It’s common for companies to move offices. But whether you are expanding, looking to cut costs or consolidating your business, you will have to change your company’s registered office address. If you initially registered your company using a company formation agent such as Uniwide Formations, your registered address can be updated with Companies House on your behalf.
However, don’t worry if you didn’t use a company formation agent to register your company, or if you wish to make the changes yourself. The process is quite simple. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about changing your registered company address.
Can I change my registered office address? – in brief
Yes, you can change the address of your registered office at any time after setting up a company, but it must always remain in the same region or jurisdiction where the company is registered, i.e. England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
To change a registered office the company directors need to approve the change. Companies House Form AD01 (for companies) or Form LLAD01 (for LLPs) must then be completed and delivered to Companies House. You can submit your changes free of charge via our Online Customer Portal.
Which addresses do you need to keep updated?
Limited companies in the UK have to maintain a registered office address in the same jurisdiction in which you initially registered the business. HMRC and Companies House use this address to deliver legal notices or statutory mail.
There are three types of address recognised by Companies House:
- Registered office address: The official address of your company.
- Service address: This belongs to each director and can be the same as the registered office address, their private home address, or somewhere entirely different.
- Residential address: The home addresses of shareholders and company directors and kept on a separate private register at Companies House that is not publicly accessible.
Your company must be registered at a real physical location and not a PO box. However, you can use a home address as your registered office address. But it’s important to remember that this address will appear on public records, which anyone can access. Using your home address may mean you end up receiving cold calls and junk mail at your home.
What happens if you relocate to a different region?
The UK is divided into three Companies House jurisdictions:
- England and Wales (offices in London and Cardiff)
- Scotland (office in Edinburgh)
- Northern Ireland (office in Belfast)
If you relocate your company, its registered address needs to be within the same jurisdiction in which it was originally incorporated. Therefore, if your company were originally registered with Companies House under a Dorset address, it would have been incorporated within the England or Wales region. Your new office address must also be located within England or Wales. You cannot swap between jurisdictions. If you do wish to move your company address from one region to another, you must re-incorporate your company with the Companies House in the new location.
How to change a registered company address
To change your company’s registered office address at Companies House, you need to file form AD01 online or by post. There is no cost to changing your registered office address.
Online
Log in to Uniwide Formations Customer Online Portal or the Companies House WebFiling service with your email address and password. If you haven’t yet used the service, you can register for Companies House WebFiling or create an account on our website. You can then access an overview of your company’s information by submitting your company number and an authentication code. If you don’t have your authentication code to hand, you can order a new code from Companies House, and you will also receive a reminder of it at your current registered office address.
By post
If you don’t wish to use the WebFiling service at Companies House, you can submit your change of address by post. Form AD01 will need to be completed and signed by the registered company secretary or director. The form itself is relatively straightforward and just requires confirmation of the company name, number and new address. You will then need to send the form to Companies House using the correct Companies House address for where your company is incorporated. You should find the address on the ADO1 form you printed out.
How long will it take for the changes to process?
A change to your company’s registered office address takes effect once Companies House has registered it. If you submit the change online, you can usually expect it to take less than 24 hours to be accepted. Meanwhile, submitting a paper form change of address takes longer. It can take anything up to five working days for a postal change of address application to be processed by Companies House.
How to change the address for partnerships?
For Limited Liability Partnerships, the process of changing address works the same way as changing address for a limited company. You will need to notify Companies House either by post or online using form LLPAD01.
However, changing your company’s registered address is a slightly different process if your company is a limited partnership. There is no online WebFiling service for limited partnerships. Therefore, you will have to submit your changes by post using form LP6.
Who else do you need to notify about your change of registered office address?
Once you’ve changed your company’s registered office address, you must inform HMRC of changes to your registered office address within 30 days. If you fail to notify HMRC within this timeframe, you could face a financial penalty. You also need to change your address for your VAT registration. You can change your registered address using the online form or by downloading and completing a VAT484 form and sending it by post.
You will also need to notify your:
- Accountants
- Banks and auditors
- PAYE and National Insurance
- Insurance Providers
- Customers and suppliers
Don’t forget to update your registered address on your company’s website, email correspondences, letterheads, envelopes and business cards.
Whether you use the Companies House online portal facility or do it by post, updating your company’s registered office address is a relatively simple and pain-free process. Just make sure you do it in good time.
If you need help with registering your limited company with Companies House or changing your registered address details, Uniwide Formations can advise you on the process. We offer a broad range of company formation packages so you can incorporate your company fast and efficiently. We can also provide you with our registered office address services in London.
