One of the legal requirements when setting up business in Australia, is to provide a registered office address and a principal place of business address.
Don’t get stumped trying to find an Australian address to use for your new business. This blog explains the difference between the two types of required addresses and gives you easy and cost effective options available to your business.
What is a registered office address?
All registered bodies are required under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to have a registered office where all business communications and notices to the company will be sent.
The registered office address –
- Must be in Australia
- Cannot be a post office box address.
- Does not need to be in the same Australian state or territory as the state or territory in which the company is taken to be registered.
- Does not need to be the same place as the company’s principle place of business in Australia.
- Proprietary companies are not required to be open to the public, but the address must have your business documents available for inspection.
When you are establishing your business in Australia, you do not have to immediately lease premises. To save costs, remain flexible and maintain efficiency, your accountant or lawyer can provide their address as your registered office. You will need to provide a letter of consent to them to use their address and keep this document on file.
- Public companies are required to be a physical registered office which is open to the public each business day. You can select from the very least, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. Alternatively, you can select at least three hours between 9am to 5pm. If your public company decides the latter or other opening hours outside of these, the details must be communicated to AISC when registering your business.
What is a principle place of business?
The principle place of business is where your company mainly conducts its business from. Your principle place of address can be in any state or territory of Australia, even if this is a different address to where the business is registered.
Again, it cannot be a post office box address.
You do not need to take out a long lease for premises, if this is not appropriate for your business. There are other cost-effective business address options open to you, especially when you are starting out –
Serviced offices
A serviced office is a fully equipped office that is managed by a facility management company. It has flexible rental options from month to month, six- or twelve-monthly basis. You can upsize or downsize to suit your business.
Servcorp – offer 26 premium office locations across Australia and New Zealand, complete with receptionist and technology needed for business.
Office Hub – like the AirBnB for serviced offices, they provide tenants and workspaces with independent advice to find the perfect place for business.
Virtual Offices
Virtual offices are a smart solution for small to medium sized businesses to avoid the initial outlays of renting location-based workspace.
Regus – Regus is worldwide and provides virtual offices as well as flexible workplaces with a range of products and services including equipped offices and meeting rooms.
Virtual Reception – Their address and reception services are available individually or collectively for as long as you need them. They also offer local business telephone number, mail and courier management, and virtual assistance.
Coworking spaces
Coworking is a community of like-minded businesses and business owners co-located in a building, each working on their own business and projects.
Hub Australia – Hub Australia operates to not only provide stylish and functional workspaces, but also to connect people and organisations with talent, ideas, and resources so they can achieve their goals. Hub has become the largest Australian owned and operated coworking provider, with locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Sydney Startup Hub – Located in the heart of Sydney, residents include local incubators and accelerators alongside NSW Government and internationally renowned organisations.
What are the options available to my business?
Here are some examples of how you can quickly set-up a registered address and principle place of business, cost-effectively –
- A proprietary company may register its business in Melbourne Victoria but use its Sydney New South Wales based accountants address as the registered address and have a serviced office in Brisbane Queensland as their principle place of address.
- A proprietary company may register its business in Brisbane Queensland but use its coworking space in Sydney New South Wales as their registered address as well as their principle place of address.
What do I do if I change my company address details?
If you move or change your registered business address, you must notify ASIC within 28 days of the change of address.
Click here for instructions on how to notify ASIC of change of registered office or office hours of a registered body.
There is no charge to change your business address however, fines do apply if you do not notify ASIC within 28 days of moving.
Need help finding a registered office or setting up your business in Australia – we are here to help in any way we can. Contact us now with all your questions, this is our specialty!
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