What Is a Florida Declaration of Domicile?
The Florida Declaration of Domicile is a sworn statement that your Florida residential address is now your permanent residence or “domicile.” Your domicile is simply the legal jurisdiction that serves as your permanent home and legal residence—where you vote, license vehicles, pay income tax, and maintain your most significant social and personal ties—so to declare a county in Florida to be your new domicile is to declare that Florida is now, for all intents and purposes, your new home.
To file a Declaration of Domicile in Florida, you must submit the required form to your county clerk’s office and pay a variable recording fee determined by each county in Florida. Depending on your county, you can record your Florida Declaration of Domicile in person, by mail, or both. Regardless of the county, your Florida Declaration of Domicile must be notarized, either by a notary public or the deputy clerk of a Florida court.
Florida Declaration of Domicile Requirements
The requirements for a Florida Declaration of Domicile may vary a little from county to county, but in most cases you can expect your county’s Florida Declaration of Domicile form to require the following basic information:
- Your name
- The street address of your former residence
- The date you moved to Florida
- Your Florida street address
Additionally, if you own or maintain other homes elsewhere, you will need to list those addresses and declare that your Florida residence, not one of these other homes, is your principal and permanent home.
Make sure, of course, that every claim on your Florida Declaration of Domicile is true. The penalty for falsely recording a Florida Declaration of Domicile includes a $5,000 fine and up to 5 years in a Florida state prison.
Do I have to file a Declaration of Domicile to become a Florida resident?
No. You don’t have to record a Florida Declaration of Domicile in your county to officially become a Florida resident, but it is an excellent way to make your intent crystal clear to Florida and your former state.
Does filing my Declaration of Domicile make me a Florida resident?
Not automatically. Recording a Florida Declaration of Domicile can help contribute to both Florida and your former state recognizing the legitimacy of your move to Florida, but merely submitting a document to the state declaring yourself a resident of Florida isn’t enough. You must also take concrete steps to prove that Florida is really your new (and permanent) home.
Interested in receiving your mail at an address in Florida? Learn how to get a Florida mailing address at Northwest’s Florida Mail Forwarding Service guide.
