Pennsylvania LLC Domestication (PA) | A Well Researched Guide to Move an LLC to (or form) Pennsylvania

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Many LLC owners who plan to move their business to Pennsylvania (PA) ask, “Does Pennsylvania allow LLC domestication?”, “Is Pennsylvania LLC domestication a good choice?” or “How to domesticate an LLC in Pennsylvania?

If you are in a similar situation, keep on reading. This Pennsylvania LLC domestication guide has all the information that you seek.

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What is Pennsylvania LLC Domestication?

LLC domestication in Pennsylvania means changing the location or domicile of your LLC from any state into Pennsylvania. In other words, if you want to move your Georgia LLC to Pennsylvania, for instance, LLC domestication is the best way to do so.  

By LLC domestication, you change the governing laws of your LLC. Domesticating your LLC into Pennsylvania will have the following benefits over other methods of moving your LLC to Pennsylvania:

  • LLC domestication allows you to maintain previous business relationships.
  • No need to renew contracts made in the previous state.
  • No need to change bank accounts and credit rating.
  • You can retain your EIN (Tax ID Number).
  • No need to rehire employees.
  • No need to transfer assets.

How to Domesticate your LLC in Pennsylvania

There’s always something new to learn in the ever-changing landscape of business, and this same goes for LLC domestication in Pennsylvania. Below, we explained the process of transferring an LLC from any state to Pennsylvania via PA LLC domestication in 3 simple steps.

Step One

Acquire a Certificate of Good Standing 

A certificate of good standing is also called a certificate of existence or certificate of status in some states. It is a legal document issued by the state authorities, usually the secretary of state. 

This certificate verifies that your LLC or corporation was legally formed and operated in a state compliance manner.

In other words, this official document states that you timely pay your LLC taxes, submit LLC annual reports and fees, follow the state laws in all business operations: hence, your business is in good standing with the state.

Pennsylvania LLC domestication requires that your LLC does not have any outstanding debts or taxes in the home state. So you have to pay state taxes, LLC annual fees, and other fees in the state where you initially registered your LLC

To prove that your LLC is up to date on all important business marks, you need to submit a certificate of status while filing Articles of Domestication in Pennsylvania.

Step Two

Approval of LLC Domestication 

Before you file articles of domestication with the Pennsylvania Department of State, you need to acquire approval from the state where you originally formed your LLC. 

Contact the state department where you initially filed your articles of organization and acquire permission to move your business out of that state. 

For instance, if you want to move your Texas LLC to Pennsylvania, you need to get permission to transfer your LLC out of Texas from the Texas Secretary of State. 

Step Three

File an Articles of Domestication Pennsylvania

To formally move your LLC from the LLC’s home state to Pennsylvania, you need to file articles of domestication downloaded with the Pennsylvania department of state.

With Pennsylvania Articles of Domestication, you will see Pennsylvania articles of organization form as well. So you need to file the Pennsylvania certificate of domestication along with the Pennsylvania articles of domestication.

To download both forms, click on the link below:

Moreover, you also need to submit the certificate of good standing to show that your LLC does not have any outstanding state taxes or debts in the previous state.

Finally, depending on the LLC management structure mentioned in your LLC operating agreement, you need the signature of the authorized person to sign the Pennsylvania LLC domestication form. After completing all the information, send the complete forms to:

Mailing Address:
New Filing Section
Division of Corporations
P.O. Box 6327
Tallahassee, PA 32314

In Person Filing Address:
New Filing Section
Division of Corporations
The Centre of Tallahassee
2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810
Tallahassee, PA 32303

Requirements to Complete Pennsylvania Articles of Domestication Form

As mentioned earlier that Pennsylvania articles of domestication are filed with the Pennsylvania articles or organization; the following information/documents will be needed to complete the LLC domestication process:

  • Certificate of good standing from the previous state
  • LLC domestication approval from the previous state
  • Name of the domesticating entity (The name of your LLC with which you used to operate your business in the previous state)
  • The name of the previous state where your LLC was registered
  • The date when your LLC was formed initially
  • Pennsylvania articles of organization form with Pennsylvania registered agent information
  • Signature of the authorized person to initiate LLC domestication
  • The effective date of the LLC domestication, if it is not the same as the date of filing of the Pennsylvania articles of domestication

Pennsylvania LLC Domestication Fee (Cost)

To convert an out-of-state LLC into a Pennsylvania LLC, you need to pay the following fee to the Pennsylvania Department of State along with the Pennsylvania articles of domestication:

  • Articles of Domestication: $25
  • Articles of Organization: $125
  • Total to Domesticate and file: $150

Alternatives to LLC Domestication Pennsylvania

If you do not plan to move your LLC to Pennsylvania permanently, or for any other reason Pennsylvania LLC domestication does not seem suitable, the followings are the alternative to Pennsylvania LLC domestication:

What Next After Pennsylvania LLC Domestication?

Once the state of Pennsylvania domesticates your LLC, the laws of the previous state will no longer apply to your LLC.

Now your LLC will be governed under the LLC statute of Pennsylvania. Now, to remain compliant with the laws of Pennsylvania, you need to:

Moving an LLC out of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of state allows an LLC to move out of Pennsylvania via LLC domestication. However, the law of the other state must permit LLC domestication in its statute.

If the law of the other state does not permit LLC domestication, you should look for alternatives of LLC domestication to transfer your LLC out of Pennsylvania.  

For the states that allow LLC domestication, you need to submit a Pennsylvania certificate of status to domesticate your LLC there. Click on the following link to get a Pennsylvania certificate of status.

FAQs on How to Domesticate an LLC in Pennsylvania

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