Service addresses and registered offices are two types of addresses that you need to provide to Companies House when you set up a company (or limited liability partnership) in the UK. A service address is required by certain individuals associated with these incorporated business structures, whilst a registered office address is the official address of the company itself.
Below, we discuss the main purpose and requirements of each type of address, explaining how they differ from one another in a practical sense. This information will be useful to you if you’re planning to set up a company in the UK.
About service addresses
A service address is an official contact address where certain individuals can receive statutory mail and correspondence from Companies House, HMRC, and other official bodies regarding their role in a company.
By law, you must provide a service address to Companies House when you join a company in any of the following capacities:
- Company director
- Company secretary
- Member of a limited liability partnership (LLP member)
- Company subscriber (a founding shareholder or guarantor)
- Shareholder who holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights in a company limited by shares
- Guarantor with more than 25% voting rights in a company limited by guarantee
- Person with Significant Control (PSC) or registrable legal entity (RLE) – these are individuals and legal entities that hold a significant degree of control or influence over a company
Companies House displays service address details on the public register. All members of the public have access to this information via Companies House online search service.
A service address can be located anywhere in the world – it does not have to be in the UK. You can use a residential or commercial (non-residential) address, including the same address as your company’s registered office.
Due to the public disclosure of this information, the majority of individuals prefer to use an address that is not their place of residence. A non-residential service address will allow you to protect your privacy by keeping your home address off the public register.
Changing a service address
You can change your service address at any time. In such instances, you must notify Companies House as soon as possible to ensure that your details remain accurate and up to date on the public register.
You can report a change of service address for a director, company secretary, PSC, or LLP member online via Companies House WebFiling or Rapid Formations’ free Client Admin Portal.
Does my service address have to be in the UK?
No, your service address can be located in any country in the UK or overseas – whichever address works best for you. You can change it at any time and as often as you wish to suit your own requirements.
Can I use my registered office as my service address?
Yes, you may use the same address as your company’s registered office and your own service address. For many company owners, this is the most convenient option, ensuring that all important statutory mail is delivered to the same place.
About registered office addresses
A registered office is the official contact address of a limited company (or LLP). You must provide this address to Companies House during the incorporation process and maintain a registered office throughout the life of your company.
Under the Companies Act 2006, a registered office must be located in the UK jurisdiction where the company is incorporated (i.e. in England & Wales, Wales only, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).
Registered office details are disclosed on the central public register at Companies House. This information remains on record indefinitely, even if the address is changed or the company is dissolved.
The principal purpose of a registered office is to receive statutory correspondence and legal notices from official bodies such as Companies House and HMRC.
You can use any residential address or commercial address (apart from a PO Box), as long as it is situated in the correct jurisdiction and you provide the full postal address. However, a non-residential address is more appropriate. Aside from protecting the privacy of your home, your business with benefit from a more professional, corporate image.
Changing a registered office address
You can change your registered office at any time and as often as you wish. Companies House must be notified of any such change of address within 14 days. You can report this change free of charge via Companies House online WebFiling service or Rapid Formations’ free Client Admin Portal.
Companies House will automatically notify HMRC when a change of address take place, so there will be no need to tell HMRC yourself. Documentation can continue to be served at your old address for 14 days after the change.
Can I move my registered office to a different country?
No, your registered office must always remain in the country of incorporation. However, if you register your business in the jurisdiction of England and Wales, you can move your registered office from England to Wales, or vice versa. These two countries are classed as one jurisdiction for the purposes of company formation and registered offices.
Confidentiality of residential addresses
Directors, LLP members, subscribers, and PSCs are required to provide their residential address details during the company formation (or appointment process, if the join after incorporation). This information will only be made available to the public if used as a service address or registered office.
Our services
Rapid Formations offers a professional Service Address in London or Glasgow from just £24.00 per year. All of your official government mail will be delivered to your chosen service address, scanned by our Mail Team, and emailed to you free of charge within one working day.
We also provide a London Registered Office in Covent Garden, which is suitable for companies and LLPs in England & Wales, and a Scottish Registered Office in Glasgow city centre. Both are available for £39.00 per year. All official government mail addressed to your company will be scanned and forwarded to you by email within one working day.
Please note that the information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. While our aim is that the content is accurate and up to date, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for tailored advice from qualified professionals. We strongly recommend that you seek independent legal and tax advice specific to your circumstances before acting on any information contained in this article. We accept no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage that may result from your reliance on the information provided in this article. Use of the information contained in this article is entirely at your own risk.
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Comments (7)
Hello am I allowed to leave machinery at my correspondence address for my business instead of the registered address
Dear Gerry
Unfortunately I do not have enough information to answer your question though where equipment is kept is at the discretion of the company directors so whatever they decide will normally be the rules to follow.
Best Regards,
Hi, I am trying to make sense of this, Does it mean if you are living in Scotland and running your Company in Scotland, you must opt to use the Scottish registered service address and business address? or can you use the London address through personal choice because you feel it looks and sounds better? OR could you mix them up like having the business address in London and service address in Scotland to then switch the service address also to London a year later, not that I’d do that, I just want to see what kind of flexibility is available within my question and how the rules of company formation registration go?
Dear Mark
Your company’s Registered Office must always be located in the country you originally register it in – so if you form a company with a Scottish Registered Office then for the life of your company the Registered Office must remain in Scotland. In terms of a Service Address for a director or the company’s Business Address they can be anywhere and can be changed at any time.
Best Regards,
Hi, thanks for this helpful article. I am wanting to use my home address as the company address, as suggested as a valid option by Companies House (https://www.gov.uk/limited-company-formation/company-address). When registering online and filling in the director’s details, if I select the option “The service address is ‘same as’ the company’s registered office”, it will not however allow me to also select the option “The residential address is ‘same as’ the service address
“. Am I allowed to just type the same address again as the director’s residential address or do I need to use a different address?
Thanks for your help
Dear Sam,
Thank you for your message.
This is a common issue with the Companies House website that you cannot tick the box to make the Residential Address the same as the Registered Office if the Service Address is already ticked to be the same as the Registered Office. The answer to your question is, yes you can type in your home address to be the Residential Address.
Best regards,
Rapid Formations Team.
I admit I am still confused. If you can use the registered address as your service address then why are Companies separating them into 2 different costs? For example £30/yr for registered address and additional £20/yr for service address – why can’t you just pay £30/yr and use that address as registered and service?
Also why is this only applicable to Companies – why as a sole trader do you then need a virtual address? Why can’t you just use a registered address?