What Is a Director’s Correspondence or Service Address?

A correspondence address, also called a service address, is the official public address used to contact a company director about the company. Companies House displays this address on the public register, while the director’s usual residential address is normally kept private.

Every UK company director must provide both a service address and their usual residential address to Companies House. The two addresses can be the same, but using a separate correspondence address prevents the director’s home address from appearing publicly as their service address.

CFS Formations provides a director correspondence address service from £34.95. Please note that the CFS correspondence address service can only be used where the company also uses our registered office address service.

Correspondence address at a glance

Question	Answer
Is a correspondence address the same as a service address?	Yes. For company officers, the terms are commonly used to describe the same address.
Who needs one?	Every UK company director must provide a service address. Company secretaries and PSCs may also need to provide one.
Is it publicly visible?	Yes. It appears on the Companies House register.
Does it have to be the director’s home?	No. A residential or professional address can be used with the address holder’s permission.
Does it have to be in the UK?	No. A director’s service address can be outside the UK.
Can it match the registered office?	Yes. The same address can be used if it is suitable and permission has been given.
What is sent there?	Statutory correspondence and legal notices relating to the company or the director’s role.

What does correspondence address mean?

A correspondence address is an address supplied for receiving official communications.

In the context of a UK limited company, a director’s correspondence address is the public address Companies House uses for communications connected with that person’s appointment. It is also known as the director’s service address.

This is different from an ordinary postal address provided to a bank, utility company or another organisation. For company directors, the term has a specific role within the Companies House register.

Is a correspondence address the same as a service address?

Yes. When discussing UK company directors, “correspondence address” and “service address” normally refer to the same address.

Companies House primarily uses the term “service address”. It is the address displayed on the public register and used for official correspondence relating to the director and company.

The term “director address service” can also refer to a professional service that allows a director to use the provider’s address instead of publishing their residential address.

Who needs a director service address?

Every director appointed to a UK company must provide a service address to Companies House.

Service-address details may also be required for:

• Company secretaries
• People with significant control
• Members of limited liability partnerships
• Certain other company officers

A person can use the same service address for several appointments, provided they have permission to use it and can reliably receive the correspondence sent there.

If you are registering a new business, read our guide explaining how to register a limited company in the UK.

What is a director service address used for?

A director’s service address is used to receive official correspondence and legal notices connected with the company.

This may include communications from:

• Companies House
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Courts or legal representatives
• Government departments
• Other organisations contacting the director in their official capacity

A professional correspondence-address provider receives eligible mail and forwards it to the director’s preferred address.

CFS forwards government correspondence to the address selected by the customer. Additional postal charges may apply where mail is forwarded overseas.

Is a director’s correspondence address public?

Yes. A director’s service or correspondence address is shown on the public Companies House register.

Members of the public can search the register and view:

• The director’s name
• Nationality
• Month and year of birth
• Service address
• Current and previous company appointments

Because the service address is public, directors who do not want their home address displayed should use another suitable address from the beginning.

Information published by Companies House may also be copied by third-party websites. Changing an address at Companies House does not necessarily remove it immediately from every external website or historical filing.

You can read more in the official Companies House guidance about personal information on the public register.

What is the difference between a correspondence address and a residential address?

A correspondence address is public and is used for official company-related communications. A residential address is the director’s actual home address and is normally held on a private Companies House register.

Correspondence or service address	Usual residential address
Appears on the public register	Normally not shown publicly
Used for official correspondence	Records where the director lives
Can be residential or non-residential	Must be the director’s actual home
Can be in the UK or overseas	Can be in the UK or overseas
Can match the registered office	Does not need to match another company address
May be supplied by a professional provider	Cannot be replaced by a virtual address

Companies House may disclose residential information to specified public authorities and credit reference agencies in permitted circumstances. However, it is not generally visible to someone carrying out an ordinary public company search.

What is the difference between a correspondence address and a registered office?

A correspondence address belongs to an individual company officer. A registered office belongs to the company itself.

Director’s correspondence address	Registered office address
Used by a director or other company officer	Used by the company
Receives correspondence about the individual’s company role	Receives official correspondence addressed to the company
Appears on the public register	Appears on the public register
Can be in the UK or overseas	Must be in the company’s UK jurisdiction
Can be the same as the registered office	Can also be used as an officer’s service address
Does not determine where the company is registered	Determines the company’s official registered location

For example, a company incorporated in Scotland must maintain a registered office in Scotland. A company incorporated in England and Wales must maintain its registered office within that jurisdiction.

A director’s service address does not have the same geographical restriction and can be located outside the UK.

For complete registered-office requirements, locations and prices, visit our registered office address service page.

Is a correspondence address the same as a business or trading address?

Not necessarily.

A correspondence address is the official public address of a director or other company officer. A trading address is the location from which the company carries out its everyday business activities.

The same physical address can sometimes be used for both purposes, but the terms describe different functions.

A business may therefore have:

• A registered office for the company
• A service address for each director
• A residential address for each director
• A separate trading or business address
• A registered email address for Companies House communications

It is important to provide the correct address for each purpose when forming or updating a company.

Can a director use their home as a correspondence address?

Yes. A director can use their home as their service address, but it will then appear on the public Companies House register.

Using a home address publicly may lead to:

• Loss of personal privacy
• Unsolicited post
• Customers or suppliers discovering where the director lives
• The address being copied by third-party websites
• Unwanted visitors at the property

A professional director address service allows statutory correspondence to be received without publishing the director’s residential address as their service address.

The usual residential address must still be provided privately to Companies House.

Can the registered office and correspondence address be the same?

Yes. A director’s service address can be the same as the company’s registered office.

This is common where a company uses a professional registered-office provider. The provider can receive official company post and correspondence addressed to the company’s directors at the same location.

However, these remain two separate legal address functions. If the registered office changes, a director’s service address does not necessarily change automatically. The appropriate updates should be filed for both records where required.

CFS correspondence-address services can only be used when the company also uses a CFS registered office address service.

Does a director service address have to be in the UK?

No. A director’s service address can generally be located in the UK or overseas.

This differs from the company’s registered office, which must be a physical and appropriate address in the UK jurisdiction where the company is incorporated.

Although an overseas service address can be used, directors should consider whether official correspondence will be received and dealt with promptly. Delayed statutory mail could cause important filing, tax or legal notices to be missed.

An overseas director may therefore prefer to use a UK correspondence address with mail forwarding.

What makes a suitable director service address?

A suitable service address should be somewhere official correspondence can be received reliably and passed to the director promptly.

Before using an address, check that:

• You have permission to use it
• The full address can be supplied to Companies House
• Post is monitored regularly
• Official correspondence will reach you promptly
• The address is appropriate for public display
• Any forwarding charges and restrictions are understood
• The service will remain available throughout the paid period

Avoid using an address where correspondence is likely to be ignored, rejected or lost.

Why use a professional correspondence address service?

The main reason to use a professional correspondence address is to prevent a director’s residential address from being displayed on the public register.

Other benefits can include:

• Greater personal privacy
• Reduced unsolicited mail at home
• Less risk of unwanted visitors
• Reliable handling of government correspondence
• Mail forwarding to a preferred UK or overseas address
• A consistent address if the director moves home
• Separation between personal and company correspondence

A professional service is particularly useful for home-based directors, overseas directors and people who expect to change residential address.

CFS director correspondence address service

CFS Formations provides a correspondence address for directors of UK companies. The address can be entered on the Companies House register instead of publishing the director’s home address as their service address.

The service includes:

• Use of a CFS address as the director’s correspondence address
• Receipt of eligible government and statutory mail
• Forwarding correspondence to an address selected by the customer
• A choice of available CFS locations
• Protection of the director’s home address on the public register

Overseas forwarding charges may apply.

The CFS correspondence address service currently starts from £34.95 and can only be used where the company also uses our registered office facility.

Doncaster correspondence address

View the existing Doncaster correspondence address service.

London Wood Green correspondence address

View the existing London Wood Green correspondence address service.

Other UK services

View all available UK Additional Services.

Prices, availability and forwarding charges should be checked before ordering.

How do I change a director’s correspondence address?

A director’s service address can be changed by updating the director’s details at Companies House.

The company will normally need:

• The company number
• The Companies House authentication code
• The director’s details
• The new service address
• The effective date of the change

The update can usually be submitted through the Companies House online service or by filing form CH01 for an individual director.

Changing the service address does not change the director’s residential address. If both addresses have changed, each record must be updated correctly.

The public register will show the new current address once Companies House processes the filing, although previous addresses may remain visible in historical documents or on third-party websites.

Read the official guidance about changing a director’s details using form CH01.

Frequently asked questions

What does correspondence address mean?

A correspondence address is an address used to receive official communications. For a UK company director, it is the public service address registered at Companies House.

Are a correspondence address and service address the same?

Yes. When referring to a UK company director, correspondence address and service address generally mean the same thing.

Is a director’s correspondence address public?

Yes. It is displayed on the public Companies House register. The director’s usual residential address is normally held privately.

Can I use my home as my service address?

Yes, but it will be publicly visible. Use a professional address if you do not want your home address displayed as your director service address.

Does a service address have to be in the UK?

No. A director service address can be in the UK or overseas. The company’s registered office, however, must be in its UK jurisdiction of incorporation.

Can I use the registered office as my correspondence address?

Yes. A director’s service address can be the same as the company’s registered office, provided permission has been given to use the address for that purpose.

Can several directors use the same service address?

Yes. Several directors can use the same address where they have permission and correspondence can be handled properly for each person.

What mail is sent to a director’s service address?

It may receive statutory correspondence, official notices and other communications connected with the director’s role in the company.

Can an overseas director use a UK correspondence address?

Yes. An overseas director can use a UK correspondence-address provider and have eligible mail forwarded overseas. Additional postal charges may apply.

Can I change my director service address?

Yes. The company can update the service address through Companies House. The company records and any service-provider instructions should also be updated.

Protect your residential address

If you do not want your home address displayed on the Companies House register, CFS can provide a professional correspondence address and forward eligible official mail to your chosen address.

View our UK Additional Services or review our registered office address services.

For help choosing the right address service, contact CFS Formations.