§44D-1-108. Principal place of administration.

(a) Without precluding other means for establishing a sufficient connection with the designated jurisdiction, terms of a trust designating the principal place of administration are valid and controlling if:

(1) A trustee’s principal place of business is located in, or a trustee is a resident of the designated jurisdiction;

(2) A trust director’s principal place of business is located in, or a trust director is a resident of the designated jurisdiction; or

(3) All or part of the administration occurs in the designated jurisdiction.

(b) Without precluding the right of the court to order, approve, or disapprove a transfer, the trustee may transfer the trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States that is appropriate to the trust’s purposes, its administration, and the interests of the beneficiaries.

(c) When the proposed transfer of a trust’s principal place of administration is to another state or to a jurisdiction outside of the United States, the trustee shall notify the current beneficiaries of a proposed transfer of a trust’s principal place of administration not less than 60 days before initiating the transfer. A corporate trustee that maintains a place of business in West Virginia where one or more trust officers are available on a regular basis for personal contact with trust customers and beneficiaries has not transferred its principal place of administration merely because all or a significant portion of the administration of the trust is performed outside West Virginia. The notice of proposed transfer must include:

(1) The name of the jurisdiction to which the principal place of administration is to be transferred;

(2) The address and telephone number at the new location at which the trustee can be contacted;

(3) An explanation of the reasons for the proposed transfer;

(4) The date on which the proposed transfer is anticipated to occur; and

(5) The date, not less than 60 days after the giving of the notice, by which the current beneficiary must notify the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer.

(d) The authority of a trustee under this section to transfer a trust’s principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside the United States terminates if a current beneficiary notifies the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer on or before the date specified in the notice.

(e) In connection with a transfer of the trust’s principal place of administration, the trustee may transfer some or all of the trust property to a successor trustee designated in the terms of the trust instrument or appointed pursuant to §44D-7-704 of this code.