In the United Kingdom, the
Companies Act 2006 requires all companies to have a registered office. Documents may be
served on companies by delivery to the registered office address as recorded at
Companies House. A registered office address is required for incorporated organizations to receive official correspondence and formal notices from government departments, investors, banks, shareholders, and the public. A company's registered name must be visible to the public at its registered office, although there is an exception for people running a business from their home. Companies must include their registered office address on all communications, such as letters, and on their websites. A company's statutory records previously had to be kept at the registered office and available for public inspection; since 1 October 2009, it has been possible for companies to designate a single alternative inspection location (SAIL) as a place to keep their records which must be available for public inspection. A company must indicate in which of the United Kingdom's three
jurisdictions its registered office is to be located:
England and Wales,
Scotland, or
Northern Ireland. Companies incorporated in Wales may elect for their registered office address to be recorded as in
Wales rather than in England and Wales. Under regulations implemented in the UK on 1 October 2009, company directors may now also use a registered office address instead of their private home address for contact on the Companies House register. ==Other countries==