What is a Registered Office?

The Registered Office is the official address of the company and is the address to which Companies House and HMRC will send letters, reminders and notices.

The company’s registered office must be:

• in England and Wales (if your company is registered there)
• in Scotland (if your company is registered there)
• in Northern Ireland (if your company is registered there)
• in Wales (if your company is registered there).

It is important to ensure the correct registered office is noted at Companies House as this is the address important general and legal letters will be sent to.

It is possible to use your home address as your registered office address, however it is not an ideal choice (as the company’s address is set on the public record – therefore for the purposes of privacy this may not be the best choice). Ideally, a non-residential address should be used to protect your privacy as well as to convey a stronger sense of professionalism.

Difference between a registered office address & a directors’ service address:

Both of these addresses are required for a UK company to form (and they do not have to be different).

A registered office is the official address of a limited company to which statutory mail is sent and has to be in the UK. Conversely, a service address is the official contact address of a director (and can be located anywhere in the World) to which personal statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC is sent.

Difference between a registered office address & a business address?

The registered office address being the official address of your company, only statutory mail is delivered there.

However, all correspondence from clients, suppliers and other third parties gets sent to your business address.