UK Company Registered Office Address Requirements: 2026 Guide

Every UK company must maintain an “appropriate” registered office address in the part of the UK where it is incorporated. It is the company’s official public address for Companies House, HMRC, courts and other formal correspondence. Since 4 March 2024, a PO Box on its own is not acceptable.

What makes a registered office address appropriate?

Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act changes, an address is appropriate when:

• a document delivered there by hand or post would be expected to come to the attention of someone acting for the company;
• delivery can be acknowledged;
• it is a physical location in the company’s jurisdiction of registration;
• the full address, including postcode, is supplied to Companies House.

A company registered in England and Wales must use an address in England and Wales. A Scottish company must use one in Scotland, and a Northern Irish company must use one in Northern Ireland. The address need not be where the company trades.

Can a home address be used?

Yes, provided it meets the rules. However, the registered office appears on the public Companies House register. Directors who do not want a residential address published can use an accountant, solicitor or registered-office service with permission and arrangements for prompt forwarding.

Changing the registered office later does not necessarily remove historical addresses from documents and register history.

Can a PO Box or virtual office be used?

A PO Box cannot be used as the registered office by itself. A third-party or virtual-office service can be acceptable where it provides a real physical address, accepts company mail and reliably brings correspondence to the company’s attention. Check the provider’s identity-verification, forwarding, storage and termination procedures.

What mail is sent to the registered office?

• Companies House notices and reminders;
• HMRC correspondence;
• court papers, statutory demands and legal notices;
• letters from regulators and other public bodies;
• formal communications from shareholders and creditors.

Missing a document because nobody monitors the address is not a defence to a filing deadline or legal process.

Must the address appear elsewhere?

A company must display its registered name at its registered office and other business locations, subject to limited exceptions. Business letters, order forms and websites must disclose prescribed company information, including the registered number, registered office address, place of registration and the fact that it is a limited company where applicable.

How do you change the registered office?

1. Choose an appropriate address in the correct UK jurisdiction and obtain permission to use it.
2. Approve the change using the company’s normal decision process.
3. Notify Companies House, usually online or using form AD01.
4. Wait for Companies House to register the change; it does not take legal effect merely because the company decided it.
5. Update HMRC, banks, insurers, stationery, invoices, contracts and the website where necessary.
6. Arrange forwarding from the old address.

Companies House may send a notice to the new address to confirm delivery arrangements.

What if an address is used without permission?

A property owner or occupier can apply to Companies House to remove an address being used without authorisation. Companies House can change a disputed registered office to a default address. A company moved to the default address must provide a valid replacement and evidence of entitlement, or it risks strike-off.

Registered office versus other addresses

2026 compliance checklist

• confirm the address is physical and in the correct jurisdiction;
• ensure daily or reliable mail monitoring;
• retain permission and a contract for any third-party address;
• keep Companies House contact details current;
• display required company information on the website and business correspondence;
• review the arrangement before a service contract or tenancy ends.

Related guide: how to file a Confirmation Statement in 2026.

Official guidance

• Companies House: company address
• Companies House: incorporation and names guidance

This guide is general information and not legal advice.