What is a correspondence address?

Setting up a limited company may expose you to new terminology, some of which relate to the different addresses you need to maintain. This blog post examines the correspondence address. We discuss its purpose, who requires one, and which type of address you should use.

The purpose of a correspondence address in company formation 

A correspondence address, more commonly known as a service address, is the official contact address of a company officer, subscriber, person with significant control (PSC), or member of a limited liability partnership (LLP). 

The purpose of a correspondence address is to facilitate the delivery of official letters and notices from Companies House, HMRC, the courts, and other government agencies in relation to a person’s role in a UK-registered company or LLP.

Providing and maintaining a correspondence address is a legal requirement. Moreover, the address details are made publicly available on the Companies House register, which anyone can access online. 

You can use any address for this purpose, including a home address. However, since it appears on public record, it’s better to use a commercial correspondence address or professional service address to protect your privacy. 

Unlike a registered office, a correspondence address can be located anywhere worldwide. It does not have to be in the same UK jurisdiction as your company or LLP. Moreover, you don’t need to work or be personally present at the address. It is for official mailing purposes only. 

Who must provide a correspondence address?

You are legally required to provide a correspondence address to Companies House if you hold any of the following positions in a company or LLP registered in the UK:

• Director or company secretary (aka ‘company officer’)
• Subscriber (a shareholder or guarantor who agrees to form and become a member of the company during the incorporation process)
• Person with significant control (PSC)
• Member of a limited liability partnership (LLP)

Depending on whether you join a company or LLP during or after incorporation, you will provide your correspondence address on the following form:

• Application to register a company (form IN01) 
• Appointment of director (form AP01)
• Appointment of secretary (form AP03)
• Notice of individual person with significant control (form PSC01)
• Application for the incorporation of a Limited Liability Partnership (form LL IN01) 
• Appoint a member of an LLP (form LL AP01)
• Notice of individual person with significant control of a limited liability partnership (form LL PSC01)

You don’t have to provide a correspondence address if you become a shareholder or guarantor of a limited company after incorporation. Only the first members (the subscribers) must supply an address during the company formation process.

What’s the best type of address to use as a correspondence address?

There is some flexibility when choosing a correspondence address. You can use any address, anywhere in the world, as long as:

• you have permission to use it for such purposes
• you provide the full postal address, including the postcode

Since it will appear on the public register at Companies House, it is generally accepted that a non-residential address is the most appropriate choice. This is the best way to protect your privacy and avoid junk mail or cold callers. 

• A Central London Service Address - only £26 per year
• Directors, shareholders, PSCs, and company secretaries – an overview

If your business operates from commercial premises, you may wish to use it as your correspondence address. However, if you work from home, don’t have business premises, or simply want to enhance your professional image, you should consider using a professional service address from a third-party provider such as a company formation agent. 

The difference between a correspondence address and a service address

There is no difference between the two. ‘Correspondence address’ is simply an alternative term for ‘service address’. 

The difference between a correspondence address and a residential address

When you become a director, PSC, or LLP member, you must provide Companies House with your ‘usual residential address’ (home address) and a ‘service address’ (correspondence address). Subscribers, members, and secretaries do not have to provide home address details.

The residential address must be your main place of residence. If you have only one home, that is the address you provide. If you have two or more private residences, your usual residential address is the one where you spend most of your time. 

Unless you provide your residential address as your correspondence address, it will remain confidential and not appear on the public register. Companies House will keep it on a private register that is only available to certain public authorities such as the Police.

The correspondence address can be any residential or non-residential address of your choosing. However, it will appear on the public register of companies, which anyone can access online. For this reason, you should avoid using a residential address for such purposes. 

The difference between a correspondence address and a registered office 

A registered office address is the official contact address of a company or limited liability partnership. Whereas, a correspondence address is the official contact address of a subscriber, director, company secretary, PSC, or LLP member. 

Stricter rules apply to registered offices. You must choose an address in the UK jurisdiction where you incorporate the company or LLP:

• If you incorporate in England & Wales – the registered office must be situated at an address in England or Wales
• If you incorporate a ‘Welsh company’ (or ‘Wales LLP’) – the registered office must be situated at an address in Wales  
• Your company or LLP is incorporated in Scotland – the registered office must be situated at an address in Scotland
• Your company or LLP is incorporated in Northern Ireland – the registered office must be situated at an address in Northern Ireland  

You must also use an ‘appropriate address’ as a registered office, which excludes the use of a PO Box. An appropriate address is one where:

• any documents sent to the registered office will come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company or LLP
• any documents sent there are capable of being recorded by an acknowledgement of delivery

These rules do not apply to the correspondence addresses. It can be any type of physical postal address, including a PO Box, anywhere in the world. 

Can I use a PO Box as my correspondence address?

You can only use a PO Box address as your correspondence address if you provide the full address of the physical building, including the postcode.

Do I need to work from my correspondence address?

There is no requirement for you to be based at your correspondence address. It is an address for official correspondence purposes only. You don’t need to work from the address or visit it in person.

You can set up a professional service address facility with a third-party provider. We discuss this option in more detail later in the post. 

Notifying Companies House if you change your correspondence address

Directors, secretaries, PSCs, and LLP members are legally required to keep the details of their correspondence address up to date at Companies House. This rule does not apply to subscribers.

If you decide to change your correspondence address at any time, you must tell Companies House within 14 days of the change. You can do this in one of three ways:

1. Using 1st Formations Online Company Manager 

Updating your correspondence address via 1st Formations is relatively simple. If you formed your company (or LLP) with us, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Client Account in our Online Company Manager
2. Select ‘My Companies’
3. Click on your company name or select the ‘View’ icon next to the company name
4. Scroll down to the name of the person whose address you wish to change, then select ‘Edit’
5. Select ‘Yes – I want to make this an official appointment at Companies House’
6. Scroll down to ‘Choose Service Address’ and click on ‘Select’
7. If the address is already being used elsewhere in your company (for example, as the registered office), enter the first line of the address or the postcode and select the correct address from the menu. If it’s a brand new address, select ‘Add New Address’, then proceed to enter the new address
8. Select ‘Update’ – the request is then sent to Companies House
9. Companies House will process your request and update the address on the public register, normally within a few working hours

If you didn’t form your company with us, you can still use our free Online Company Manager. Simply create an account as a new customer, upload your company to our system, and follow the steps above. 

2. Online through Companies House WebFiling 

You can also change your correspondence address online using the Companies House WebFiling service. To use this service, you need to sign in to your WebFiling account (or create a new one if you don’t currently have one). 

3. By post using the appropriate Companies House paper form

This option is more time-consuming, but it is useful for those unable to file online for any reason. To change a correspondence address by post, you must complete one of the following paper forms:

• CH01 – Change of director’s details
• CH03 – Change of secretary’s details
• PSC04 – Change of details of individual person with significant control (PSC)
• LL CH01 – Change the details of an LLP member
• LL PSC04 – Change of details of individual person with significant control (PSC) of a limited liability partnership (LLP)

You can find all of these Companies House forms for limited companies and forms for LLPs online.

Set up a London Service Address with 1st Formations

Our Central London Service Address is suitable for company subscribers, directors, secretaries, PSCs, and LLP members to use as an official correspondence address. It’s the ideal choice for protecting the privacy of your home and enhancing your professional image. 

With this service, your correspondence address will appear on the public register at Companies House as follows:

71-75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ

All official government mail in relation to your role in your UK company or LLP will be delivered to this London address. Our professional mail team will then scan and email these communications to you free of charge on the day they arrive. Junk mail will be discarded. 

The cost of this address service is £26.00 per year, which covers one individual’s use of the address. You can purchase it when setting up a company or at any time after that—for example, if you’re joining an established company or want to change your existing correspondence address. It is also included with some of our company formation packages.

Thanks for reading

We hope you have found this post helpful. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions, or contact us if you’d like to speak to someone about our London Service Address to use as your correspondence address.