Registered office is a term used to describe the address which is registered with the government registrar as the official address of a company, an association or any other legal entity. Generally it will form part of the public record.[1] A registered address is required for businesses that have a physical presence in the United Kingdom, or habitually conduct business there, even without a physical presence. According to Companies House, the official UK governmental branch that handles this, a physical presence means a place of business or branch through which it (the company) carries on business.
In the United Kingdom, and many other common law countries, the registered office address does not have to be where the organisation conducts its business, and it is not unusual for accountants or agents to provide registered office services. In the United Kingdom all statutory post for a company is sent to the registered office address. Under regulations implemented in the UK on 1 October 2009, company directors may now use the registered office address instead of their home address for contact on the Companies House register. A registered address, however, does have to be the address where you receive and send official correspondence. For this reason, many business that have home offices choose registered office addresses. This address is also the one that will displayed on company letterhead.
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.
In the UK, Companies House and HM Revenue & Customs HMRC have many forms available if you are doing business in the UK or intend to start and need to get a registered address. There are numerous rules for various types of companies, and companies wishing to do business should in the UK should consult with them.