Registered Office Address Rules 2026: The Five Tests

A UK company’s registered office must be a physical address in the part of the UK where the company is registered, where post reaches someone acting for the company and delivery can be acknowledged. Since 4 March 2024 this “appropriate address” rule is set out in law, PO Boxes are no longer accepted, and every company must also keep a registered email address. This guide explains every rule in one place, shows where the address has to appear, and covers what happens if Companies House decides yours does not qualify.

What Is a Registered Office Address?

The registered office is the company’s official address on the Companies House register. It is where Companies House, HMRC and the courts send official letters, and where legal documents can be served on the company. Anyone can see it. Every company must have one from the day it is formed, and it must keep one for as long as it exists.

It is not necessarily where the company works. A business can trade from a shop, a warehouse or a laptop and still have its registered office somewhere else, such as an accountant’s office or a registered office service.

Why the Rules Matter

Official deadlines run from letters sent to this address: confirmation statement reminders, accounts reminders, HMRC notices and, in the worst case, notice that Companies House intends to strike the company off. If post goes unanswered because nobody receives it, the company can miss deadlines it never knew about. Since 2024, using an address that does not meet the rules is also an offence by the company and every officer in default.

The Five Tests Your Address Must Pass in 2026

Use this checklist before you register an address or keep the one you have.

1. It is in the UK, in the company’s own jurisdiction

The address must be in the part of the UK where the company was registered. A company registered in England and Wales needs an address in England or Wales; a Scottish company needs one in Scotland; a Northern Irish company needs one in Northern Ireland. This cannot be changed later: moving jurisdiction means forming a new company. GOV.UK sets this out in Check the rules for registered office addresses and email addresses.

2. It is an “appropriate address”

Under section 86 of the Companies Act 2006, as amended by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, a company must keep its registered office at an appropriate address at all times. An address is appropriate if, in the ordinary course of events, a document delivered there by hand or post would be expected to come to the attention of someone acting for the company, and delivery can be recorded by getting an acknowledgement. In practice: someone must be there to sign for post, or a service must receive it on your behalf and pass it on.

3. It is not a PO Box

A Royal Mail PO Box, or a similar service where post is held for collection, cannot be the registered office. Nobody acknowledges delivery and nothing is passed on.

4. You have the right to use it

You must own, rent or have permission to use the address. Using someone else’s address without permission is one of the main reasons Companies House moves a registered office. If your address is challenged, you may need evidence such as a lease, title deeds or a written agreement with the provider. A registered office service should give you written confirmation of your right to use its address.

5. It appears where the law says it must

The registered office address has to be shown on the company’s business letters, order forms and website, together with the company’s registered name, its number and its part of the UK (for example “Registered in England and Wales”). These rules come from the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015. A company that has been dormant since it was incorporated does not have to display its name at its registered office, but the rules for letters, order forms and websites still apply.

The Registered Email Address Rule

Alongside the registered office, every company must give Companies House a registered email address and keep it up to date. Emails sent to it must be expected to come to the attention of someone acting for the company. It is not shown on the public register. A registered office service does not provide this: use an inbox someone checks, because Companies House uses it for compliance messages.

Registered Office vs Head Office, Trading and Service Address

Address	What it is for	Public?	Required?
Registered office	Official letters from Companies House, HMRC and the courts; service of legal documents	Yes	Yes, every company
Head office	Where the business is run from	Only if you publish it	No
Trading (business) address	The address you give customers on your website and invoices	Wherever you use it	No
Director service address	Correspondence address for each director and PSC	Yes	Yes, for each director and PSC
Residential address	Each director’s and PSC’s home	No, private register	Yes, given to Companies House

One address can do several jobs: the registered office can also be a director’s service address. What it cannot be is a PO Box, or an address in the wrong part of the UK. See director service address and all address options.

Your Options

Your home. Allowed if it meets the five tests, but it goes on the public register and stays there for good on filings made while it was in use. A home address cannot be removed from the register while it is the current registered office.
Your office or shop. Works well if someone is always there to receive and deal with post.
Your accountant’s office. Many accountants offer this to clients. Check what they do with your post and what they charge.
A registered office service. A provider receives official post at its address and scans or forwards it to you. Useful if you work from home, live abroad or do not want your home address public. Providers must check your identity under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 before you can use the address.

How to Change Your Registered Office

Make sure the new address passes all five tests and is in the same part of the UK.
File the change with Companies House online (free) or on form AD01. GOV.UK covers this in Change your company’s address.
The change takes effect when Companies House registers it. Companies House tells HMRC. Our step-by-step guide on how to change your registered office address covers service addresses and the 14-day overlap too.
Update your website, letterheads, invoices and order forms.
If your home was the old address, you can then apply to remove it from older filings. See remove your home address from Companies House.

What Happens If Your Address Breaks the Rules

Companies House can move a registered office that is not appropriate to its own default address, a Companies House PO Box. The company then has 28 days to give a new appropriate address with evidence of its right to use it, or Companies House can start the process to strike the company off. The default address also stays visible in the company’s filing history. The full process is in moved to the Companies House default address.

Best Practice

Choose an address where official post is opened and acted on within days, not weeks.
Keep written proof of your right to use the address.
Use a registered email address that is checked regularly, not a personal inbox nobody monitors.
Check the registered office and disclosure details on your website once a year.
If you form a new company, decide on the registered office before you file, so a home address never goes public.

Common Mistakes

Using a PO Box or mailbox-only service. It fails the appropriate address test.
Using an address without permission, such as a former office or a friend’s house.
Moving house and forgetting the registered office was your old home.
Choosing an address in the wrong part of the UK, for example a London address for a Scottish company.
Leaving the registered office off the website or invoices.

A Registered Office That Passes Every Test

CorpAssist provides a registered office for companies registered in England and Wales:

London registered office from £39.99 a year
Registered office plus director service address from £59.99 a year, so neither the company nor the director shows a home address
All three addresses, including a business address for your website and invoices, for £99.99 a year
Official letters from Companies House and HMRC scanned and emailed to you
Written confirmation of your right to use the address

Office + service address — £59.99 Compare address options

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of registered office address?

It is the official address of a UK company on the Companies House register. Companies House, HMRC and the courts send official letters there, and legal documents can be served on the company at that address. It is public, and it does not have to be where the business actually works.

What address can I use for my company?

Any physical address in the part of the UK where the company is registered, as long as post there comes to the attention of someone acting for the company, delivery can be acknowledged, and you are entitled to use it. That can be your home, your office, your accountant’s office or a registered office service. A PO Box on its own cannot be used.

What address should I use for my Ltd company?

Use an address where official post will be received and dealt with reliably. If that is your home, remember it will be public and cannot be removed from the register while it is the registered office. Many directors use a registered office service instead so the home address stays private.

How can I obtain a registered office address in the UK?

Use an address you already control, ask your accountant whether they offer one, or buy a registered office service. CorpAssist provides a London registered office for companies registered in England and Wales from £39.99 a year, with official letters scanned and emailed to you. An identity check is needed before the address can be used.

Is a registered office the same as a head office?

No. The registered office is a legal address on the public register. A head office is where the business is run from. They can be the same building, but they do not have to be, and many companies have a registered office somewhere other than where they work.

Can I change my registered office address?

Yes, at any time, by filing the change with Companies House online or on form AD01. The change takes effect when Companies House registers it. You cannot move the registered office to a different part of the UK: an England and Wales company must keep it in England or Wales.

Comparing providers? See registered office address prices compared, the difference between a registered office and a service address, between a virtual office and a registered office, and whether to use your home address. Forming a new company? Our company formation packages include a registered office for the first 12 months.

Rules checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk on 24 October 2026. CorpAssist is an independent commercial service and is not Companies House or GOV.UK.