Companies Act 2006

Part 6 U.K. A company's registered office

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pts. 1-39 modified (31.12.2020) by Regulation (EC) No. 2157/2001, Art. AAA1(3) (as inserted by The European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1298), regs. 1, 97 (with regs. 140-145) (as amended by S.I. 2020/523, regs. 1(2), 5(a)-(f)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1))

C2 Pts. 1-39 (except for Pt. 7 and ss. 662-669), 45-47 extended (12.5.2011) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1265), art. 5(1), Sch. 1 para. 2

General U.K.

86 A company's registered office U.K.

A company must at all times have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C3 S. 86 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1804), regs. 2, 16 (as amended (4.3.2024) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/234), regs. 1(2), 16(2); S.I. 2024/269, reg. 2(a))

C4 S. 86 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Unregistered Companies Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2436), regs. 3-5, Sch. 1 para. 5 (with transitional provisions and savings in regs. 7, 9, Sch. 2)

87 Change of address of registered office U.K.

(1) A company may change the address of its registered office by giving notice to the registrar.

(2) The change takes effect upon the notice being registered by the registrar, but until the end of the period of 14 days beginning with the date on which it is registered a person may validly serve any document on the company at the address previously registered.

(3) For the purposes of any duty of a company—

(a) to keep available for inspection at its registered office any register, index or other document, or

(b) to mention the address of its registered office in any document,

a company that has given notice to the registrar of a change in the address of its registered office may act on the change as from such date, not more than 14 days after the notice is given, as it may determine.

(4) Where a company unavoidably ceases to perform at its registered office any such duty as is mentioned in subsection (3)(a) in circumstances in which it was not practicable to give prior notice to the registrar of a change in the address of its registered office, but—

(a) resumes performance of that duty at other premises as soon as practicable, and

(b) gives notice accordingly to the registrar of a change in the situation of its registered office within 14 days of doing so,

it is not to be treated as having failed to comply with that duty.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C5 S. 87: power to modify conferred (temp.) (26.6.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), ss. 39(1), 40(e), 49(1) (with ss. 2(2), 5(2), 39(8)(9))

C6 S. 87 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1804), regs. 2, 16

C7 S. 87 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Unregistered Companies Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2436), regs. 3-5, Sch. 1 para. 5 (with transitional provisions and savings in regs. 7, 9, Sch. 2)

C8 S. 87 modified (temp.) (27.6.2020) by The Companies etc. (Filing Requirements) (Temporary Modifications) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/645), regs. 2, 5

C9 S. 87(2) applied (E.W.) (31.1.2019) by The Education Administration Rules 2018 (S.I. 2018/1135), rule 1, Sch. 2 para. 1(3) (with rule 1.2)

C10 S. 87(4)(b) modified (temp.) (27.6.2020) by The Companies etc. (Filing Requirements) (Temporary Modifications) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/645), regs. 2, 4

Welsh companies U.K.

88 Welsh companies U.K.

(1) In the Companies Acts a “Welsh company” means a company as to which it is stated in the register that its registered office is to be situated in Wales.

(2) A company—

(a) whose registered office is in Wales, and

(b) as to which it is stated in the register that its registered office is to be situated in England and Wales,

may by special resolution require the register to be amended so that it states that the company's registered office is to be situated in Wales.

(3) A company—

(a) whose registered office is in Wales, and

(b) as to which it is stated in the register that its registered office is to be situated in Wales,

may by special resolution require the register to be amended so that it states that the company's registered office is to be situated in England and Wales.

(4) Where a company passes a resolution under this section it must give notice to the registrar, who shall—

(a) amend the register accordingly, and

(b) issue a new certificate of incorporation altered to meet the circumstances of the case.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C11 S. 88 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1804), regs. 2, 17