How to Change Your Registered Office Address: Step-by-Step Guide

Every UK limited company must have a registered office: the official address where Companies House, HMRC and the courts send legal letters, and the address shown on the public register. If you move premises, switch to a virtual office or want to stop your home address appearing online, you will need to change registered office address details with Companies House. It is a standard procedure and costs nothing online, but there are rules about what counts as a valid address and a few people you must tell. This guide is your step-by-step roadmap.

What is a registered office?

The registered office is the company's legal address. It does not have to be where you trade. Many businesses run from one place and use another, such as their accountant's office or a virtual office, as their registered office. What matters is that letters sent there will reach the company and be dealt with.

The appropriate address rules

Since 4 March 2024, the registered office must be an appropriate address. That means:

• documents sent there would be expected to come to the attention of someone acting on the company's behalf, and
• the delivery of documents there can be recorded by an acknowledgement of delivery.

A PO box on its own does not meet the test. If Companies House finds that an address is not appropriate, it can change your registered office to its own default address, and a company that does not fix this can eventually be struck off. Our guide on why updating your company address is critical explains what is at stake.

Staying in the same jurisdiction

Your new address must be in the same part of the UK as the company was registered in. A company registered in England and Wales must keep its registered office in England or Wales, a company registered as Welsh must keep it in Wales, a Scottish company must stay in Scotland, and a Northern Irish company in Northern Ireland. You cannot move a company between jurisdictions by changing its address.

Step 1: Board approval

The decision to change registered office address is made by the directors. Pass a board resolution, or a written resolution signed by all directors, approving the new address and the date of the change. Check your articles of association in case they set out a particular process. Make sure you have the permission of the owner of the new address, whether that is a landlord, an accountant or a virtual office provider.

Step 2: File form AD01 with Companies House

You tell Companies House using form AD01, "change of registered office address", within 14 days of the change taking place. Filing online is free and usually quick. You will need:

• your company number and authentication code
• the full new address, including postcode
• confirmation that the new address is an appropriate address

Paper filing is possible but slower. The address shown on the register updates once Companies House accepts the filing.

When the change takes effect

The change of address takes effect when Companies House registers it, not when you decide to move. For 14 days after that, anyone can still validly serve documents on the company at the old address. So keep checking post at the old address for at least two weeks, and ideally arrange a forwarding service.

Step 3: Updating HMRC

Do not assume HMRC will update every record automatically from the Companies House filing. Check your business tax account and update the addresses HMRC holds for the company, especially any separate correspondence or trading address used for Corporation Tax, PAYE or VAT. For VAT, changes to your principal place of business should be reported to HMRC, because it can affect your registration details.

Step 4: The notification checklist

When you change registered office address, many organisations and documents need updating. Work through this list:

• Your website, especially the legal footer or contact page that shows company details.
• Letterheads, invoices, order forms and emails. Business letters, order forms and websites must show the registered office address, company name and number, and where the company is registered.
• Your bank, and any lenders or finance providers.
• Insurers, because some policies depend on where the business is based.
• Customers and suppliers, particularly for statements and legal notices.
• Your accountant and solicitor.
• Licensing bodies and regulators, if your business is regulated.
• Your company records, if the register of members is kept at the registered office; it must move with it.

If you cannot get post at the current address

To file online you need the company's authentication code, which Companies House posts to the registered office. If you have already lost access to that address, for example after a dispute with a landlord or because a previous provider closed, you can ask Companies House to send the code to a director's home address instead. If Companies House has already moved your company to its default address because the old one was not appropriate, a paper form is needed to move it back to a proper address.

Your home address and the public record

Once an address has been used as a registered office, it stays visible in the company's filing history, even after you change registered office address. Companies House warns that if you use your home address, you will not be able to remove it from earlier records. If privacy matters to you, choose a professional address from the start. In limited cases, such as a risk of violence or intimidation, you can apply to Companies House to suppress an address.

Timelines and costs

• Companies House fee: none for AD01.
• Online processing: usually quick, often within a day.
• Old address valid for service: 14 days after the change is registered.
• Your own costs: any virtual office or forwarding service, and updating printed materials.

Common reasons to change registered office address

Moving premises

The most common reason. If you trade from your registered office, move the address when you move the business.

Protecting your home address

Many small companies start with the director's home as the registered office, which puts that address on the public register for anyone to see. Using a professional address instead keeps your home private. Remember that directors' service addresses and residential addresses are separate: the residential address is not public, but the service address is.

Switching to a virtual office

A virtual office provides a business address and handles your post. It must meet the appropriate address rules: the provider must receive and acknowledge post and pass it to you. Our virtual office service sets out what is included.

Using your accountant's address

Some accountants offer their address as a registered office. It can be convenient, but make sure post is forwarded promptly, because legal deadlines can start from the date a letter is delivered.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using an address without the owner's permission.
• Choosing an address in the wrong jurisdiction.
• Giving up the old address before the 14-day period ends.
• Forgetting to update the website and invoices.
• Using a PO box or an address where nobody can acknowledge post.
• Assuming HMRC and the bank will be updated automatically.
• Missing the 14-day deadline to tell Companies House, which leaves the public register out of date.

FAQ

Can I move my Scottish company to England?

No. A company registered in Scotland must keep its registered office in Scotland. To trade from England, you can keep a Scottish registered office address, or set up a new company registered in England and Wales.

Does changing the registered office change my trading address?

No. Your trading address is wherever you actually do business. It is separate from the registered office, though for many small companies they are the same place.

Do I need to file a confirmation statement afterwards?

No. The address change is filed separately on AD01. Your next confirmation statement will simply confirm the new address.

How quickly can I change registered office address?

If you have the authentication code and the new address is ready, you can file AD01 online in a few minutes. The change usually appears on the register within a day.

Can I use my home address?

Yes, as long as it meets the appropriate address rules, but it will appear on the public register.

Change registered office address: checklist

• Choose an appropriate address in the right jurisdiction, with permission to use it.
• Record the directors' decision.
• File AD01 online within 14 days of the change taking place.
• Check the public register shows the new address correctly.
• Keep watching the old address for 14 days.
• Update HMRC, the bank, insurers, your website and your stationery.

Companies House guidance is on GOV.UK: change a company's registered office address (AD01) and the rules for registered office addresses.

We can change it for you

We can change registered office address details with Companies House for you, check the new address meets the rules, and provide a compliant registered office if you need one. See our change of company address service.