What the law says about registered offices
Under the Companies Act 2006 (sections 86–88), every UK company must maintain a registered office address. This address must be:
- A physical address in the UK (not a PO box)
- In the same jurisdiction where the company is registered (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland)
- Capable of receiving mail and statutory documents
- Publicly listed on the Companies House register
A virtual address provided by a compliant service provider such as Basely Virtual fully satisfies these requirements. The address is real and physical — it simply happens to be managed by us on your behalf.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements
The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (commonly called the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, or MLRs 2017) require certain types of businesses to carry out customer due diligence (CDD) before providing services.
Virtual address providers and company formation agents are classified as Trust or Company Service Providers (TCSPs) under the MLRs 2017. This means:
- We must verify the identity of every customer before providing address services
- We must carry out ongoing monitoring of the business relationship
- We must report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency (NCA) where required
- We must be registered with HMRC as a TCSP
Basely Virtual is registered with HMRC as a Trust or Company Service Provider and carries out full AML identity verification on all customers before activating services. This is not optional — it is a legal obligation on us as your provider. Customers who do not complete identity verification cannot be onboarded.
What documents are checked
Our identity verification process checks:
- Government-issued photo ID (passport or driving licence)
- Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement, or similar dated within 3 months)
- For companies: confirmation of beneficial owners and persons with significant control (PSCs)
HMRC requirements
HMRC does not require a company to use a specific type of address for its registered office — provided it is a valid UK address capable of receiving correspondence. However, if you use a virtual address and your HMRC correspondence is sent there, you must ensure it is monitored and that deadlines are not missed.
Basely Virtual notifies you of all HMRC correspondence the same day it arrives. Mail scanning ensures you receive a digital copy within 24 hours, and you can act on it immediately from your dashboard.
Companies House requirements
Companies House requires that the registered office address on the public register is accurate at all times. Providing a false or fictitious address is a criminal offence. Using a legitimate virtual address service such as Basely Virtual, where the address is a real, physical location managed by a registered TCSP, fully satisfies this requirement.
If you change your registered office address, you must notify Companies House within 14 days using form AD01.
Use a compliant virtual address
Basely Virtual is HMRC-registered as a TCSP and fully AML compliant. Our registered office service satisfies all Companies House requirements.