Registered Office Address

What's included

• Use of our Edinburgh or central London address as your registered officeYour company's official address on the public register, where Companies House and HMRC send letters. Ours keeps your home address private; we scan and email your official mail.
• Address matched to the UK nation your company is registered in
• Receipt of official mail from Companies House, HMRC and other government bodies
• Same-day scanning and emailing of official letters where possible
• Secure storage of original letters on request
• Filing the change of registered office with Companies House for existing companiesYour company's official address on the public register, where Companies House and HMRC send letters. Ours keeps your home address private; we scan and email your official mail.
• Set-up at no extra cost when you form a company with us
• Anti-money-laundering checks completed for youThe legally required checks on the people behind a company (UK Money Laundering Regulations). We complete them as part of your order.
• Email and phone support

What a registered office is

Every UK company must have a registered office. It is the company's official address on the public register at Companies House, and it is where government bodies and courts send legal notices. Anyone can look it up, so it appears on Google and on business data websites within days.

The registered office does not have to be where you work. Many founders use a service address like ours so their home address is not published, or because they live outside the UK.

Edinburgh or London: which address can you use?

The law says a registered office must be in the same UK nation as the one where the company is registered. This is the most common mistake we see, so here is the simple rule:

• Company registered in Scotland (company number starts with SC, or SO for an LLP): use our Edinburgh address.
• Company registered in England and Wales (company number is all digits, or starts with OC for an LLP): use our central London address.
• Company registered in Northern Ireland (number starts with NI): we cannot provide a registered office. You need an address in Northern Ireland.

A company cannot change its nation later by moving its registered office, so choose the nation carefully at formation. If you are not sure, ask us before you order.

How it works

1. Order the service, or add it when you form a company with us.
2. We complete identity and anti-money-laundering checks on the directors and people with significant control.
3. For a new company, we enter our address on your application. For an existing company, we file the change of registered office with Companies House.
4. Official letters arrive at our office. We scan them and email them to you, usually the same working day.

What this service covers

The registered office service is for statutory and official mail: letters from Companies House, HMRC, other government departments and the courts. It is not a trading address. Do not print it as your shop address or send customer post to it. If you want a UK address for customers, suppliers and banks, see our London Virtual Office or Edinburgh Virtual Office.

The service also does not hide a director's own home address. Each director has a separate service address on the register. To keep that private too, add a Director Service Address.

What you need to provide

• Your company name and number (if the company already exists)
• Proof of identity and address for each director and person with significant control
• An email address where we can send your scanned mail

Legal background

Since March 2024 a registered office must be an "appropriate address". That means post sent there will reach someone acting for the company, and delivery can be signed for. A PO box does not qualify. Companies House can remove an address that does not meet this rule and replace it with a default address, which causes real problems for the company. Using a staffed address like ours meets the requirement.

Frequently asked questions

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