- Every UK company must have a registered office address in its country of incorporation, and it appears on the public Companies House register.
- You can legally use your home address, but it then stays on the public record permanently, which is why most directors use a service address instead.
- Changing your registered office is free and takes effect once Companies House processes form AD01.
A registered office address is the official address of your UK company on the public Companies House register, and yes, every limited company legally needs one from the day it is incorporated. It must be a physical address in your country of incorporation, and it receives statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC.
You can use your home address for free, but it then sits permanently on a public register that anyone can search. Most directors use a registered office service instead, typically £30 to £100 a year, to keep their home address private. Sleek’s end-to-end company formation service includes a registered office address as standard.
What is a registered office address in the UK?
A registered office address is the official legal address of your company as recorded at Companies House under the Companies Act 2006. Every UK limited company and LLP must have one from the day it is formed, and it appears on the public register straight away.
It is not the same as your trading address or your director service address. Your trading address is where you actually do business. A director service address is where personal correspondence for you as a director is sent. The registered office is specifically for statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC.
If you want the full picture of what forming a company involves, our company registration guide walks through the whole process from start to finish.
Do you legally need a registered office address?
Every company incorporated in the UK must have a registered office address, with no exceptions. You provide it when you register and it must stay valid for the entire life of the company.
This applies whether you are a single-director startup or a large group, and whether you live in the UK or abroad. The requirement is tied to the company, not to where its people are based. A company cannot be incorporated at Companies House without one.
What you do get to choose is which address you use, and that decision affects your privacy and your professional image far more than your compliance.
What is a registered office address used for?
Your registered office is the address Companies House and HMRC use for all formal, statutory correspondence about your company. It is the single point where official notices are legally deemed delivered, whether or not you actually read them.
The mail that lands here includes:
- Confirmation statement reminders
- Annual accounts filing notices
- Penalty notices from Companies House
- Corporation tax correspondence from HMRC
- VAT notices, if your company is VAT registered
- Any formal legal documents served on the company
That “legally deemed delivered” point is why an unmonitored address is a real risk. Missing a filing reminder because post went to an address you no longer check is not accepted as an excuse for late filing penalties.
Can you use your home address as a registered office?
Using your home address as your registered office is completely legal, and plenty of founders do it when they start out. There is no rule against it and it costs nothing. The trade-off is privacy, and it is a permanent one.
Using your home address | What it actually means |
It is free | No annual service fee to pay |
It is fully compliant | Companies House accepts it without issue |
It is public | Your full home address is searchable by anyone, for free |
It is permanent | It stays on historical filings even after you change it |
Since Companies House rolled outidentity verification for directors and PSCs, the register has become more accurate and harder to obscure. For most directors, the modest annual cost of a service address is worth avoiding that permanent exposure.
What are the legal requirements for a registered office address?
Your registered office must meet a set of conditions from Companies House, and getting them wrong puts your compliance at risk. The address must be a genuine, monitored location, not just a name on a form.
The rules are:
- It must be a physical address in the UK, not a PO Box
- It must be in the same jurisdiction where your company is registered: England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
- It must be an “appropriate address,” meaning post is received by someone acting for the company and delivery can be acknowledged
- It must be kept accurate and up to date on the register at all times
The jurisdiction rule catches people out. A company registered in England and Wales must keep an English or Welsh address, even if you operate from Scotland. Scotland and Northern Ireland each have separate registers with the same restriction.
The “appropriate address” standard came in under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act and is now fully in force. You can check the official position on the GOV.UK registered office rules page.
What are your options for a registered office address?
You have four realistic options, and the right one depends on your budget, how much privacy you want, and the image you want to project. For most new companies the decision comes down to home address versus a paid service.
Option | Typical cost | Privacy | Best for |
Home address | Free | None, goes on public record | Directors with no privacy concerns |
Accountant or solicitor address | Often included in fees | Yes | Companies with existing advisers |
Registered office service | Around £30 to £100 a year | Yes | Most limited companies |
Commercial office space | High | Yes | Companies with physical premises |
These cost ranges are sourced independently from across the UK market and are typical rather than fixed. For most new limited companies, a registered office service is the most practical and cost-effective choice, giving a real street address and keeping your home off the register from day one.
If you set up a service address for your company, sort your director service address at the same time. Otherwise your home address can still appear on your personal director record even when your company record is clean.
What is a registered office service and what does it include?
A registered office service gives your company a legitimate physical address, usually in a business district, to use for all Companies House and HMRC correspondence. The provider receives your statutory mail and forwards it to you, normally by email or post.
A London registered office is popular with companies right across the UK, not only those based in the capital. It carries professional weight with clients and investors, and many providers offer a central London address for a modest annual fee.
A good service covers everything Companies House requires: a real, monitored street address, statutory mail handling, and prompt forwarding so you never miss a filing notice. When you incorporate with Sleek’s company formation service, a registered office address is included as standard.
Registered office address vs director service address: what is the difference?
A registered office address and a director service address do different jobs and sit in different places on the register. Many directors need both, but they are separate things and one does not replace the other.
Function | Registered office address | Director service address |
Purpose | Official address for the company | Correspondence address for the director |
Appears on | Company record | Director record |
Receives | Statutory mail for the company | Personal filings for the director |
Required | Yes, for every company | Strongly advised if avoiding a home address |
If you use your home as your director service address, it goes on the public register under your personal filing, even if your company record uses a service address. Using a service address for both keeps your home off both records. Our guide to appointing a company secretary covers how these compliance roles fit together.
How do you change your registered office address?
You can change your registered office at any time by filing form AD01 with Companies House, and there is no fee to do it. Online filing is usually processed within 24 hours, and the change only becomes legally effective once Companies House registers it.
- Log in to Companies House WebFiling, or have an authorised agent file for you
- Select “change registered office address” and confirm form AD01
- Enter the new address, checking spelling and postcode carefully
- Submit and wait for confirmation on screen and by email
- Update your stationery, website footer, and email signatures, and tell HMRC separately
The one hard limit is jurisdiction. You cannot move your registered office out of the country where the company was incorporated, so an England and Wales company must keep an English or Welsh address.
What happens if your registered office address is wrong or out of date?
Leaving an inaccurate or unmonitored registered office on the register is a compliance failure with real consequences, not just an admin slip. Statutory mail is legally deemed delivered to that address whether you read it or not.
The risks include:
- Filing reminders and penalty notices go unseen, so deadlines are missed without your knowledge
- Late filing penalties for confirmation statements and accounts build up while you are unaware
- Companies House can begin striking the company off for failing to respond to correspondence
- Directors can face personal liability if a struck-off company keeps trading
You can see how penalties escalate in our full guide to Companies House and HMRC fines.
Do non-UK residents need a UK registered office address?
Every company incorporated in the UK must have a UK registered office address, regardless of where its directors or shareholders live. There is no overseas exemption, and a non-resident director cannot use an address in their home country.
This is one of the first practical hurdles for anyone setting up a UK company from abroad. A registered office service solves it immediately, with no need for a physical presence in the UK. Our guide to starting a UK company as an overseas resident covers what else you need to plan for.
How Sleek helps with your registered office address
Sleek’s company incorporation service includes a registered office address on Regent Street, London, plus a director service address as standard, starting from £245 + VAT. Your home address stays off the public register from day one, with nothing separate to set up or manage.
For founders who also want accounting, tax, and ongoing compliance handled in one place, Sleek covers that under the same roof.
Disclaimer: The preceding information is not legal advice. This content is aimed to provide general guidance. For more formal or legal advice, contact Sleek directly.
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FAQs on registered office address UK
Is a registered office address public in the UK?
Yes. Your registered office is publicly visible on the Companies House register and anyone can search it for free. This is exactly why directors choose a service address over their home. Once a home address has been filed, it stays on historical records even after you change it, so using a professional address from the start is the cleanest way to keep personal details private.
Can a PO Box be used as a registered office address in the UK?
No. Companies House does not accept a Royal Mail PO Box, or similar services, as a registered office. The address must be a physical location capable of receiving and acknowledging statutory mail. Some providers advertise PO Box-style options, so confirm any provider offers a genuine monitored street address before signing up.
Do sole traders need a registered office address in the UK?
No. The requirement applies only to limited companies and LLPs registered at Companies House. Sole traders are not incorporated, so there is no obligation to hold a registered office. Sole traders do give HMRC a business address for self-assessment, but that is separate and does not appear on a public register.
How much does a registered office address cost in the UK?
Basic registered office services usually cost between £30 and £100 a year, with London addresses at the higher end. More complete packages adding mail forwarding, a director service address, and wider business address use tend to run £100 to £200 a year. The cost is modest against the privacy and compliance benefits, and it is a legitimate business expense.
Is there a fee to change your registered office address?
No. Companies House does not charge to change your registered office. You file form AD01, online or by paper, and the update is free either way. Online filing is processed within about 24 hours. The only real constraint is jurisdiction, as you cannot move the address to a different UK country from the one your company was incorporated in.
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Can your accountant provide a registered office address?
Yes. Many accountants offer their office as a registered office, either standalone or inside an accounting package. The advantage is that statutory mail lands directly with your accountant, who can act on filing reminders straight away. If yours does not offer it, a dedicated registered office service is a simple alternative.
What is the difference between a registered office and a correspondence address?
A registered office is your company’s legal address filed at Companies House. A correspondence address is just where you prefer general business post to go, with no legal standing. Companies House and HMRC always use the registered office for formal notices, no matter what separate correspondence address you nominate for everyday mail.
