(a) Upon compliance with this section, a domestic partnership may convert to a corporation, a statutory trust, a business trust, an association, a real estate investment trust, a common-law trust or any other incorporated or unincorporated business or entity, including a limited partnership (including a limited liability limited partnership), a foreign partnership or a limited liability company. If a domestic partnership is converting under this section to another business form organized, formed or created under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware and has not filed a statement of partnership existence, then the domestic partnership shall file a statement of partnership existence prior to or at the time of the filing of the certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity.

(b) If the partnership agreement specifies the manner of authorizing a conversion of the partnership, the conversion shall be authorized as specified in the partnership agreement. If the partnership agreement does not specify the manner of authorizing a conversion of the partnership and does not prohibit a conversion of the partnership, the conversion shall be authorized in the same manner as is specified in the partnership agreement for authorizing a merger or consolidation that involves the partnership as a constituent party to the merger or consolidation. If the partnership agreement does not specify the manner of authorizing a conversion of the partnership or a merger or consolidation that involves the partnership as a constituent party and does not prohibit a conversion of the partnership, the conversion shall be authorized by the approval by all the partners.

(c) Unless otherwise agreed, the conversion of a domestic partnership to another entity or business form pursuant to this section shall not require such partnership to wind up its affairs under subchapter VIII of this chapter or pay its liabilities and distribute its assets under subchapter VIII of this chapter, and the conversion shall not constitute a dissolution of such partnership. When a partnership has converted to another entity or business form pursuant to this section, for all purposes of the laws of the State of Delaware, the other entity or business form shall be deemed to be the same entity as the converting partnership and the conversion shall constitute a continuation of the existence of the partnership in the form of such other entity or business form.

(d) In connection with a conversion of a domestic partnership to another entity or business form pursuant to this section, rights or securities of or interests in the domestic partnership which is to be converted may be exchanged for or converted into cash, property, rights or securities of or interests in the entity or business form into which the domestic partnership is being converted or, in addition to or in lieu thereof, may be exchanged for or converted into cash, property, rights or securities of or interests in another entity or business form, may remain outstanding or may be canceled.

(e) If a partnership shall convert in accordance with this section to another entity or business form organized, formed or created under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware, a certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity executed in accordance with § 15-105 of this title shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State in accordance with § 15-105 of this title. The certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity shall state:

(1) The name of the partnership and, if it has been changed, the name under which its statement of partnership existence was originally filed;

(2) The date of the filing of its original statement of partnership existence with the Secretary of State;

(3) The jurisdiction in which the entity or business form, to which the partnership shall be converted, is organized, formed or created, and the name of such entity or business form;

(4) The future effective date or time (which shall be a date or time certain) of the conversion if it is not to be effective upon the filing of the certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity;

(5) That the conversion has been approved in accordance with this section;

(6) The agreement of the partnership that it may be served with process in the State of Delaware in any action, suit or proceeding for enforcement of any obligation of the partnership arising while it was a partnership of the State of Delaware, and that it irrevocably appoints the Secretary of State as its agent to accept service of process in any such action, suit or proceeding;

(7) The address to which a copy of the process referred to in paragraph (e)(6) of this section shall be mailed to it by the Secretary of State. In the event of service hereunder upon the Secretary of State, the procedures set forth in § 15-112(b) of this title shall be applicable, except that the plaintiff in any such action, suit or proceeding shall furnish the Secretary of State with the address specified in this paragraph and any other address that the plaintiff may elect to furnish, together with copies of such process as required by the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State shall notify the partnership that has converted out of the State of Delaware at all such addresses furnished by the plaintiff in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 15-112(b) of this title.

(f) Upon the filing in the office of the Secretary of State of the certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity or upon the future effective date or time of the certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity and payment to the Secretary of State of all fees prescribed in this chapter, the Secretary of State shall certify that the partnership has filed all documents and paid all fees required by this chapter, and thereupon the partnership shall cease to exist as a partnership of the State of Delaware. Such certificate of the Secretary of State shall be prima facie evidence of the conversion by such partnership out of the State of Delaware.

(g) The conversion of a partnership out of the State of Delaware in accordance with this section and the resulting cessation of its existence as a partnership of the State of Delaware pursuant to a certificate of conversion to non-Delaware entity shall not be deemed to affect any obligations or liabilities of the partnership incurred prior to such conversion or the personal liability of any person incurred prior to such conversion, nor shall it be deemed to affect the choice of law applicable to the partnership with respect to matters arising prior to such conversion.

(h) When a domestic partnership has been converted to another entity or business form pursuant to this section, the other entity or business form shall, for all purposes of the laws of the State of Delaware, be deemed to be the same entity as the domestic partnership. When any conversion shall have become effective under this section, for all purposes of the laws of the State of Delaware, all of the rights, privileges and powers of the domestic partnership that has converted, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to such partnership, as well as all other things and causes of action belonging to such partnership, shall remain vested in the other entity or business form to which such partnership has converted and shall be the property of such other entity or business form, and the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in such partnership shall not revert or be in any way impaired by reason of this chapter; but all rights of creditors and all liens upon any property of such partnership shall be preserved unimpaired, and all debts, liabilities and duties of the domestic partnership that has converted shall remain attached to the other entity or business form to which such partnership has converted, and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if said debts, liabilities and duties had originally been incurred or contracted by it in its capacity as such other entity or business form. The rights, privileges, powers and interests in property of the domestic partnership that has converted, as well as the debts, liabilities and duties of such partnership, shall not be deemed, as a consequence of the conversion, to have been transferred to the other entity or business form to which such partnership has converted for any purpose of the laws of the State of Delaware.

(i) A partnership agreement may provide that a domestic partnership shall not have the power to convert as set forth in this section.

72 Del. Laws, c. 151, § 1; 72 Del. Laws, c. 390, § 29; 73 Del. Laws, c. 329, § 16; 74 Del. Laws, c. 103, § 11; 74 Del. Laws, c. 266, §§ 11, 12; 75 Del. Laws, c. 416, §§ 9-14; 76 Del. Laws, c. 106, § 15; 79 Del. Laws, c. 75, § 4; 81 Del. Laws, c. 87, § 5.