Formation · 5 min read
Registered office vs trading address: what’s the difference?
Every UK company needs a registered office, but it doesn’t have to be where you work. What each address is for, who can see it, and what happens to the post.
Key points
- The registered office is the legal address on the public register; it must be an “appropriate address” in the UK jurisdiction where the company is registered.
- A trading or business address is where you actually operate — it can be anywhere in the world.
- Directors can use a service address so their home address stays off the public register.
- PO boxes are not acceptable as a registered office.
Registered office
This is the company’s official address, shown on the public register at Companies House and printed on your certificate of incorporation. Legal documents, court papers and letters from Companies House and HMRC go here. It must be a physical address in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland — matching where you incorporated — and it must be an “appropriate address”: one where documents delivered would come to the attention of someone acting for the company, and where delivery can be acknowledged. A PO box on its own does not qualify.
Trading address
Where the business actually operates — your office in Dubai, your warehouse in Rotterdam, your flat in Austin. It does not appear on the Companies House register and can be anywhere. Banks and HMRC will ask for it separately, and it is what HMRC looks at when deciding whether you are established in the UK for VAT purposes.
Service address
Each director and PSC must give a service address, which is public, and a usual residential address, which is not. Using the registered office as your service address keeps your home address private. This is standard practice and costs nothing extra with most providers.
What happens to the post
Official post to the registered office matters: HMRC penalty notices, Companies House reminders and legal claims all arrive that way and run to deadlines from the date they were sent, not the date you read them. A good registered office service opens, scans and emails every item the day it arrives. Ask specifically about this before choosing a provider — some only forward physical mail weekly.
Can I change it later?
Yes, at any time, by filing a change of registered office with Companies House. The new address takes effect immediately on registration, though documents can validly be served at the old address for 14 days afterwards.
What we do
Our London registered office is included in every package, with same-day scanning and director service addresses. See Registered office address.
This guide is general information for overseas businesses considering the UK, correct to the best of our knowledge at the date shown. It is not advice for your specific circumstances — rules and thresholds change. Check with us or HMRC before acting on it.