Companies House rules for a registered office address

Your registered office is the company's official home on the public record. Companies House tightened the rules in March 2024, so it is worth checking that your address still meets them.

What a registered office is for

The registered office is where official documents for the company are sent. This includes letters from Companies House and HMRC, and legal papers such as court claims. It is shown on the public register and must appear on your website, business letters and invoices.

The "appropriate address" rule

Since 4 March 2024, every registered office must be an appropriate address. In plain terms:

• documents sent there should come to the attention of someone acting on behalf of the company
• the delivery of documents there can be recorded by an acknowledgement of delivery (someone can sign for them)

A third-party address, such as an accountant's office or a formation agent's address, is fine as long as it meets these conditions.

Things that are not allowed

• PO boxes. A PO box cannot be a registered office.
• An address with no one to receive post. An empty unit or a forwarding-only address may not qualify.
• An address in the wrong UK nation. A company registered in Scotland must have its registered office in Scotland. England and Wales companies need an address in England or Wales. Northern Ireland companies need one in Northern Ireland.

You cannot move a company's registration from one nation to another by changing the address. A Scottish company stays a Scottish company.

Registered email address

Since the same date, every company must also give Companies House a registered email address. Companies House uses it to contact the company. It is not shown on the public register. New companies give it at incorporation. You can change it online at any time.

What if your address does not meet the rules?

If Companies House finds that a registered office is not appropriate, it can replace it with a default Companies House address. The company then has 28 days to provide an appropriate address and evidence of its connection to it. If it does not, Companies House can start the process to strike the company off the register.

Mail sent to the default address is not forwarded in the normal way, so you could miss important letters.

Other legal points

• You must keep your company registers (or note where they are kept) at the registered office or a single alternative inspection location.
• Some people may inspect certain registers there.
• If you use another person's address without permission, Companies House can act on a complaint from the owner.

How to change your registered office

1. Make sure the new address meets the rules above.
2. Sign in to Companies House online with your company authentication code.
3. File the change of registered office address (form AD01 on paper).
4. The change takes effect when Companies House registers it. For a short period, documents can still be served at the old address.
5. Update your website, invoices, bank and HMRC.

There is no Companies House fee for this change.

Should you use your home?

You can use your home if it is in the right UK nation. But it will be on the public register, and it stays in the company's filing history after you move. Many owners prefer a professional address for privacy and to keep business post separate.

How Form My Company can help

Our Registered Office Address service gives you a London or Edinburgh address that meets the Companies House rules, for £250 a year including VAT. We receive and scan your official mail. Want your own details off the register too? Add a Director Service Address, or choose the Privacy Package when you form your company.

Frequently asked questions