Overseas

Overseas directors: your address on the UK Companies House register

If you're a director living outside the UK, your overseas director UK company address works the same way as everyone else's: a public service address and a protected residential one. The catch is that older filings, or a home used as your service address, can still show where you live.

Updated 24 Oct 2026 · 5 min read · By Rayhaan Moughal, Sidekick Accounting

Directors who live abroad get the same two-address setup as UK directors. The service address is public, and your usual residential address is kept off the register.

For most overseas directors the problem is the paperwork from before the protection existed, or the day someone put their home down as the service address. Both are fixable with form SR01, and you can do it from wherever you are.

Which address does Companies House show for an overseas director?

Since 1 October 2009, a director gives a public service address and a protected residential address. Before then, a single residential address went on the public record, and Companies House didn't rewrite those older filings.

Our guide to the director service address covers the split in detail. For an overseas director, three things matter.

Your residential address can be anywhere in the world and stays off the register on current filings.
Your service address isn't tied to your home. Companies House's rules don't say it has to be in the UK, though it has to be a real address where documents can reach you.
The company's registered office is a separate address and has to be an appropriate UK address.

So an overseas home only becomes public in two cases. Either it sits in an older filing, or you chose it as your service address.

UK-based director vs overseas director

UK-based director vs overseas director
	UK-based	Overseas
Service address	UK address, often the registered office	Can be abroad in most cases, or a UK address
Residential address	Protected on current filings	Protected on current filings
Older filings	May show a UK home	May show the overseas home
After SR01, no replacement needed	First part of the postcode	State or province and country
After SR01, live role	Your replacement address shows	Your replacement address shows
Fee	£34 per document	£34 per document
How to apply	Email or post	Email, from anywhere

How do old filings show an overseas home?

Say a director moved abroad in 2018. Their appointment and later changes might carry a UK home, but a filing made after they moved can carry the foreign one, and so can anything where they typed their home into the service address box.

A fictional director who moved abroad in 2018

2012Appointed as a directorAlex Morgan gives a UK home as the service address for Northgate Studio Ltd. It goes on the public register.
2018Moves to Ontario, CanadaAlex files a change of details with the new Canadian home as the service address, because it's the easiest address to hand.
2021Confirmation statementNothing changes. Both addresses stay on older documents.
2026Checks the registerAlex finds the UK home on the 2012 filing and the Canadian home on the 2018 change.
NowFiles an SR01 for each document£34 per document, with a replacement service address for the live role.

A change of address filing only updates the address going forward. The earlier documents stay as they were, and each one that carries a home address needs its own line on the SR01. Our guide to checking whether your address is on Companies House shows how to find them, or you can run the free scan.

Do overseas addresses fit the SR01 form?

Yes. The address blocks on the official SR01 (version 9.0, 02/26) use building, street, post town, county or region, postcode and country fields, so a Canadian, Spanish or Australian address goes in without a workaround. Give the address exactly as it appears in the documents you list in Part 4.

The form also explains what the register shows afterwards. In the replacement address section, it says Companies House will hide part of the address. For a UK address, it only shows the first part of the postcode. For a non-UK address, it only shows the state or province and the country.

That wording applies when you don't need a replacement, for example when you've resigned, the company is dissolved, or the home was only ever a former registered office. If your overseas home is still your service address in a live role, give a replacement address, and that goes on the public register in full. A registered office or service address we set up for you is one way to do it.

For the step-by-step on the form itself, see how to complete the SR01 and the SR01 form explained.

Can you pay the £34 fee from outside the UK?

You pay £34 per document through GOV.UK Pay before you apply, and you put the payment reference on the form. An application without the reference is rejected.

GOV.UK Pay's documentation says people outside the UK can still pay. Payments are in pounds, so your bank may convert the amount and add a fee, and overseas cards are more likely to be stopped by fraud checks. Companies House doesn't list which cards it takes, so if a payment bounces, try another card or call your bank to approve it.

If you'd rather not deal with a foreign card, we file the SR01 for you and handle the Companies House fee as part of our price. A refund applies on any document Companies House rejects.

What about identity verification from abroad?

Directors have to verify their identity with Companies House, wherever they live. It became compulsory for new directors from 18 November 2025, and existing directors verify with their next confirmation statement.

GOV.UK says an authorised agent can verify you "from any country". It doesn't say whether the other routes work from abroad, so read the current guidance before you start. Our guide on how to verify your identity as a Companies House director walks through it. Verification is separate from the SR01, and we don't do identity checks as part of our service.

Where does your overseas address stand?

Is your overseas home your current service address in a live role?

Yes: Change the service address first, then include the older filings in your SR01 with a replacement address.

No: Check older filings. A resigned or former address needs no replacement.

Did you file anything before 1 October 2009 or after moving that shows your home?

Yes: List each document on the SR01, £34 each.

No: You're probably covered. Run the scan to be sure.

Can you pay with a card Companies House accepts?

Yes: Pay through GOV.UK Pay, note the reference and email the form.

No: Try another card, or let us file it for you.

Questions

Can a UK company director live abroad?

Yes. Living outside the UK doesn't stop you being a director of a UK company, and Companies House holds the same two addresses for you as for a UK-based director. Companies House also now requires directors to verify their identity, whatever country they live in.

Does my director service address have to be in the UK?

In most cases no. Companies House's own rules for a service address don't say it must be in the UK, and legal commentary on section 1140 of the Companies Act 2006 reaches the same view. The company's registered office is different and has to be an appropriate address in the UK. If you're unsure, check with Companies House before you file.

Can I pay the SR01 fee with a card issued outside the UK?

GOV.UK Pay documentation says people outside the UK can pay, but payments are taken in pounds sterling. Your bank may convert the amount and charge a fee, and overseas cards are more likely to be declined by fraud checks, so try it before your deadline matters. Companies House doesn't list accepted cards on its payment page, so we can't promise a specific card will work.

What does the register show after my overseas address is removed?

The SR01 form says that for a non-UK address Companies House will only show the state or province and the country. That applies where you don't need to give a replacement address. If the removed address was your current service address in a live role, the replacement you give goes on the public register instead.

Do I need to be in the UK to send an SR01?

No. The quickest route is email to dsr@companieshouse.gov.uk, which works from anywhere. Postal applications are accepted too, though they usually take longer, and a cheque or postal order is awkward from abroad.

Can I verify my identity for Companies House from overseas?

GOV.UK says an authorised agent can verify you from any country. It doesn't say whether the GOV.UK One Login route or the Post Office option works from abroad, so check the current guidance. Our identity verification guide covers the routes.