How to Get a Virtual Business Address in 6 Steps

Startups and small businesses often won’t have access to dedicated office space, but a virtual office address is a great way for entrepreneurs, freelancers and fresh startups to secure a professional-looking address in a prime location.

This helps to give your business a physical presence and boosts your credibility — even when your company is run from your home office or your team is contracted remotely. 

As providers of a broad range of flexible virtual office plans, one of the first things people commonly ask us is how to get a virtual address in the UK.

In this quick guide, we’re going to explain how to choose the right service and provider, as well as the process for setting up a cheap virtual office in the UK for your new or established business.

How to set up a virtual business address

Believe it or not, setting up a virtual office is actually pretty simple, so read on to discover our easy six-step guide to getting your virtual business address. 

1. Decide what you need the address for

The primary reason most businesses want to invest in a virtual office is to use a registered office address on Companies House to maintain privacy or to provide you with a prestigious location for your business. There are however, other options, so you should be clear about what you want to use it for.

For example, you can use any virtual address, or even a PO Box, for general business correspondence, but this isn’t the case when it comes to registering your business with Companies House.

Other uses:

• Companies House registered office
• Director's Service Address
• HMRC correspondence
• Business/trading address
• Website and marketing materials
• Bank/payment provider applications
• Supplier/customer correspondence

To use a virtual address as your registered office address, it must be:

• a genuine street address in the same UK jurisdiction (e.g., a Scottish company needs a Scottish address);
• ‘appropriate’, meaning that you or someone acting on behalf of your company can be notified of any post addressed and delivered to this address, and that it’s possible for the sender to get confirmation of delivery.

Note that a PO Box is no longer considered an appropriate address for company formation.

When you register your company you’ll also need to provide a director’s service address, which will also be on the public register. This can be your home address, but some virtual office address providers also offer a director’s service address option.

2. Choose a virtual business address provider

When choosing your virtual office address provider, ensuring that the address is compliant with Companies House and HMRC should be your first consideration.

However, there are a few other factors you need to think about before choosing a vendor, including the different mail handling options on offer, pricing (while also keeping a close eye on additional, hidden fees) and contract terms.

Here is our list of things to consider when choosing a provider:

3. Sign up and complete verification

Signing up for a virtual office is typically a pretty quick process (it usually takes less than 10 minutes with Hoxton Mix), but there is a short identity verification process required before the address will be activated. This is known as the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) process.

This often involves sharing documents such as proof of identity (photo ID), proof of address, and business and UBO verification.

This is in order to comply with HMRC Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements.  The Know Your Customer (KYC) process is mandatory to avoid virtual office services being used to obscure the identity of beneficial owners and facilitate illicit activity.

4. Set up how your mail will be handled

Although some providers will only offer mail collection or forwarding, others (like Hoxton Mix) give you the option to choose what works best for you. 

For example, if you don’t require the physical post, mail scanning and digitisation might be sufficient. If not, you can add mail forwarding to your package to ensure you can view your business correspondence within one business day, but still receive the actual letters to an address of your choice.

With Hoxton Mix, you get access to a Customer Portal once you have signed up, where all of your mail activity is logged. This includes access to all of the other benefits and services you need to manage your mail account.  

5. Register or update your business address where required

Once your new virtual office is up and running, you can register your new business with Companies House and HMRC, or update it if your company is already registered.

We would recommend having a virtual office address ready before you set up your business on Companies House.  This ensures that you start off with all of your mail being sent to your VO provider, and avoids you having to update address details later on.

6. Start using your virtual business address

After updating your address with official government bodies, you should also update your company address wherever it can be found. This includes your website, social media channels, Google My Business listing, stationary invoice and letter templates, and more.

Consider Hoxton Mix as your trusted virtual address provider

Hoxton Mix has been a leading provider of virtual office services since 2010, and in that time we have helped thousands of SMEs to improve their professional image and credibility with our prestigious London business address, located at 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA.

Today, we’re at the forefront of virtual office technology, with our AI-powered mail handling agent HaiRo™ delivering automated categorisation and summaries, as well as a dedicated online customer portal so you can access your business mail from anywhere in the world.

What’s more, our registered office address service is Companies House-compliant, while we also offer a Full Privacy Service (director’s service address) to ensure your private residence is kept off the public register altogether.

If you’d like to talk to a member of our team directly about setting up a virtual address for business, then please feel free to contact us anytime.

Explore our virtual office plans and experience all the benefits of a prime London business address with Hoxton Mix.

FAQ

How do I get a virtual office address in the UK?

Securing a virtual office address can take as little as ten minutes, but before choosing your provider, you need to figure out what you need the address for. After finding your ideal vendor, you’ll need to complete a verification process and choose how your mail will be handled, before updating your business address wherever it can be found.

How long does it take to get a virtual business address?

Setting up a virtual business address involves several steps. So, you need to define your business goals and objectives, get your virtual address, connect virtual assistants, provide access to files and important data, establish channels for communication, set up an online location and handle email, and provide an easy search for an address online and also get all the benefits of a physical location.

Do I need ID to get a virtual business address?

Yes, you will need to provide proof of identification (photo ID) and proof of address as part of the KYC (Know Your Customer) verification process.

Can I use a virtual business address if I work from home?

Yes, in fact a virtual business address is perfect for startups and SMEs that don’t have access to dedicated office space.

Can I use a virtual business address for Companies House?

Yes, as long as the virtual address is a genuine, physical location in the same jurisdiction as your company, and is ‘appropriate’.

Can I have my mail forwarded from a virtual address?

Yes, if the provider you choose offers this as a service. Hoxton Mix provides mail forwarding as an optional extra to its registered office address and mail scanning services.