For an overview of different business types in the UK, see Business Structures.
A registered office is the official address of a UK company, recorded on the public register at Companies House. Every company and limited liability partnership incorporated in the UK must have a registered office address at all times. It is the address where official correspondence and legal documents are sent.
The requirement for a registered office is set out in section 86 of the Companies Act 2006.
Why Does a Company Need a Registered Office?
The registered office serves several important purposes:
Legal Service of Documents
The registered office is the address where legal proceedings can be served on the company. This includes:
- Court claims and summons
- Statutory demands
- Winding-up petitions
- Notices from regulators
If a company fails to receive and respond to legal documents sent to its registered office, it can face default judgments and other adverse consequences.
Official Correspondence
Government bodies and regulators send official communications to the registered office, including:
- Correspondence from Companies House
- Notices from HMRC regarding tax matters
- Communications from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) if applicable
- Notifications from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
- Correspondence from other statutory bodies
Public Information
The registered office address is recorded on the public register at Companies House and is visible to anyone who searches for the company. This provides:
- A point of contact for creditors, customers and the public
- Transparency about where the company is located
- A basis for determining the company’s legal jurisdiction (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)
Legal Requirements
Location
The registered office must be situated in the same part of the United Kingdom in which the company is registered:
| Registration | Registered office must be in |
|---|---|
| England and Wales | England or Wales |
| Scotland | Scotland |
| Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland |
A company registered in England and Wales cannot have its registered office in Scotland, and vice versa. The registered office determines which court has jurisdiction over the company in certain legal proceedings.
Appropriate Address
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, every company’s registered office must meet stricter requirements, which have applied since 4 March 2024. The address must be an appropriate address, meaning:
- It must be a place where documents delivered there are acknowledged and where the singling out of documents relating to the company from other mail is possible
- A PO Box address alone is not acceptable
- The address must be a physical location where mail is received and identified
Companies House can change a non-compliant registered office to its own default address, so a company whose address does not qualify should update its records promptly.
Display Requirements
The company must display its registered office address on:
- All business letters, order forms and websites
- The company accounts
- All places of business and any location open to the public
This is required by the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015.
What Can Be Used as a Registered Office?
Common options for a registered office address include:
The Company’s Own Premises
Using the company’s trading address as the registered office is straightforward but means that the address (and therefore the location of the business) is publicly visible on the Companies House register.
Director’s or Shareholder’s Home Address
Many small companies use a director’s home address as the registered office. This is permitted but means the home address will appear on the public register. Some directors prefer to use an alternative to maintain privacy.
Accountant’s or Solicitor’s Office
Professional advisers often allow clients to use their office address as the registered office. This is common for small companies and provides a professional appearance while keeping personal addresses off the public register.
Registered Office Service Provider
Specialist providers offer registered office services, typically for an annual fee of £50 to £200. These services provide:
- A business address for the public register
- Mail forwarding or scanning
- Notification of important correspondence
- An address in a professional location
Virtual Office
A virtual office provider can supply a registered office address along with other services such as a telephone answering service and meeting room access. This is popular with home-based businesses and sole director companies.
Registered Office vs. Trading Address
The registered office and the trading address (or place of business) are two different things:
| Feature | Registered office | Trading address |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Official address for legal and statutory purposes | Where the business operates day-to-day |
| Filed with Companies House | Yes | No (but may be included in the confirmation statement) |
| Publicly visible | Always | Not necessarily |
| Legal service | Legal documents served here | Not the default address for legal service |
| Number per company | Exactly one | Can have multiple |
A company can have its registered office at a completely different location from where it actually conducts business. However, the company must ensure it receives and acts on all correspondence sent to the registered office.
Changing the Registered Office
A company can change its registered office by filing form AD01 with Companies House. The process is straightforward:
Online Filing
- Log in to Companies House WebFiling
- Select the company
- File form AD01 with the new address
- The change typically takes effect on the next working day
Paper Filing
- Complete form AD01
- Submit to Companies House by post
- Processing takes approximately 8-10 working days
Important Considerations
- The new address must be in the same jurisdiction as the current one (for example, a company registered in England and Wales cannot move its registered office to Scotland without re-registering)
- The change takes effect only when Companies House registers it, not when the form is submitted
- The old address remains effective for 14 days after the change is registered, so the company should continue to check for mail at the old address during this period
- The articles of association may contain restrictions on changing the registered office — check before filing
Who Can Authorise the Change?
The decision to change the registered office is usually made by the board of directors unless the articles reserve this power for the shareholders. No shareholder resolution is normally required.
Statutory Records at the Registered Office
Certain statutory records must be kept at the registered office (or at a Single Alternative Inspection Location, known as a SAIL, which must be notified to Companies House):
- Register of members (shareholders)
- Register of directors and directors’ residential addresses
- Register of secretaries (if applicable)
- Register of persons with significant control (PSC)
- Register of charges
- Copies of directors’ service contracts and indemnities
- Minutes of general meetings and written resolutions
Members of the public and shareholders have the right to inspect certain registers, and the company must allow inspection at the registered office or SAIL during normal business hours.
Companies that have elected to keep their registers on the central register at Companies House (available for private companies) do not need to maintain separate registers at the registered office.
Consequences of Not Having a Valid Registered Office
Failing to maintain a valid registered office can have serious consequences:
- Criminal offence — the company and its directors can be prosecuted
- Strike-off proceedings — Companies House may begin the process of removing the company from the register
- Legal documents may be deemed served — if the company fails to receive documents because it has no functioning registered office, it cannot use this as a defence
- Contractual problems — lenders, landlords and counterparties may treat the absence of a valid registered office as a breach of their agreements
- Loss of credibility — a missing or invalid registered office signals poor governance to clients and investors
Registered Office for Different Entity Types
Private Limited Company
Every private limited company must have a registered office. The address is stated on the application for registration and can be changed at any time using form AD01.
Limited Liability Partnership
An LLP must also have a registered office. The requirements and rules are the same as for companies.
Community Interest Company
A CIC has the same registered office requirements as any limited company.
Sole Trader
A sole trader does not have a registered office because they are not registered with Companies House. Their correspondence address for HMRC purposes is their home or business address.
Related Concepts
- Companies House — where the registered office is recorded
- Confirmation statement — confirms the registered office address annually
- Director duties — directors must ensure a valid registered office is maintained
- Articles of association — may contain provisions about the registered office
- Company accounts — must display the registered office address