How Do You Determine Your State of Legal Residence?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 28, 2020

An individual’s state of legal residence, also called a domicile, is the official state in which an individual primarily lives and establishes a permanent address. This residence is usually the location where an individual has significant family, occupational, economic, political and social ties.

A person’s state of legal residence may be a domicile of origin, which is where the individual was born; a domicile of law; or a domicile of an individual’s choosing. A new state of legal residence may only be acquired by changing the previous state of legal residence. A minor’s state of legal residence is the state of legal residence of the parent or guardian who has legal custody over them.