L Meaning of Domicile. The term "domicile" has a special legal definition that is not the same as residence.Residency refers to where you currently live, while domicile refers to the place you intend to return to after a temporary absence. When evaluating the residency requirement for a divorce in California, the key word is "domicile. Our domestic partnership was established in California. In order to be eligible to receive GR a person must have been a resident of Orange. "Domicile" is the one location with which for legal purposes a person is considered to have the most settled and permanent connection.