Registered office address rules in the UK: what Companies House requires

Every UK limited company needs a registered office address, and the rules tightened in 2024. Here is what Companies House expects, what appears on the public register, and your options if you would rather not use your home address.

By Eddie Whittingham, founder of Ministry of Work Published 6 October 2026

What a registered office address is

Every limited company and limited liability partnership (LLP) in the UK must have a registered office address. It is the company’s official address: where Companies House, HMRC, courts and other organisations send formal letters and legal documents, and the address shown against the company on the public register.

It does not have to be where the business actually works. Plenty of companies trade from one place and use another address, such as an accountant’s office or a registered office service, as their official address. What matters is that the address meets the rules below.

The “appropriate address” rule

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 changed the rules. Since 4 March 2024, every company must have an “appropriate address” as its registered office at all times.

Companies House sets out what that means. In the ordinary course of events:

a document addressed to the company and delivered there by hand or by post would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company, and
delivery of documents there can be recorded by getting an acknowledgement of delivery (for example, someone signing for a recorded or special delivery letter).

The address must also be:

a physical address in the UK, and
in the same part of the UK the company is registered in. 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.

The same changes brought in a registered email address. Companies must give Companies House an email address it can use to contact them. That email address is not published on the public register.

PO boxes are not allowed

You can no longer use a Royal Mail PO Box as a registered office address, and GOV.UK says this includes similar services from other companies. A PO box cannot meet the appropriate address test, because nobody acting for the company is there to receive post and sign for it.

If you use an agent or another third-party address provider, Companies House says it is your responsibility to make sure the service they provide meets the requirements for an appropriate address.

What happens if your address is not appropriate

Companies House now has more power to query information on the register. If it decides a registered office is not an appropriate address, it can change the address to a default address held at Companies House.

The company then has 28 days to give an appropriate address, with evidence to support it. If it does not, Companies House can start the process to strike the company off the register.

What the public register shows

Anyone can search the Companies House register online for free. For each company it shows, among other things, the registered office address, the company’s filings and its officers.

For each director, the public register shows:

their name
their nationality
the month and year of their date of birth
their service address (a correspondence address, covered below).

Directors’ usual home addresses and full dates of birth are kept on a private register. Companies House shares them only with credit reference agencies and specified public authorities, such as the police.

Can I use my home address as a registered office?

Yes. A home address can be a registered office, as long as it meets the appropriate address rules and is in the right part of the UK. Many small companies start this way.

The trade-off is privacy. Your registered office appears on the public register and has to be shown on your company’s website and business letters (see below). GOV.UK’s advice is that if you run your company from home and do not want your home address to be publicly available, you should choose a different registered office address.

Some leases, mortgages and tenancy agreements also restrict running a business from home, so it is worth checking yours.

Removing a home address from the register

If your home address is already on the register, you can apply to Companies House to have it removed from past filings, using form SR01. There is a fee for each document. Two points to know:

Companies House cannot remove a home address that is still the company’s current registered office. You must change the registered office first, then apply.
It also cannot remove an address that is the subject of a mortgage charge, or one that forms part of a company’s name.

A separate application lets people at serious risk of violence or intimidation because of their company’s work ask Companies House to withhold their home address from credit reference agencies. That needs evidence, such as a crime reference number.

Registered office, service address and trading address

These three are often confused. They can be the same address, but they do different jobs.

Registered office address

The company’s official address for Companies House, HMRC and legal documents. It must be an appropriate address and is always public. Companies must show it, along with the company number and where the company is registered, on their business letters, order forms and website. GOV.UK also says you must display a sign showing your company name at your registered office address and wherever your business operates.

Director’s service address

The address published for each director, where official letters to them can be sent. It can be the same as the company’s registered office or somewhere different. Using the registered office as your service address is a simple way to keep your home address off the public part of the register. Your home address still has to be given to Companies House, but it goes on the private register.

Trading or business address

Where you do business, or the address you put on your website, invoices and marketing. There is no Companies House rule that it must match your registered office, but if you use a third-party address for this, check the provider allows it. Some registered office services are for official post only.

Identity verification for directors

The 2023 Act also brought in identity verification. Since 18 November 2025 it has been a legal requirement for company directors, people with significant control (PSCs) and LLP members.

New directors must verify their identity before a company can be incorporated or before they can be appointed.
Existing directors confirm they have verified when the company files its next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period that started on 18 November 2025.
Existing PSCs also have to verify within that 12-month period, each within their own 14-day window.

You can verify for free online through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as a company formation agent, accountant or solicitor. In most cases you only need to do it once, and you get a personal code to use for each company role you hold. GOV.UK warns that not verifying on time is an offence and can stop you making filings for your company.

Companies House has said identity checks will later extend to people who file on a company’s behalf, no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice.

How a registered office address service works

A registered office service gives your company the use of a staffed business address, so your official post is received by a real person and your home address stays off the register. In practice:

You choose a plan. Some cover the registered office only; others also let you use the address on your website and invoices, or add mail scanning and forwarding.
The provider checks who you are. Businesses that provide registered office and business addresses are treated as trust or company service providers under the money laundering regulations. They must carry out customer due diligence, so expect to show ID and give details about your company and the people behind it.
You update Companies House. Once the provider confirms, you (or your accountant) change the registered office online or with form AD01, and update your service address if you want that to move too.
Your post is handled. Letters from Companies House, HMRC and others arrive at the provider, which holds, scans or forwards them depending on your plan.

Before you sign up, it is worth asking:

Is someone on site to receive and sign for post during business hours?
Can I use the address on my website and invoices, or only for Companies House and HMRC?
How will I know when official post arrives, and how quickly?
What happens to my post if I leave, and how much notice do I need to give?

Our registered office service in Salford

Ministry of Work is a private work club in a restored 1891 chapel at 41 New Cross Street, Swinton, Salford, M27 4TU, with a team on site. We offer three plans:

Registered Office, £25 + VAT a month: our address for Companies House and HMRC, with official mail received and held for you to collect.
Business Address, £60 + VAT a month: adds use of the address on your website, invoices and marketing.
Virtual Office, £150 + VAT a month: adds mail scanning and forwarding, and meeting room time.

As the law requires, we check your identity and your business before your address goes live. Full details are on our virtual office page.

This is general information, not legal advice. It reflects GOV.UK and Companies House guidance as of October 2026. Rules and dates change, so check the latest guidance or speak to your accountant or solicitor about your own situation.