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When you register a company, ASIC asks for two addresses that sound alike: a registered office and a principal place of business. They are not the same thing, and mixing them up can put your home address somewhere you did not expect.
This guide explains what each address is, which one a virtual office can cover, and how to change them with ASIC. It is based on ASIC’s own pages, checked in October 2026.
Principal Place of Business vs Registered Office: The Short Version
| Registered office | Principal place of business | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The address ASIC sends official notices and letters to | The main address where your company conducts business |
| PO Box allowed? | No, it must be a physical street address in Australia | No, it must be a physical address |
| Can it be someone else’s address? | Yes, with the owner’s written consent on record | Only if your business is really run from there |
| Who can see it | People who purchase information from the companies register | Anyone who searches the companies register |
| Can a virtual office be used? | Yes, with consent | No, unless the business is genuinely run from that address |
ASIC also lets you give an optional contact address for its correspondence, and that one can be a PO Box.
What Is an ASIC Registered Office?
An ASIC registered office is the official address where ASIC sends notices and letters to your company. It must be a physical street address in Australia, not a PO Box. It does not have to be where the company works: it can be a third party’s address, such as an accountant’s office, if the owner gives written consent.
According to ASIC’s company addresses page, if you use someone else’s premises you must keep a record of the owner’s written consent. When you give the address to ASIC, you must also state that the owner has consented.
When you change the registered office later, ASIC’s form asks whether the company occupies the new premises. If it does not, you enter the occupier’s name and confirm they have agreed to the address being used.
This is the address a virtual business address is designed for. At Hunters Hill Offices, the address can be used for ASIC company registration, and your mail is received and held, or forwarded on request.
What Is a Principal Place of Business?
ASIC describes the principal place of business as the main address where your company conducts business. It must be a physical address and cannot be a PO Box. Anyone who searches the companies register can see it.
The key word is “conducts”. This is a statement of fact about where the business is run, not a mailing preference. If you run your company from a home office, your home is your principal place of business.
Business names work a little differently
If you are a sole trader registering a business name, ASIC also asks for a principal place of business, and it appears on the public Business Names Register. ASIC says that if you are an individual who works from home, only your suburb, state and postcode are displayed. Our guide to sole trader vs company covers how the two structures compare on privacy.
Can a Virtual Office Hide Your Home Address?
Partly, and it is worth being clear about the limits.
A virtual office can be your registered office. That keeps ASIC’s official mail and legal notices going to a staffed business address instead of your letterbox.
A virtual office cannot be your principal place of business if your company is actually run from home. Your home stays on the register as the principal place of business, and a virtual address does not change that. Directors’ home addresses also appear on the companies register. ASIC lets an officeholder who is worried about their safety ask for their residential address to be hidden.
If you want a business address on the register that is not your home, the honest route is to run the business from a real workplace. A private office you actually work from can be your principal place of business.
One more address rule: a virtual office address should not be used as a Google Business Profile location. Google does not allow virtual offices as Business Profile locations. The correct setup for a business without a customer-facing shopfront is a service-area profile with the address hidden.
How to Change Your Addresses With ASIC
Moving your registered office to a virtual office, or moving your principal place of business, is done online. Here is the process on ASIC’s change of address page, as of October 2026:
- Log in to ASIC’s company officeholder portal. You will need the company’s ABN, ACN and corporate key.
- Choose Form 484, Change to Company Details.
- Enter the date of change and the new address, and select which address types it applies to.
- For a new registered office, confirm whether the company occupies it. If not, name the occupier and confirm their consent.
- Review and submit. ASIC says the change takes effect 7 days after you submit the form.
Timing matters. As of October 2026, ASIC says that if any company address changes and you do not tell it within 28 days, a late fee applies. If your company holds an ABN, update those details with the Australian Business Register too. Our ABN vs ACN guide explains how the two registers differ.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check your situation with your accountant, lawyer or ASIC.
In short, your ASIC registered office is where official mail goes, and your principal place of business is where the work really happens. A Hunters Hill virtual office can take care of the first.
A registered office address in Hunters Hill
Use 53-55 Gladesville Road as your ASIC registered office, with mail received, held and forwarded on request. Plans start at $20 a week + GST.
See virtual office plans or call 0424 953 774
