Choosing the right registered office address for your limited company is an important decision. It must be a verifiable physical address; a real street address with a building number and postcode. Until recently, you could use a PO Box as a registered office if you provided the full postal address where it’s located. However, this is no longer the case, which we explain below.
A PO Box is no longer suitable as a registered office address
Certain company law changes introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 mean that it is no longer possible to use a PO Box for such purposes. With effect from 4 March 2024, companies (incl. LLPs) must now use an “appropriate address” as their registered business address.
An appropriate address is described in the Act as one where:
- any document addressed to the company, and delivered there by hand or post, would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company; and
- the delivery of documents to that address is capable of being recorded by the obtaining of an acknowledgement of delivery
Other third-party addresses are still acceptable for use as a registered office if they satisfy the above conditions. This includes professional registered office services provided by company formation agents, accountants, and solicitors.
Difference between a PO Box and a physical address
A PO Box (Post Office Box) is a rented, numbered mailbox within a Post Office branch or Royal Mail sorting office. They are most often used by individuals who want to maintain their privacy or who travel often, as well as certain types of businesses that wish to conceal their trading locations (e.g. banks, call centres, mobile and utility providers).
A physical address is a valid street address (residential or commercial) that can receive unrestricted deliveries of letters and parcels. It is a complete address, which includes a building name and/or number, an apartment or suite number (if applicable), a street name, a post town, and a postcode.
The best type of address to use as a registered office
Ideally, you should use a commercial address situated in a reputable area that most people are familiar with, like a big city. This will make a good impression on prospective customers and business associates, who will feel confident that they’re dealing with a legitimate, trustworthy, and established company.
Some company owners use their home address as a registered office, which is certainly convenient. However, it’s important to remember that this address information is added to the public register at Companies House, so there are privacy issues to consider. Most people would rather avoid making their home address publicly visible in this way.
The best solution is to purchase a professional registered office service from a reputable company formation agent. This address will appear on public record as your company’s official registered office. All statutory company mail will be delivered there and then forwarded to you via email or to an address of your choice.
Set up a registered office in London or Glasgow
At Rapid Formations, we know how important it is to create the right business image. To help you achieve this, we provide commercial registered office services in London and Glasgow registered offices services for £39.00 per year. These are suitable for limited companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) incorporated in England & Wales and Scotland, respectively.
Whether you’re running a home-based business and want to protect your privacy or simply looking to improve your corporate image, a professional registered office address in a prime location is the perfect solution.
Our registered office address services are also included at a discounted rate within our company formation packages. Additionally, we offer service addresses and business address services in these two locations.
