Compliance
Registered office vs service address: what UK directors need to know
· 6 min read
The two addresses Companies House asks for are not the same thing. Here is exactly what each one does and who needs both.
Every UK limited company must publish a registered office address, and every director must publish a service address. They appear side by side on the public register, which is why they are so often confused.
The registered office is the company's official legal home. Companies House, HMRC and the courts send statutory notices there, and the address must be in the same UK jurisdiction the company was incorporated in.
A service address belongs to a person, not the company. It is where correspondence addressed to a director, secretary or person with significant control is delivered. One person can use the same service address across every company they are appointed to.
If you incorporate from home and do nothing else, your residential address becomes public in both fields. Replacing them with a professional address keeps your home private while keeping you fully compliant.