To change a company address at Companies House, identify which record needs updating and submit the correct online filing or form.
A registered office change normally uses form AD01, while director, secretary, PSC and statutory-record addresses require separate updates.
Companies House must usually be told about a registered office or officer address change within 14 days.
Changing the registered office does not automatically update directors, PSCs, the registered email address or HMRC trading details.
Key Takeaways:
- The registered office, director, secretary and PSC addresses are separate Companies House records.
- Most address changes must be reported within 14 days.
- The registered office and service addresses appear on the public register.
- Directors’ and PSCs’ residential addresses are normally kept private.
- The registered email address must be updated separately.
- A registered office must remain in the company’s existing UK jurisdiction.
- Changing an address does not extend accounts or confirmation statement deadlines.
Which Company Address Needs Changing?
A business move can affect more than one company address. Use this table before submitting anything:
| Detail that changed | Companies House filing | Publicly visible? |
| Registered office | AD01 | Yes |
| Individual director’s address | CH01 | Service address only |
| Corporate director’s address | CH02 | Usually yes |
| Individual secretary’s address | CH03 | Yes |
| Corporate secretary’s address | CH04 | Usually yes |
| Individual PSC’s address | PSC04 | Service address only |
| Relevant legal entity’s address | PSC05 | Yes |
| SAIL address | AD02 | Yes |
| Records moved to a SAIL address | AD03 | Yes |
| Records returned to the registered office | AD04 | Yes |
| Registered email address | Separate online service | No |
Companies House lists separate filings for company officers, registered offices, statutory-record locations and people with significant control. Updating one record does not necessarily amend another.
Registered office address
The registered office is the company’s official address for legal notices and government correspondence. It appears on the public Companies House register.
The address must be physical, appropriate and located in the same UK jurisdiction in which the company was incorporated.
For example, a Scottish company must retain a registered office in Scotland. A Royal Mail PO Box, or a similar standalone service, cannot be used.
Director addresses
A director gives Companies House two addresses:
- A service address, which is shown publicly.
- A usual residential address, which is normally withheld from the public register.
The service address may be the registered office, the director’s home or another suitable correspondence address. Directors who do not want their home address displayed should use a different service address.
Secretary and PSC addresses
A company secretary provides a public service address. An individual person with significant control normally provides both a public service address and a private residential address.
PSC address changes must be reported within 14 days after the company confirms the new information.
SAIL address
A single alternative inspection location, or SAIL, is an address where a company keeps specified statutory records instead of keeping them at its registered office.
Use AD02 to register the SAIL address, AD03 to identify records moved there and AD04 when records return to the registered office.
Registered email address
The registered email address is the private email Companies House uses to contact the company. It is not displayed on the public register and is updated through a separate online service.
How to Change a Registered Office Address at Companies House?
The fastest way to change a registered office address is normally through the Companies House online service.
Short registered office address steps
- Sign in using GOV.UK One Login or the relevant Companies House filing service.
- Select the company and enter its authentication code when requested.
- Choose the registered office address option and enter the new address.
- Review the information, submit it and wait for confirmation that Companies House has registered the change.
The new company address does not officially take effect merely because the filing has been submitted. It becomes the registered office when Companies House accepts and registers it.
You must normally tell Companies House within 14 days of the registered office change. The online service requires the company authentication code.
Can form AD01 be filed on paper?
Form AD01 can be used when a paper filing is necessary, although online filing is generally quicker.
Companies in liquidation, companies applying for restoration and companies moved to the default Companies House address may need to use the relevant paper process.
Where an address change forms part of a wider company closure, the registered-office filing remains separate from the broader question of how long voluntary liquidation takes.
How to Change a Director’s Address at Companies House?
An individual director’s address is updated online or through form CH01.
The filing can change the director’s:
- Service address
- Usual residential address
- Name or other permitted personal details
Companies House guidance confirms that CH01 is used to change an individual director’s name or address. Corporate directors use CH02 instead.
A company must report changes to directors’ personal details within 14 days. Where a director is appointed to several companies, each company record should be reviewed because changing the address for one appointment may not correct every other company entry.
How to Change a Company Secretary’s Address?
Use CH03 to change the details of an individual company secretary or CH04 for a corporate secretary.
A private company does not normally have to appoint a secretary. However, where a secretary is appointed, the information Companies House holds about that person or organisation must be kept current. Secretary changes are generally reportable within 14 days.
How to Change a PSC Address?
Use PSC04 when the address of an individual person with significant control changes. PSC05 applies to a relevant legal entity, while PSC06 applies to another registrable person.
The company should first confirm the changed information with the PSC. Companies House must then be notified within 14 days of confirmation. A PSC’s public service address and private home address should be treated as separate details.
Identity verification is also required for PSCs under the current Companies House regime, but providing a personal code does not replace the obligation to report a changed address.
How to Change a SAIL Address or Records Location?
Register a new SAIL address using AD02. If company records will be stored there, identify them through AD03. Use AD04 when the records move back to the registered office.
A change to the address where company records are kept, or to the records held there, must normally be reported within 14 days.
The SAIL address is publicly available. Directors who work from home should therefore avoid using a residential address if they do not want it displayed on the register.
How to Update the Registered Email Address?
A company’s registered email address must be updated separately from its postal addresses.
You will normally need:
- A Companies House account
- The company number
- The company authentication code
- The new registered email address
The registered email is not published. It must be an address the company monitors because Companies House may use it for official communications.
Do not confuse the registered email address with the email used to sign in to WebFiling or GOV.UK One Login. Changing a login email does not necessarily update the company’s registered email.
Does Changing the Registered Office Update Everything Else?
No. A registered office change does not automatically update:
- Directors’ service or residential addresses
- Company secretary details
- PSC addresses
- The SAIL address
- The registered email address
- HMRC trading or contact details
- Bank, insurer or finance-provider records
- Licences and regulatory registrations
- Websites, invoices and business stationery
Companies House will inform HMRC after an approved registered-office change, but a business may still need to update HMRC separately where its trading address, contact details or other tax records have changed.
An address change also does not move the company’s accounts deadline. Exceptional circumstances are handled through the separate process to apply for a Companies House filing extension.
Can You Remove a Home Address from Companies House?
Changing the current address does not automatically remove an old home address from historical filings.
A person may apply to suppress a home address where it appeared as a service, correspondence or registered office address. An active officer may first need to supply a replacement correspondence address.
The current SR01 process charges a fee for each document included in an application.
This is different from protection for directors or PSCs who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation.
That protection has separate eligibility rules and does not allow a person to protect a home address while it remains the company’s registered office.
What If a Company Uses Your Address Without Permission?
Do not attempt to alter a company’s record unless you are authorised to file for that company.
Companies House provides an online reporting process where a name or address has been used without consent.
The person making the report may be asked for evidence showing that the address belongs to them. Companies House can then consider whether the information should be removed or annotated.
Keep copies of letters, tenancy documents, title records and other evidence that may support the report.
Companies House advises against submitting the same report repeatedly because duplication can delay its review.
Example: A Director Moves Away from a Home Office
A director moves from a home address in Birmingham to a serviced office elsewhere in England.
The former home address is recorded as the company’s registered office, the director’s service address and the PSC’s service address.
The director may need to:
- Submit AD01 for the registered office.
- Submit CH01 for the director’s service address.
- Submit PSC04 for the PSC service address.
- Confirm whether the private residential address has also changed.
- Review the registered email and SAIL information.
- Apply separately if the old home address should be removed from historical documents.
- Update HMRC, banking, insurance and commercial records where necessary.
Although the company is moving to a new city, the registered office can remain in England because the company stays within its existing England and Wales jurisdiction.
Post-Change Checklist
After completing the Companies House address change:
- Confirm that the new registered office appears on the public register.
- Review every current director’s service and residential address.
- Review company secretary details.
- Confirm each PSC’s address.
- Check the SAIL address and records location.
- Check the registered email address.
- Save the filing acknowledgement and acceptance confirmation.
- Redirect post from the previous address.
- Update HMRC where relevant.
- Amend invoices, websites and business stationery.
- Notify banks, insurers, suppliers, customers and regulators.
- Confirm that upcoming accounts and confirmation statement deadlines remain diarised.
Conclusion
To change a company address at Companies House correctly, directors should first identify every record affected by the move. Filing AD01 alone may leave director, secretary, PSC, SAIL or registered email information out of date.
Submit each required update within the applicable deadline, confirm that Companies House has accepted it and then review HMRC and other business records.
This approach keeps the public register accurate while reducing the risk of missed correspondence or inconsistent company information.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my company address on Companies House?
Use the Companies House online filing service to update the registered office. You will normally need the company number and authentication code. Other address types, including directors’ and PSC addresses, require separate filings.
Is there a fee to change a registered office address?
Companies House has stated that there is no fee for a standard registered office address change. Fees may apply to other services, such as applications to remove personal information from historical documents.
How long does a Companies House address change take?
Companies House says it aims to process most online filings within 24 hours, although this is not guaranteed. Paper submissions may take a week or longer. The address changes officially only after the filing is accepted.
Can I use my home as the registered office?
Yes, provided it is an appropriate physical address in the correct jurisdiction. However, the address will be publicly available, so directors concerned about privacy may prefer an accountant, solicitor or registered-office service.
Can I use a virtual office address?
A virtual-office or service-provider address may be used where you have permission and it meets the appropriate-address requirements. Someone acting for the company must receive the post, and delivery must be capable of acknowledgement.
Does changing the registered office update a director’s address?
No. The registered office and director’s service or residential addresses are separate records. Use CH01 to update an individual director’s address where necessary.
Can a company move its registered office from England to Scotland?
Not through an ordinary registered office address change. The new address must remain in the same part of the UK in which the company was incorporated. A company registered in England and Wales must retain its registered office in England or Wales.
Sources
- Companies House guidance on registered office addresses and emails.
- GOV.UK guidance on company information that must be reported.
- Companies House online filing and form references.
- Companies House guidance for directors and PSCs.
- Companies House privacy and unauthorised-address procedures.
