A registered office address is a company’s official address, used for correspondence from government bodies such as Companies House and HMRC. Having one is a mandatory legal requirement for every company in the United Kingdom. Uniwide Formations provides a prestigious registered office address in Kensington, London, for companies registered in England and Wales.
Registered Office Address Explained
The registered office must be a physical postal address in the United Kingdom – a PO Box on its own is not acceptable. It must also be located in the jurisdiction where the company is incorporated: England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Since 4 March 2024, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, every company must keep an “appropriate address” as its registered office at all times. In practice, this means that documents delivered there must be expected to reach a person acting on behalf of the company, and that delivery can be confirmed by an acknowledgement. The full company address rules are set out on GOV.UK.
The address is shown on the public register and must also appear on the company’s business letters, order forms and website. It does not, however, need to be the place where the business actually operates – many companies trade from an entirely different location.
Choosing the right address matters more than many founders expect. Our guide on what a registered office address is explains the legal rules, the risks and the practical options in detail.
Prestigious Registered Office Address in Kensington, London
When you set up a company, you may use your home or trading address as the registered office, or purchase a professional address service. Our service gives your company:
- A prestigious registered office address in Kensington, London W8, in one of the capital’s best-known districts.
- Official government post scanned and emailed to you on the day it arrives, free of charge.
- Privacy: your home address is not shown on the public record.
- An address that satisfies the “appropriate address” requirements – our office is staffed, and deliveries are received and acknowledged.
The service is available both when forming a new company and for an existing company that wishes to change its registered office.
How a Registered Office Differs from Other Company Addresses
The registered office is the address of the company itself. It is often confused with two other address types that serve different legal purposes, and one address service does not cover the others.
Every director, secretary and person with significant control (PSC) must also provide a service address – the individual’s own official correspondence address on the public register. A company’s registered office cannot double as a service address for its officers.
| Address type | Purpose and status |
|---|---|
| Registered office address | The company’s statutory address for official government mail from Companies House, HMRC and the courts. Mandatory for every company; shown on the public register. |
| Service address | The statutory correspondence address of each individual officer. Mandatory for directors, secretaries and PSCs; shown on the public register. |
| Business postal address | An address for general business post from banks, customers and suppliers. Optional; not shown on the public register. |
Neither statutory address covers everyday commercial correspondence. Letters from banks, customers or suppliers are handled through a business postal address, which a company may choose to have but is not required to.
The three types also differ in where the address must be located and whether it appears on company stationery. Our company addresses guide compares them line by line and shows how each appears in company records and filings.
Service Terms, Renewal and Mail Forwarding
What the service covers
The service covers the use of our address for official government mail only – post from UK central government bodies such as Companies House and HMRC, and from the courts. Each item is scanned and emailed to you on the day we receive it, free of charge. General business correspondence is not included and is returned to the sender unless you also hold a business postal address with us.
Renewal and cancellation
The service runs for 12 months and renews automatically at the prices quoted on this website. We email a reminder 30 days before the renewal date, and the fee is then taken from the card details we hold, so there is nothing you need to do. You may cancel the renewal at any time through your online account or by contacting us.
Physical mail forwarding
Scanning and emailing of official post is free. If you would like the original documents forwarded by post, we charge the Royal Mail postal rates plus a 15% handling fee + VAT.
Usage restrictions
- The address cannot serve as a service address: each company director, secretary, shareholder and PSC must provide their own, and a separate service address must be purchased for each individual.
- The address must not be given as the company’s place of business for VAT registration or used as a trading address.
- The service must not be used to suggest that your company has an actual office, staff or business operations at our premises – for example, by listing our address on Google Maps as your company location. Wherever you mention the address, please make clear that it is your company’s registered office address only.
Which companies can use the address
Only companies incorporated in England and Wales. A registered office must be in the company’s jurisdiction of incorporation, and our office is in London; companies registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland therefore need an address in their own part of the United Kingdom.
FAQs about Registered Office Address Service
Can I use my home address as my company’s registered office?
Yes, provided the address is in the right jurisdiction and meets the “appropriate address” test. Bear in mind that the registered office appears on the public register, so anyone can find out where you live. Many directors use a professional address such as ours precisely to keep their home details private.
Does the registered office have to be where my business operates?
No. The registered office and the trading address are separate concepts. A company can trade from anywhere – including from overseas – while its registered office simply receives statutory mail. What matters is that documents delivered there come to the attention of someone acting for the company and that delivery can be acknowledged.
Who can see my registered office address?
Anyone. The address is published on the Companies House register, which is free to search online, and it must also appear on the company’s business letters, order forms and website. This is why the choice of address affects a director’s privacy far more than many founders expect when using a home address.
How do I change my registered office address later?
By filing form AD01 with Companies House; the change takes effect once it is registered. The new address must remain in the same jurisdiction – a company registered in England and Wales cannot move its registered office to Scotland or Northern Ireland. When you switch to our address, we can prepare and file the change for you.
What happens if my registered office is not an “appropriate address”?
Companies House can replace it with its own default address without notice. The company then has 28 days to provide an appropriate address, together with evidence of its right to use it; otherwise Companies House may begin striking the company off the register. The company and its officers may also face penalties.
Can I use your registered office address for VAT registration?
No. When a company registers for VAT, HMRC requires the actual location of the business – a physical residential or commercial address where the VAT records can be inspected. Our address services must not be given for this purpose. Our accounting partners can prepare a VAT registration application using your genuine trading address.
Can I purchase your address services after an RP07 form has been filed against my company?
In most cases, yes, although we ask you to contact our customer services team first so that we can review the position. An RP07 is an application to change a disputed registered office address. Once Companies House upholds it, the company is moved to the Companies House default address, and a proper registered office can then be restored only by filing a paper form AD01.
Can non-UK residents use this service?
Yes. Overseas founders regularly use our Kensington address, since a company registered in England and Wales must have a registered office there even when its owners live abroad. The service is a standard part of company formation for non-residents, who usually have no UK address of their own.
Why Choose Uniwide Formations for Your Registered Office
Uniwide Formations is a Companies House authorised corporate service provider and an HMRC-supervised trust or company service provider, so our address meets the standards that the register now demands. Official post is handled on the day it arrives, the service can be ordered online in minutes, and it may be added when you form a new company or at any point afterwards.