Which address should I use for an Australian company?
Updated: 4 December 2019
When you prepare your company application form, you’ll find a few questions about your business address.
Below is an explanation of what you need to know when answering those questions
What’s the difference between all the address types?
Virtual address
The virtual address is simply an address that you can state your business operates out of if you don’t need to have a real physical presence, for example, if you run an online business.
Virtual office
A virtual office can offer options for mail collection, scan and email your mail and also office space and meeting rooms that you can use by the hour.
Registered office address
The registered office is your address that will receive correspondence.
Your registered address needs to be a street address.
Now, the registered address does not need to be the same as your principal place of business but it cannot be a PO box address.
The registered office address is important and you’ll need to be able to access mail that gets sent to it. It's also your official address for legal notices.
Business address
The business address may not matter so much if your business does not have a physical address.
If you want to indicate the location of where your business operates, you can rent a business address.
Important reminder for those on the road
If you are on the road for whatever reason, you need to make sure your registered office is reliable.
That is, whatever the address e.g. friend or family address or a paid registered office, that you are able to either have your mail physically forwarded to you or scanned and emailed to you.
Also, erring on the side of caution, it’s preferable if you can get both the physical option and the scan/email option so you can always access your mail.
What are your options if you don’t have an address?
If you travel overseas or just can’t always get to your mail, the options we discussed above can be purchased from businesses like registeredoffice.com.au and many more!
As always, get advice if you are in doubt.
Got questions or comments? Leave them below. I wish you every success in all your ventures!