How to update Companies House with your virtual office details

Key takeaways

• Companies House needs to be updated within 14 days whenever a business’ registered address or directors’ service address changes
• If a company updates its registered address to a virtual office address, this change needs to be submitted to Companies House
• It’s easy to update Companies House with new registered address details using an AD01 form, submitted via the UK government’s Companies House WebFiling service
• It typically takes from a few minutes to a few hours for updated Companies House details to be visible on the public register
• Companies that choose a Virtual HQ virtual address can purchase the option to use these details as their registered and directors’ address with Companies House alongside their monthly virtual office package

What addresses are held by Companies House?

Companies House is the government agency that maintains a publicly available register of all companies in the UK. Every limited company, limited liability partnership (LLP) and incorporated body operating in the UK must be registered with Companies House by law. 

Companies House holds key information, such as each company’s name, type, and key addresses. Businesses need to submit the following addresses to Companies House:

• Registered office address: this is a legal requirement for every limited company and LLP in the UK. It will be publicly available via the online Companies House register, but it can be a virtual address to keep your personal details private
• Directors’ service address: business owners also need to provide Companies House with a correspondence address, which will be publicly available, and will be used to contact directors, company secretaries, and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs)

• SAIL address: this stands for Single Alternative Inspection Location, and it’s the physical address where your company stores its statutory company registers for public inspection. It’s not mandatory to have a SAIL address, but if you do have one, it needs to be registered with Companies House

Your business may also have a separate trading address, where you primarily work from. Find out more about the difference between a registered address vs a trading address.

When to update Companies House

Companies House must be informed whenever key details relating to your business change, such as your company name, directors’ details, or your registered address. For example, you’ll need to update Companies House in the following instances:

• Change of address: you need to inform Companies House within 14 days whenever your company changes its registered address or SAIL address; for example, if you’re updating your registered address to a virtual office rather than your home address
• Directors’ updates: the public register also needs to be notified within 14 days whenever a company director is appointed or removed, or when an existing director, company secretary or PSC changes their address
• Share issue updates: if you’re intending to issue shares, or additional shares, in your business, you need to update Companies House within a month
• Annual statements: once a year, limited companies and LLPs need to confirm to Companies House that their company details are correct. Annual financial statements must also be submitted 

Can I update Companies House with a virtual office address?

Businesses can use a virtual office address as both their registered address and directors’ service address with Companies House, as long as their virtual office provider offers this option. At Virtual HQ, we offer this as an add-on to our basic monthly virtual office package. 

Companies often choose a virtual address to save money compared to the cost of a serviced office, to keep their personal details private, and to boost their brand’s professional image. Extra services are typically included with a virtual office too, such as mail forwarding, call handling, and access to meeting rooms or coworking spaces.