cost for an LLC domestication may be broken down into several components: labor costs, filing fees, and (in some cases) registered agent fees. Each of these components is discussed in more detail below.
Labor Costs
LLC domestication is more labor-intensive than LLC formation. It requires analysis of two sets of state law, preparation of a group of legal documents that are designed to comply with the laws of both states, filing those documents with both state agencies, and communicating with both the state agencies and the business owners and managers regarding the domestication.
Labor costs are the most variable of the three components. A provider who is not familiar with the conversion process—for example, an attorney who does not handle much LLC domestication work—may not be able to predict the overall cost with any degree of accuracy. Because of cost unpredictability, many attorneys bill on an hourly basis for LLC domestication work.
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To provide price predictability, we use a flat-fee billing structure that includes an up-front price quote for all services necessary to transfer the LLC to the new state from the original state of formation.
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Secretary of State Filing Fees
Attorney Practice Note: The documents filed with state agencies require, as a legal prerequisite, the preparation and authorization of a plan of domestication to move the LLC from one state to another. In other words, these documents are used to notify the Secretary of State of the domestication once the plan of domestication and related documents are already in place. They are not standalone documents.
Both Secretaries of State (or corresponding state agencies) will charge a filing fee for examining and filing the articles of domestication2 in the public records.
The filing fee can be determined in advance by examining the fee schedules that the Secretary of State (or corresponding state office) charges to file the documents required. Because documents must be filed in two states—the state that LLC is moving from and the state that the LLC is moving to—both sets of filing fees must be considered.
The following chart provides an example of filing fees charged by some of the most popular LLC domestication states:3
Filing Fees for LLCs Transferring INTO the State
| State | Fee | Includes |
| California | $90.00 | Articles of Organization – Conversion (Form LLC-1A) ($70.00) and Statement of Information ($20.00) |
| Florida | $150.00 | Articles of Conversion ($25.00) and Articles of Organization ($125.00) |
| Texas | $600.00 | Certificate of Conversion ($300.00) and Certificate of Formation ($300.00) |
Filing Fees for LLCs Transferring OUT OF the State
| State | Fee | Includes |
| California | $30.00 | California Certificate of Conversion (CONV-1A) |
| Florida | $150.00 | Articles of Conversion ($25.00) and Articles of Organization ($125.00) |
| Texas | $300.00 | Certificate of Conversion |
Calculating Total Agency Fees
To calculate total fees, add the new state’s filing fees to the old state’s filing fees. For example, if the LLC is moving from California to Texas, the filing fees will be $630.00 ($600.00 to the Texas Secretary of State (from the first table) and $30.00 to the California Secretary of State (from the second table).
Registered Agent Fees
In almost all states, an LLC is required to have a registered agent. When domesticating an LLC into a new state, a registered agent must be chosen for the new state. If the business owners or managers live in-state and prefer to serve as the registered agent—and if they do not mind listing their personal or business address as the registered agent’s address—one of them may serve as the registered agent. In most cases, a corporate registered agent is a better choice. Corporate registered agent services can vary but usually cost around $125.00 annually.
Legal References
- For purposes of simplicity, this article uses the term domestication to refer to the process of changing the jurisdiction that governs an LLC. A minority of states use the term conversion to refer to the same procedure. ↩︎
- The following states use the term articles of domestication to refer to the document that must be filed with the state to approve the domestication: Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Indiana. This document may be called articles of domestication (Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Indiana); statement of domestication (Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania); articles of conversion (Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington) or certificate of conversion (California, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas). It may also be called a statement of conversion (Colorado, Maine), certificate of domestication (Kansas), request for conversion (Louisiana), or statement/plan of domestication (District of Columbia). ↩︎
- These costs are believed to be accurate at the time of this writing. Agencies may update costs from time to time without notice. ↩︎