Frequently Asked Questions

The address sold by Company Address is located at:

City of London
Ludgate Hill
EC4M

You can cancel your services any time by sending an email to office@companyaddress.co.uk, providing our address has been removed from your company record at Companies House prior to the request.

As we are based in the UK, you will have to pay VAT on the services that you buy from us.

Our address is a real, physical office and not a PO box.

Company Address has a prestigious City of London address. We do not use PO Boxes, meaning you will have a full, real address to use to register or promote your business.

You will receive the full, exact address by email upon registration and successfully passing your anti-money laundering checks.

Unfortunately, you can’t. You don’t actually rent an office, you simply receive mail with our forwarding services.

Before we can start forwarding your post to you, we are required by London Local Authorities Act 2007 and Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to carry out some address checks.

Proof of Address

Your proof of residence must have been issued by a government authority, utility company or financial institution. The document should clearly show a reference number, your first name/initial and surname, current address and a date. Below is a list of proofs of address which are acceptable:

• Letter/bill from utility company less than 3 months old such as a gas bill, electricity bill, water bill, cable company bill (not from satellite TV companies), landline telephone bill (not mobile)
• UK or foreign bank statement (dated within the last three months. Please ensure that your first name, surname, address, account number and issue date are clear).
• A mortgage statement serving as proof of place of residence must have been issued by your bank or credit institute within the last 12 months. It should include first name, surname, address, account number and issue date
• A tax assessment must be from the tax, financial or government authority responsible for your current address in the country you reside in. It must have been issued within the last 12 months and contain your first name, surname, address, tax or account number and issue date

** Please note that driver’s licenses, mobile telephone bills, store card and any documents showing a “care-of address” or non-residential (P.O. Box) address cannot be accepted.

*** All non-UK residents have to provide proof of address certified by Public Notary or Chartered Accountant

As soon as your company has been incorporated (which usually takes 48 hours at the most), you can start trading right away - your company is ‘active’ and you must register with HMRC for corporation tax within 3 months.

If you do not want to trade until a later date, you must tell HMRC that your company is dormant.

You are registered as soon as you click ‘submit’ on the registration form. Your information will be checked and, by law, we are required to take a copy of your ID and proof of address in compliance with our terms and conditions.

In most cases, your registration will be approved within 1 working day, and you can start to use your new address as soon as the approval is confirmed via email.

Your safety and confidentiality is paramount to us. We use the latest 128bit SSL encryption from Stripe when you pay for our services, keeping your payment information protected.

No. We believe in our product and so are honest and up front about what we charge. Our pricing is as clear as we can make it and those items that are ‘Extra’ to our standard service are clearly labelled as such before you pay us.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide this service. You will need to contact Companies House and HMRC yourself in order to give them your new Registered Office Address.

Simply submit an acceptable proof of address for your new desired forwarding address, via email to office@companyaddress.co.uk.

You must provide a residential address, which will be kept private, and a ‘registered office address’, which is the official commercial address of your business. Companies which don’t yet have a physical, commercial office (i.e. home-based businesses), those which are based overseas and those which would prefer to register with a more prestigious City of London address, can do so using our registered address service.

More information is provided by Companies House here.

Yours won’t be the only business registered at your new registered address. When giving out your new address be clear to anyone sending you mail that they must include your personal or business name on the envelope or packaging. You must inform us of any personal or business names that you go by, so we can identify which post is yours.

All mail can be forwarded to you the same working day via Royal Mail First Class Post if you are a mail forwarding service subscriber or by email if you are a virtual office service subscriber.

You can find the prices for all of our different services in our shop.

The quickest and most efficient way to do so is by using our online company formation services.

We are approved formations agents by Companies House, and we can offer online company formation packages for private companies limited by shares or guarantee and Limited Liability Partnerships.

The process is simple, once you have your business idea, the perfect name (for guidance on how to choose the perfect name - see our blog post), the rest of the process takes place online, and it can take from 1-3 days depending on the Registrar’s workload on that day.

At Company Address we can incorporate four different types of companies:

• Limited By Shares
• Limited By Guarantee (including RTM and charities)
• Public Limited Company
• Limited Liability Partnerships

We do not allow pick up of mail at our offices in person because the forwarding address to which we send your mail is verified for security reasons. Your mail will be forwarded the same business day, the cost of which is included in your monthly/annual subscription fee.

Unfortunately, scanning and email services can be offered only if you choose a Virtual Office package. If you choose the Registered Office or Mail Forwarding packages, your post will be forwarded to you by Royal Mail. If you wish for some post to be scanned occasionally, a £5 fee will apply per letter.

Yes. We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office and are bound to follow their guidelines. Keeping your information private is very important to us.

Forming a company is simple and all we will need from you is:

• Proof of ID
• Company Name
• Company Address and Business Activity
• Officer Details (Director and Secretary)
• Share Capital and Shareholder Details
• People with Significant Control (PSC)

Unfortunately, we do not accept payments over the phone. Please make the payment online.

If your forwarding address is outside the UK, you will need to add additional funds to your account to cover international postage, which can be done in the ‘my account’ area. We’ll email you with instructions once your order is complete.

We would recommend our Registered Office Address service.

You can set up mail forwarding from your old UK address to your new registered office address (for mail forwarding or virtual office customers only) at your local Post Office or at RoyalMail.com.

We’re very transparent with our pricing, and you can see the price of each service, by location, across our website. Prices shown on our site do not include VAT.

Once you know what structure your business will take and have registered with HMRC for tax purposes registering the business with the government’s Companies House can be done here. If you want advice on all stages of setting up a UK business, then we recommend the GOV.UK guide here.

If you choose a yearly package, you will get a discount of 20%.

Unfortunately, we don’t accept payments over the phone. However, you can log in to your online account and pay through our website.

With our service prices we can handle up to 25 letters per week.

There are no additional charges as the mail forwarding cost is included in the mail forwarding package. However, if your forwarding address is outside the UK, you will have to top up a deposit covering the cost of international postage.

Setting up a limited company is not expensive, by using our formation services, you can set up your company for as little as £51.99 with no hidden fees!

To begin incorporating your company - simply click this link companyaddress.co.uk/#formation-products and begin!

Before we can activate your subscription and start forwarding post to you, we are required by London Local Authorities Act 2007 and Anti-Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to carry out some identity and address checks. Proof of identity and proof of address will be required for all persons who exercise control over the business (i.e. Directors, Partners, Shareholders, Signatories and People with Significant Control etc". We retain the right to request any additional documents including source of wealth/source of funding for key controllers/beneficiaries/company at any point. For more information on our company’s KYC policies - please click here.

You will be required to update your documents a minimum of once per year upon the time of your renewal. Failure to update your documents upon request will result in your account being suspended and your mail not being forwarded.

Important – please read carefully!

In order to commence your services, you must:

1. Submit a recent (not older than 3 months) proof of ID and residential address for all appointed directors and beneficial owners of your company.
2. Submit a recent (not older than 3 months) proof of forwarding address (if different from residential address).
3. All submitted documents must be of good quality – a full page with all four corners visible.
4. All submitted documents should be provided in English. Any documents in other languages must be submitted alongside a professionally certified translation.
5. Non-UK residents must provide proof of address documents certified by a Public Notary, Solicitor, or Chartered Accountant.
6. All documents must be sent via email to office@companyaddress.co.uk.
7. Failure to submit all required documents within 30 days from the date of the purchase will result in the cancellation of your services without any refunds.
8. Full list of accepted documents can be found below:

1. Identification Documents:

Identification requirements of those persons who have control or management over the business:

Verification of Identity and proof of address (as outlined below) is required in respect of all beneficial owners or principal controllers. This is defined as being those individuals who have an interest in any entity in the corporate structure of 10% or more, and all persons who are authorised to sign on behalf of the business with respect to the Company Address Services Ltd account.

1.1 Proof of Identity

The primary form of identification must bear a photograph and signature:

• Current UK passport or photo driving licence
• All other current non-UK passports

The passport or driving licence must be valid, up to date and be signed by the holder.

All non-EU/EEA passports must be certified by a Public Notary, Solicitor, or Chartered Accountant

1.2 Proof of Address

The second form of identification must confirm the individual’s permanent residential address. Your proof of residence must have been issued by a government authority, utility company or financial institution. The document should clearly show a reference number, your first name/initial and surname, current address and a date. Below is a list of proofs of address which are acceptable:

• Letter/bill from utility company less than 3 months old such as gas bill, electricity bill, water bill, cable company bill (not from satellite TV companies), landline telephone bill (not mobile)
• UK or foreign bank statement (dated within the last three months. Please ensure that your first name, surname, address, account number and issue date are clear).
• A mortgage statement serving as proof of place of residence must have been issued by your bank or credit institute within the last 12 months. It should include first name, surname, address, account number and issue date
• A tax assessment must be from the tax, financial or government authority responsible for your current address in the country you reside in. It must have been issued within the last 12 months and contain your first name, surname, address, tax or account number and issue date

** Please note that driver’s licenses, mobile telephone bills, store card and any documents showing a “care of address” or non-residential (P.O. Box) address cannot be accepted.

*** All non-UK proof of address must be certified as listed in 2.1 below

1.3 Company Documents

Below is a list of Company documents which will be considered acceptable:

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum and Articles of Association (all pages)
• Register of Shareholders
• Register of Directors (Senior Managers and Persons of Influence)
• Recent Utility bill, office rental agreement of document evidencing the Business operating address
• The Bank’s name, sort code/BIC number and last four digits of the company’s current/business account from where you will be sending amounts to your Business Account (This must be the account that will be remitting funds to Company Address Services Ltd)
• If your company is involved in providing an e-wallet or making payments on behalf of customers, we also need to see relevant licence details and your AML/CTF Policy.
• Copy of the latest Bank Statement for the company showing the following details: Account number, Name of company, Business address and Transaction pages showing activity.
• The latest audited accounts if relevant, otherwise up-to-date Management Accounts (Financial projections if business is not yet trading).
• Complex company structures – a company structure chart must be provided.
• Board Resolution/mandate providing the authorisation and list of authorised signatories who act on behalf of the company.

We can waive certification requirements in certain cases where we can obtain information using public sources – e.g. through Companies House. Any copy documentation provided must be certified. Please refer to certification of documents section below for further guidance on this issue.

** Please note that, if the beneficial ownership of the account holding entity is through a series of other entities, we will require documentary evidence of the legal existence of these entities, together with a legal entity structure chart.

For more information on certification and documentation requirements, please click here.

Yes you can. One change per year is included with all our services. Subsequent changes may incur an administration charge. Please consult our terms of use for details.

Upon your registration online we ask you to provide us with a company name, even if it hasn't been registered with Companies House yet.

We understand that you need an official address to register with Companies House, so we do not require you to be registered before you buy one of our addresses.

Any person of significant control (PSC), director or secretary within your company who wishes to use our address in Companies House must register with us. The key benefit of a service address is the protection of company personnel’s private address.

• Registered Office - this service does not include persons of significant control, director or secretary’s service address - this can be added for an additional £15 (exl. VAT) per person.
• Mail Forwarding - this services includes up to 2 persons of significant control, director or secretary’s service address. Service address for additional person of significant control, director or secretary can be added for an additional £15 (exl. VAT) per person. You can simply pay for this by “topping up” in your acount.
• Virtual Office - this services includes up to 2 persons of significant control, director or secretary’s service address. Service address for additional person of significant control, director or secretary can be added for an additional £15 (exl. VAT) per person. You can simply pay for this by “topping up” in your account.

Please note - it is your responsibility to inform us at office@companyaddress.co.uk of any new appointment of additional person of significant control (PSC) director or secretaries.

We will be in touch via email if we notice additional unpaid for persons of significant control, director or secretaries who are either using our address in Companies House.

Please scan all the relevant documents and email them to office@companyaddress.co.uk.

Terms and conditions can be found here.

Unfortunately, we are only providing services for companies, self-employed and sole traders, but not private individuals.

Any business trading in the UK & Ireland needs a registered business address to do so. We provide a prestigious City of London address which can be used to register a business with HMRC and Companies House.

You can also receive mail to your registered address with our mail forwarding and virtual office services, allowing you to boost your brand by promoting a City of London address.

We offer forwarding and/ or scanning of small to large letters and our services do not include parcel handling. In exceptional cases, we can forward parcels up to 2kg in weight and 45x35x16cm in size, but only if an advance notice is given and a prepayment of £20.00 made (handling fee of £10.00 per item applies).

Please note that we shall not be responsible for any loss or damage to the parcel whilst held with us and/ or during the delivery via Royal Mail.

Please contact us for more information.

Unfortunately, we only take online payment upon registration on our website.

As your forwarding address is outside UK, we would recommend that you take a look at our Virtual Office Address.

Registered Office Address

We receive all of your business post and forward official post to your forwarding address once a week by Royal Mail’s second class. Unofficial post is forwarded for £1+Royal Mail’s second class postage cost.

Mail Forwarding Address

We receive all of your business post and forward it to your forwarding address on the same day by Royal Mail’s first class.

Virtual Office Address

We receive all of your business post, scan and e-mail it to you on the same day. In addition, we forward it to your forwarding address on the same day by Royal Mail’s first class. Alternatively, we can shred it at your request.

If you chose our Virtual Office Address package, the scan and email service is included in the price. There are no additional charges for scanning.

Yes we can. Choose the virtual office service to get scanning of all post by default.

Yes we can, as long as your account with us is still active and the size/amount of post being held is not excessive.