Why Does My Company Need To Have A Registered Address?
For your company to benefit from Limited Liability, Companies House states that your details must be open and transparent.
This openness and transparency includes having a registered address where you can be reached if required.
While the directors of your company can opt to have their personal addresses removed from the register, you still need to provide a registered address for your company.
Although, if you have previously used your personal address as your registered address, it will still be public for the company's lifetime, and then 20 years after the company has been dissolved.
Registered address rules
Because of the legal requirements of running a company, which may include having legal letters sent to your registered address, your address needs to follow a number of rules.
- Your address must be a physical address within the UK; if you plan to use a PO Box, you must still provide a physical address and post code along with it.
- Your address must be in the same country as where your company is registered; for example, if your company is registered in England and Wales, you must provide either an English or a Welsh address.
The address you choose will be publicly available on the Companies House register and cannot be removed. So consider your options carefully.
I don’t want to use my home address; what can I do?
There are two different ways you can approach it if you don’t want to have your personal address on the register.
- Use a different address - if you have someone who will be managing your Corporation Tax, you may be able to use their address, although you will need to obtain permission from them before registering.
- Appoint an agent who can give you an address you can use.
Whichever of these two options you are thinking of using, you will need to have it in place before you start the process of registering your company.
Will I see a lot of junk mail?
With your address being publicly available, you might see an increase in the amount of junk mail you receive for a while.
If you have a third party that handles your mail, you must make sure they’re forwarding all of your mail to you.
If you use a company that screens out junk mail, you may be breaking the law by only receiving part of your mail.
Summing up
Your company needs to have a registered address that’s available on the Companies House public register.
There are options you can use if you don’t want to have your personal address as your registered address, but you will need to make sure these are in place before you begin the registration process.
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