Company directors – what is a ‘service address’?

Since new legislation was introduced in October 2009, Companies House requires directors of UK-registered companies to provide two addresses: a service address and their usual residential address.

Only the service address appears on the public record.

For many directors, the residential and service addresses may be the same.

If the company has an office, retail outlet, or studio, for example, this is often used as the service address and is the one to which official correspondence addressed to the director can be sent.

For privacy reasons, company officers may opt to use a service address on the public record. What does this mean, and how does it work in practice?

We’ve written this guide to answer these and other frequently asked questions.

What is a service address?

A service address is a correspondence address which appears on the public Companies House register. It can be in the UK or abroad.

Directors aren’t required to live at this address or operate on a daily basis from the service address; they are only required to be able to receive communications about the company there.

Some company directors choose to use the services of a company formation agent, accountant or other provider to receive their official mail and send it on to them at an alternative address to protect their privacy.

Why not just use my residential address?

If you decide to use your residential address as your service address, it will appear on the public record.

You may prefer to keep your residential address out of the public domain for security reasons, such as preventing unwelcome visitors from appearing on your doorstep, avoiding receiving unsolicited or nuisance mail, or for any other reason.

Your usual residential address is kept on a private Companies House register. It can be disclosed to certain organisations, including credit reference agencies and specified public authorities such as the police, but only the service address is normally made public.

Companies House issues the following advice to individuals on protecting their personal information:

Should you choose to register your residential address as your service address, registered office or subscriber address then it will always appear as a part of the public record even if you change it at a later date, so please think carefully about this before you register your company.

Companies House now also provides a process for applying to remove a home address from historical documents in certain circumstances.

Can I use my company’s registered office address as the service address?

Yes. Your company’s registered office address can also be used as your service address.

Bear in mind that the two addresses serve different purposes. The registered office is the company’s official address, whereas the service address is the correspondence address of an individual director or other officer.

Can I use a P.O. Box as a service address?

A service address can include a P.O. Box, provided you also provide the full physical address and postcode. You cannot simply provide a P.O. Box number.

This differs from the rules for a registered office address, which must be an ‘appropriate address’ and cannot be a Royal Mail P.O. Box or equivalent service.

What sort of mail is sent to my service address?

The service address is the public correspondence address used to receive communications about your role in the company, including official correspondence addressed to you as a director.

The mail can be collected by the director or forwarded on by an agent or address service provider.

Can my service address be anywhere in the world?

Yes. Unlike the company’s registered office, which must be in the appropriate part of the UK, a director’s service address can be overseas.

Do shareholders need to provide a service address?

Shareholders do not need to provide a service address simply because they own shares in a company.

The company’s register of members contains information about its shareholders, and subscribers provide the information required as part of the incorporation process.

If a shareholder is also a director or a person with significant control (PSC), separate address requirements apply to that role.

Does a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) require a service address?

Yes. An individual member of a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) provides Companies House with both a service address and a usual residential address.

The service address appears on the public register, while the residential address is normally kept private.

Does a company secretary need a service address?

Yes. A company secretary must provide a service address for correspondence, which appears on the public register.

Unlike a director, an individual company secretary does not have to provide Companies House with their home address or date of birth simply because they are the company secretary.

Read more about the role in our guide to company secretaries.

Disclosure of address to credit reference agencies

As a director, you can apply to Companies House to prevent your residential address from being disclosed to credit reference agencies if you or someone living with you would be at serious risk of violence or intimidation because of the company’s activities.

Specified public authorities, such as the police, can still request the information.

The current fee for a full application to protect your home address is £100. See the Companies House guidance on protecting your personal information for the current application process.

Companies House identity verification

From 18 November 2025, company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) are required to verify their identity with Companies House under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

These checks do not replace or affect the existing rules on service addresses. A director still provides both a service address for the public register and their usual residential address, which is normally kept private.

Read our guide to Companies House identity verification for directors and PSCs.

Related guides

• Who can be a limited company director?
• Registered office address requirements
• Companies House identity verification for directors and PSCs