Registered office and service addresses explained

Last reviewed: 29 September 2026 · Reviewed by IFM's qualified accountant

Neither address is merely decorative. The company must keep an appropriate registered office in the correct part of the UK, and official post sent there must be capable of reaching someone acting for the company. Address choices also affect privacy because much of the information on the Companies House register is public.

What is a registered office?

Every UK company must have a registered office. It must be a physical address in the same UK jurisdiction in which the company is registered: England and Wales, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A company cannot move its registered office from one jurisdiction to another after incorporation.

Companies House describes an appropriate address as one where documents sent by post or delivered by hand would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting for the company, and where delivery can be recorded by acknowledgement. A PO Box on its own is not enough.

The address appears on the public register. It must also be displayed on company stationery, order forms and websites in the circumstances described by GOV.UK. If privacy matters, do not use a home address casually and hope that it can later be erased from historical records.

What is a director service address?

Companies House asks directors and certain other individuals for a service address. This is the public address used for official correspondence about their role. It can be the company's registered office, a professional address or another appropriate correspondence address.

The service address is distinct from the individual's usual residential address. Companies House generally keeps the residential address on a private register and makes it available only in legally permitted circumstances. The individual must still provide accurate residential information where required.

Using the registered office as every director's service address can simplify mail handling. It also concentrates responsibility: somebody must open and route official correspondence promptly to the right individual.

Should you use a business or home address?

A genuine business premises can work well if the company has reliable access throughout the year. Check that staff know how to recognise and escalate Companies House, HMRC, court and legal correspondence. A locked office that is unattended for long periods can create risk even if it looks professional on the register.

A home address may meet the physical and jurisdiction requirements, but it becomes publicly searchable when used as the registered office or service address. Consider personal safety, family privacy, tenancy or mortgage terms and whether visitors might assume the address is open to the public.

Changing to another address later updates the current record but does not necessarily remove every historic appearance. GOV.UK explains the limited circumstances and processes for suppressing or removing home-address information. Do not promise complete removal without checking the precise record and legal route.

How do accountant and address services work?

An accountant, solicitor, company formation agent or commercial address provider may allow a client to use its address. This is a contractual service, not an automatic right. Confirm exactly what is included before naming the address in an incorporation or change filing.

Ask:

whether the address can be used as the registered office, a service address, or both;
which kinds of post are accepted;
how post is scanned, forwarded or collected;
how quickly urgent legal documents are notified;
what identity and anti-money-laundering checks are required;
what happens if the fee is unpaid or the engagement ends; and
how the address will be changed when the service stops.

The company remains responsible for maintaining a compliant address even when a provider handles the mail. If the provider terminates the service, act before the address ceases to be appropriate.

Why does Companies House need a registered email address?

Companies must also provide a registered email address to Companies House. This is used for communications and is not shown on the public register. It is separate from the physical registered office.

Use an email account controlled by the company or a clearly authorised person. Monitor it, protect it with suitable security and update it when responsibility changes. Do not rely on a former employee's personal inbox or an adviser whose engagement has ended.

The confirmation statement includes a duty to confirm or update relevant registered information. Build the email address into the same periodic review as the registered office, directors and people with significant control.

Which address information becomes public?

Companies House is a public register. The registered office and service addresses are available to people searching the company or officer. Search engines and commercial data services may reproduce public information.

Before incorporation, decide what should be public. This is easier than trying to deal with an exposed residential address afterwards. Directors at risk of violence or intimidation may be able to apply for protection, but the tests and process are specific. Use the current GOV.UK guidance and seek advice for a sensitive case.

Do not provide false information to protect privacy. The correct response is to use a lawful alternative address or the relevant protection application.

How do you change the registered office?

The company can file a change of registered office with Companies House. The new address becomes effective when Companies House registers it, not merely when the board decides to move or a form is sent.

The new address must remain in the company's jurisdiction and meet the appropriate-address rules. Keep the old address operating until the change is accepted and redirect post where possible. Download or retain evidence of acceptance.

After registration, update the website, letterheads, order forms, invoices where shown, banks, HMRC, insurers, regulators, suppliers and contracts. Some bodies do not take their address automatically from Companies House.

Companies House may send an authentication or notification letter as part of its safeguards. If an unauthorised address change appears, follow the Companies House process promptly and consider whether access credentials have been compromised.

How does a director change their service address?

A director can change the service address through the prescribed Companies House filing. Check whether the same person has multiple company appointments and whether each record must be updated.

Changing a service address does not automatically change the company's registered office, and changing the registered office does not necessarily update every officer's service address. Review both sets of records separately.

If a director leaves, the historic appointment remains part of the register. Plan address privacy before appointment and read the current guidance on removing personal information if an old address creates a concern.

How should official post be controlled?

Create a written mail process. Whoever receives post should know which items are urgent, who owns each response and how receipt is recorded. Court documents, Companies House warnings and HMRC notices should not sit unopened while somebody is on holiday.

For scanned mail, use a secure destination and verify legibility. Keep the envelope where the delivery date matters. Record when a document was received and forwarded. A scan sent to the wrong person does not protect the company from a deadline.

Use the Deadline Finder for standard first accounts, first confirmation statement and Corporation Tax dates. For VAT, payroll, personal tax and other obligations, check the tax deadlines calendar and your official records.

Which address details belong on websites and stationery?

GOV.UK says company websites and business letters must show the registered company name. Websites must also show the registered number, registered office address, place of registration and the fact that the business is a limited company where the name does not already make that clear.

Where regulated status, VAT registration or other credentials are stated, confirm each one independently. An address does not prove a firm's regulatory permissions or professional membership.

What should you check before choosing an address?

Before filing an address, confirm the jurisdiction, physical accessibility, mail-handling process, provider permission, privacy consequences and continuity if the arrangement ends. Confirm separately who monitors the registered email address.

Keep a central record of the registered office, every officer's service address, the private residential details supplied to Companies House and the dates on which changes were accepted. Restrict access to private information.

For incorporation and register maintenance support, see the company formation and secretarial service. The company and its officers remain responsible for accurate information and for acting on official communications.

What should you read next?

What do people also ask about this topic?

Is a registered office address public?

Yes. Companies House displays the registered office on the public company register. If a home address is used, it becomes searchable. Arrange a compliant alternative before incorporation if privacy matters, because changing the current address does not necessarily remove every historic appearance.

Can the registered office and service address be the same?

Yes. A director can use the company’s registered office as their public service address if the location is suitable and permission exists. The two addresses serve different legal purposes, and changing one record does not necessarily update the other.

Can I use my home as a registered office?

A home can qualify if it is a physical address in the correct UK jurisdiction and official post reliably reaches the company. It will be public. Check tenancy, mortgage, insurance, safety and privacy consequences before filing it with Companies House.

Can I use a virtual office for Companies House?

A provider’s address can be used only if it meets the appropriate-address rules and the provider permits the intended use. Confirm whether the service covers the registered office, director service addresses, mail handling and urgent legal documents, and what happens when the contract ends.

Which official sources support this guide?

General guidance, not advice for your situation.