Domicile Definition

The state in which a person has or intends to maintain permanent residence, or the state in which a business locates its headquarters. Domicile governs such matters as the state in which a deceased person's estate is probated and whether there is "diversity of citizenship" between two parties that may give federal courts jurisdiction over a lawsuit. Depending on the state, it may also determine whether someone meets the residency requirement for getting a divorce in that state. A person may have many residences but only one legal domicile.