Virtual office in the UK

A virtual office gives a company an address and a mail-handling service without a desk. In the UK this matters because every company needs a registered office that is a physical address in the UK, where post reaches someone acting for the company; a Royal Mail PO box is no longer accepted. A founder who lives abroad often uses a provider’s address for this, and sometimes for the trading address too.

Ask a provider what happens to post and how fast you are told about it, whether the address can be used as the registered office as well as the business address, what identity checks the provider runs on you, and what the contract says about ending the service. Check that you are comfortable with the address being on the public register. Most firms on Accountanty that offer this do it alongside accounting or formation, so compare the bundle as well as the address. The UK country guide lists the other registered details a company needs.

86 firms mention a virtual office in the United Kingdom: 73 accounting firms and 13 corporate services providers. English is the working language of 29 of them; others add Spanish, Turkish and French. Start-ups, sole traders and contractors are the client groups named most. Firms in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh have their own pages.

Firms offering virtual office services in the UK

1Office UK

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +5 more

Languages: English · Estonian · Finnish · Latvian …

View profile of 1Office UK

Hawksford

Corporate services provider · International network

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +6 more

Languages: English · Chinese

View profile of Hawksford

Taxd

Accounting firm · Boutique firm

London

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +2 more

Languages: English

View profile of Taxd

62 more firms offering virtual office services in the UK

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a virtual office as my registered office?

Often yes, if the address is a physical UK address where post reaches someone acting for the company and you can obtain confirmation of delivery. A PO box does not qualify. Ask the provider in writing that the address is suitable for a registered office.

Will my virtual office address be public?

The registered office address appears on the public register at Companies House. Think about whether you want the same address on your website and invoices, and ask the provider how it handles post addressed to the company.

What should a virtual office contract say?

It should say what mail handling is included, how long the term is, how you are notified, what identity checks apply and how you leave. Ask what happens to post that arrives after you end the service.

Other services in the UK

Accountants by city in the UK

Setting up a company in the UK: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.