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AD01 Form UK: Change Registered Office Address

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Part ofCompanies House Forms UK

Written by Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)
Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice.
Updated June 2026 · England & Wales
Moving your company's registered office is one of those admin jobs that sounds simple until you realise how many places still hold the old address. The form you need is the AD01, filed with Companies House, and the change does not take effect legally until Companies House has accepted the filing. Get it wrong, or forget to notify the right people, and you could miss important correspondence from HMRC, the courts or creditors. This guide walks through what the AD01 does, when to file it, what directors need to be aware of, and the knock-on tasks that most people overlook. Whether you're moving to a new office, switching to a service address provider, or just tidying up after a change of accountant, the basics are the same.

What this document is

The AD01 is the Companies House form used to notify a change to your company's registered office address. Every UK company must have a registered office, and this is the official address where statutory mail is sent: things like Companies House notices, HMRC correspondence, court documents and communications from shareholders or creditors.

The registered office must be a physical address in the same UK jurisdiction as where the company was incorporated (so an England and Wales company cannot move its registered office to Scotland, for example). The AD01 can be filed on paper or, more commonly, online through the Companies House WebFiling service.

Filing it is free. Once Companies House has accepted the change, it becomes the legal address of record and appears on the public register. Until then, the old address remains valid for service of documents, which matters if you're expecting anything time-sensitive.

The AD01 only changes the registered office, it does not change directors' service addresses, the SAIL address, or the company's trading address if different.

How to use this document

  1. Confirm the new address is eligible. The new registered office must be a physical address in the same UK jurisdiction as your company's incorporation (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland). PO boxes are not acceptable on their own, though a PO box linked to a full physical address may be used. If you're using a service address provider, check they're reputable and that post will actually reach you.
  2. File the AD01 with Companies House. The quickest route is online via Companies House WebFiling, which usually processes the change within 24 hours. Paper filings take longer. You'll need your company authentication code for online filing. There's no fee to change the registered office address, so be cautious of third-party sites charging for what is a free service.
  3. Wait for the change to take legal effect. The new address is not legally the registered office until Companies House has accepted and registered the change. Until that moment, documents served at the old address are still validly served. Plan any move with this overlap in mind, and consider keeping a forwarding arrangement at the old address for at least a few weeks afterwards.
  4. Update your statutory and public-facing documents. Your registered office address must appear on business letters, order forms, websites, emails and invoices. Once the change is effective, update letterheads, email signatures, your website footer, Google Business Profile, and any templates your team uses. Failing to display the correct registered office on business stationery can itself be an offence.
  5. Notify everyone else who needs to know. Companies House will not do this for you. Tell HMRC, your bank, insurers, accountants, payroll providers, suppliers, key customers, your registered office for any subsidiaries, and anyone holding a charge over the company. If your company has ongoing court proceedings, notify the court and the other side's solicitors in writing.

Common questions

If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £149.

Common questions

Q Is there a fee to file an AD01?
No. Filing the AD01 with Companies House to change your registered office address is free, whether you file online through WebFiling or submit a paper form. If you come across a site asking for payment to file it, you're likely on a third-party service rather than gov.uk. Check the current position on the official Companies House pages if you want to confirm.
Q How long does it take for the change to be registered?
Online filings are usually processed by Companies House within 24 hours, often much faster. Paper filings take several working days because they have to be received, opened and manually processed. The change only takes legal effect once Companies House has registered it, so until that point, your old address remains the official one for service of documents.
Q Can I move my registered office to a different part of the UK?
No. Your registered office must stay within the same jurisdiction your company was incorporated in. A company registered in England and Wales must keep its registered office in England or Wales, a Scottish company in Scotland, and a Northern Irish company in Northern Ireland. If you need to change jurisdiction, that's a much more involved process and not something the AD01 can achieve.
Q Can I use a home address as my registered office?
Yes, provided it's a real physical address in the correct jurisdiction. Many small company directors do this. Bear in mind the registered office address appears on the public register and can be seen by anyone searching Companies House, so if privacy matters to you, a service address provider or accountant's office may be preferable.
Q What happens if I don't update the registered office address?
If statutory mail is sent to an old address you no longer control, you may miss critical notices from HMRC, Companies House or the courts, and you'll still be legally deemed to have received them. Displaying an incorrect registered office on business stationery can also be an offence. In short, ignoring this can lead to missed deadlines, penalties and worse.
Q Does changing the registered office change my directors' service addresses?
No. A director's service address is separate and has to be updated using a different form (CH01 for individual directors). The same applies to a company secretary or a PSC. Many directors use the company's registered office as their service address, in which case they'll often want to update both at the same time but using the correct forms for each.
Q What is a SAIL address and do I need one?
A SAIL (Single Alternative Inspection Location) address is an optional second address where you can keep statutory registers available for inspection, instead of at the registered office. Most small companies don't need one. If you do use a SAIL, changes to it are notified on different forms (AD02, AD03, AD04), not the AD01.
If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £149.

Sources

This guide is based on primary UK law and official guidance.

Brad Askew, Solicitor (non-practising)

Written & reviewed by

Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)

Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice. LegalDocuments.co.uk is not a law firm and does not provide regulated legal advice.

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Legal disclaimer
This article is for general information only. It is a tool to help you find your way — not legal advice, and not a substitute for speaking to a qualified adviser about your situation.