If you are looking to establish domicile in Florida from Maryland, here are some tips:
- Sign a lease for as long a term as possible, or purchase a home or an apartment in Florida, and spend more time there than in Maryland (i.e. at least six months per year)
- Register to vote in Florida, and inform the State of Maryland of your relinquishment of the right to vote in Maryland
- Obtain a Florida driver’s license and relinquish your Maryland license
- Register your car in Florida and relinquish your Maryland registration
- Transfer major bank accounts to banks in Florida and close your Maryland accounts
- Open a safe deposit box and transfer all items in your Maryland safe deposit box, which should then be relinquished
- Execute a new will, not a codicil, reciting Florida as your new domicile
- If your estate plan includes charitable bequests, include a charitable organization based in Florida
- Send letters of resignation to all Maryland clubs to which you belong
- Do not renew any Maryland entertainment subscriptions
- Join Florida-based organizations and entertainment subscriptions
- Establish relationships with, and visit, medical providers in Florida
- Establish a relationship with stock and/or insurance brokers in Florida
- Notify all businesses and government agencies with which you have a relationship, including the Social Security Administration, of your new address
- Apply for a new passport using your Florida address
- Buy a cemetery plot in Florida and relinquish your Maryland cemetery plot
- File a Declaration of Domicile in Florida and claim your new home as a “homestead” under Florida law