Registered office

Yes, every UK company must have a Registered Office within England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland — you cannot incorporate without one. This address is used for correspondence from Companies House and official bodies and is not necessarily your actual place of business.

If you are not a UK resident you will need an address through a service provider such as Eteform in London. The address must be a real address where official mail can be received — not merely a PO Box in most cases. Eteform's Privacy package and above include a registered London office.

Without a valid address, the incorporation application will not be accepted.

Yes, the registered office appears publicly on the Companies House register and anyone can search for it free of charge via the gov.uk website. This is why the registered office service is so popular — to protect your home address in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or elsewhere from appearing on the public register.

The Director Service Address is separate and protects the director's residential address too. If you use your home address in your country (not possible — it must be in the UK) or your personal UK address, it will be visible to everyone.

Eteform's privacy packages are designed specifically to keep your personal data off the public register as far as the law allows.

The Registered Office is the company's official legal address at Companies House — it must be in the UK and receives government mail. The Trading Address is where you actually operate from and can be in Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo or anywhere in the world.

They can be the same address (if you have a UK office) or completely different. Your clients usually see the trading address on invoices and your website, while the official register shows the registered office.

For e-commerce run from abroad, a registered London office gives credibility while you operate from your own country.

Generally Companies House does not accept a PO Box alone as a registered office — it must be a real address to which official correspondence can be delivered. Some address providers offer a 'street address + internal mailbox', which is acceptable because the visible address is a real UK street.

Using a PO Box only may lead to your application being rejected or the company being struck off later. At Eteform we provide a real London street address at 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF with mail forwarding.

If you see very cheap offers for a 'UK address', make sure they are not just a PO Box.

At Eteform a London registered office costs $69/year, a director service address $55/year, and a virtual office with mail handling $159/year. The current address is 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF.

The Entrepreneur Premium package at $799 includes formation + registered office + director address (Companies House $135 fee is separate on standard packages). Address renewal is mandatory each year — if the service lapses and the address is not updated, the company may be fined or struck off.

Always compare whether mail forwarding is included.

1) **Eteform (first)** — an ACSP that includes a real London street address with formation: 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF for $69/year, or inside Entrepreneur Premium ($799) with a director service address. The Companies House $135 fee is separate on standard packages.

2) General English agents may also offer an address, without Arabic support. 3) Buying an address separately after self-filing — harder for non-residents. Annual address renewal is mandatory. See Packages.