A registered office is the official address of an incorporated company, association or any other legal entity. Generally, it will form part of the public record and is required in most countries where the registered organization or legal entity is incorporated.Andersen, Arthur. The European Film Production Guide: Finance, Tax, Legislation. Routledge, 1996. 21. Retrieved from Google Books on 3 July 2010. , . A registered physical office address is required for incorporated organizations to receive official correspondence and formal notices from government departments, investors, banks, shareholders, and the public, in most countries in the world.
In the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, the Companies Act 2006 requires all companies to have a registered office.Companies Act 2006, section 86 Documents may be served on companies by delivery to the registered office address as recorded at Companies House. A registered office address is required for incorporated organizations to receive official correspondence and formal notices from government departments, investors, banks, shareholders, and the public. The registered office address does not have to be where the organization conducts its actual business or trade, and it is not unusual for law firms, accountants or incorporation agents to provide the registered office address service. A company's registered name must be visible to the public at its registered office,The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/17), regulation 21(1)(a) although there is an exception for people running a business from their home. Companies must include their registered office address on all communications, such as letters, and on their websites.The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/17), regulation 24
A company's statutory records previously had to be kept at the registered office and available for public inspection; since 1 October 2009, it has been possible for companies to designate a single alternative inspection location (SAIL) as a place to keep their records which must be available for public inspection. Since June 2016, private companies can elect to keep certain records on the central register which is held and published by Companies House, instead of maintaining their own registers.
A company must indicate in which of the United Kingdom's three jurisdictions its registered office is to be located: England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Companies incorporated in Wales may elect for their registered office address to be recorded as in Wales rather than in England and Wales. Under regulations implemented in the UK on 1 October 2009, company directors may now also use a registered office address instead of their private home address for contact on the Companies House register.
Other countries
In many other countries, the address with which a company is registered must be where its headquarters or seat is located, and this will often determine the subnational registry at which the company must be registered.
India In India, Section 12(1) of the Companies Act, 2013 mandates all companies to have a registered office within 15 days of incorporation. Additionally, companies are required to have a signboard or painted name and registered address outside every office in a conspicuous location.
Ireland In Ireland, section 50 of the Companies Act 2014 requires every company to maintain a registered office in the state. The address must be a physical location to enable people to visit the company's registered office for document and register inspection purposes, and also to enable document delivery by hand.
Singapore In Singapore, section 142 of the Companies Act 1967 requires every company to maintain a registered office within Singapore from the date of incorporation. The office is the address to which communications and notices may be sent and must be open and accessible to the public for at least three hours during ordinary business hours on each business day. ACRA states that changes to the registered office address or office hours must be reported within 14 days.
A company's registered office is distinct from a contact address, which applies to individual position holders such as directors and company secretaries. A contact address is displayed in ACRA's public records and may be used instead of the individual's residential address, subject to ACRA's requirements.
References
External links
Companies House holds the registration details of UK companies Incorporating a company UK Companies House guidance including explanation of registered office Company addresses NZ Companies Office guidance on registered office address Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) Singapore's corporate registry and regulator