New Rules for Registered Office Addresses Effective from 4 March 2024
Starting on 4 March 2024, companies must always maintain an ‘appropriate address’ as their registered office. The address must meet these two conditions:
- A person representing the company must receive and acknowledge any documents sent to the registered office.
- The address must allow proper documentation and confirmation of delivery.
Elimination of PO Boxes as Registered Office Addresses
From this date, PO Boxes will no longer qualify as valid registered office addresses. However, you can still use a third-party agent’s address if it satisfies the criteria for an appropriate address.
If your company currently uses a PO Box as its registered office, update it before 4 March 2024. Changing the registered office address is simple and can be done online using your company’s authentication code.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
If a company fails to provide an appropriate registered office address, it risks being struck off the register. When Companies House detects an inappropriate address, they will assign a default address. The company then has 28 days to submit a valid registered office address and evidence of its connection to the company. If they fail to do so, Companies House will initiate the process to remove the company from the register.
