• Company law basics
  • What is a limited company?
  • Types of companies
  • Limited liability
  • Does a business have to be a limited company?
  • Advantages and disadvantages of running a business as a company?
  • When must a company be registered for VAT?
  • What does it cost to set up a company?
  • What information must a company send to Companies House?
  • Introduction to articles
  • Registered office
  • Changing the registered office
  • Finding a company's registered office
  • Can a company do everything?
  • What are a company's objects?
  • Company seals
  • Companies House
  • Information required on company notepaper
  • Information required on websites, emails and faxes
  • Annual return
  • Company accounts
  • Incorporating an existing business
  • Ready made companies
  • Can a company be moved from one part of the United Kingdom to another?
• Companies legislation
  • Companies Legislation
  • Companies Act 2006 Introduction
  • Accounts, audit and annual returns SIs
  • Articles of Association SIs
  • Company charges SIs
  • Companies House SIs
  • Community Interest Companies SIs
  • Directors SIs
  • Company forms SIs
  • General meeting - shareholders' rights SIs
  • Minority protection SIs
  • Company and business names SIs
  • Overseas companies SIs
  • Political donations SIs
  • Share capital SIs
  • Statutory registers and other records SIs
  • Trading disclosures SIs
  • Companies Legislation before the Companies Act 2006
• Types of companies
  • Types of companies
  • Companies limited by guarantee
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Property management companies
  • Dormant companies
  • Converting a company from one type to another
• Registering a company
• Company and business names
  • Company names
  • Changing a company's name
  • Protecting a company's name
  • Passing off
  • Trade marks
  • Trade mark registration
  • Trade mark categories of goods and services
  • What does it cost to register a trade mark?
• Articles of association
  • Introduction to articles
  • Model Articles
  • Table A
  • Updating articles
  • What is a general commercial company?
• Directors
  • What is the difference between shareholders and directors?
  • Directors
  • Number of Directors
  • Appointment of Directors
  • Resignation of directors
  • Removal of a director from office
  • Who can be a director?
  • Directors' service addresses
  • Are directors entitled to be paid?
  • Directors as employees
  • Directors' powers
  • Directors' duties
  • Legal position of a managing director
  • Loans to directors
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Company secretary
  • Board meetings
  • Appointing a chairman
  • Quorum at board meetings
• Shares
  • What is a statement of capital?
  • Shares - an introduction
  • Authorised capital
  • How many shares should a company have?
  • Classes of shares
  • Alphabet shares
  • Share certificates
  • Dividends
  • What voting rights do shares have?
  • How do people get shares in a company?
  • Issuing shares
  • Pre-emptive rights
  • Transferring shares
  • What happens if a shareholder dies?
  • How much must a company charge for its shares?
  • Issuing shares for consideration other than cash
  • Can a child own shares?
  • Can a company buy its own shares?
• Shareholders
  • What is the difference between shareholders and directors?
  • What rights does a shareholder have?
  • General meetings
  • Must a company hold general meetings?
  • Calling general meetings
  • Who is entitled to attend general meetings?
  • What is the difference between board meetings and general meetings?
  • Proxies
  • Minutes of members' and directors' decisions
  • Types of resolutions
  • Appointing a chairman
  • Quorum at general meetings
• Shareholders' agreements
• Statutory registers
• Company borrowing and debentures
  • Company borrowing
  • Debentures
  • Fixed and floating charges
  • Registering charges
• Partnerships
  • Partnerships SIs
  • Partnership Act 1890
• LLPs
  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)
  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) SIs

Registered office

By CA 2006, sec86, a company must at all times have a registered office to which communications and notices may be addressed.
When a new company is registered the address is specified on the initial registration forms. Any change in the address must be notified to Companies House on Form AD01. (Forms can be obtained from the Companies House website.) The change takes effect on the date the notice is registered, but any document may be served on the company at the old address until 14 days after that date (CA 2006 sec86(2)).

The registered office must be in the country in which the company is registered: a Scottish company may not have its registered office in England or vice versa. There is, of course, nothing to stop a Scottish company having a place of business in England (or an English company having one in Scotland), but it must maintain a registered office within the country of its situation.

The address of the registered office must appear on all business letters, emails, websites, etc.

Incorporation Services Limited provides a registered office service.

Related topics

• Changing the registered office
• Finding a company's registered office