Tide virtual office address
What the Tide virtual office and company formation packages include, what they cost, and how they sit alongside the £200 NEW200 account offer.
Tide referral code
Enter NEW200 when Tide asks for a referral or promo code during sign-up — or just use our link and it is applied for you.
T&Cs apply. New Tide business accounts only. We may earn a reward.
What it is
The Tide virtual office in plain terms
A London business address you can publish
Tide's virtual office gives you a central London address to use as your registered office and director's service address, so your home address stays off the public Companies House register.
Post scanned to you
Official mail is received, scanned and forwarded to you digitally, with physical forwarding available on the higher tiers.
Bundled with company formation
Tide sells it alongside its company formation service, so you can register the company, get the address and open the business account in one flow.
Billed as a subscription
It is an ongoing monthly or annual charge, separate from your Tide account plan. Cancel it and you must give Companies House a new registered address.
Cost
What you pay for
| Company formation through Tide | Often free or heavily discounted when you open a Tide account (the £50 Companies House fee may be covered by the package) |
| Registered office address | A monthly subscription, typically low single-digit to low double-digit pounds a month depending on tier |
| Director's service address | Usually bundled into the same address package |
| Physical mail forwarding | Higher tier or per-item charge |
| Tide account itself | £0 on the Free plan |
Tide changes the price and packaging of its address and formation products more often than it changes account pricing, so treat the tiers above as a shape rather than a quote and confirm the figure at checkout.
Suitability
Is it worth it for you?
Worth it if
You work from home, you are about to incorporate, and you do not want your home address searchable on Companies House forever — it stays on the record even after you change it.
Probably not needed if
You already trade from commercial premises, or your accountant already provides a registered office address as part of their fee.
Think twice if
You need to receive volumes of physical parcels or client post. A virtual office handles official correspondence, not logistics.
Alternatives
Other ways to get a registered address
Your accountant
Many accountants include a registered office address in their annual fee. Ask before paying for one separately.
Standalone providers
Specialist formation agents sell the same service, sometimes cheaper, but without the single sign-up flow.
A coworking space
If you already pay for a desk, the operator may offer a registered address as an add-on.
Your own premises
Free, but the address becomes public. That is the trade-off the whole product exists to solve.
Step by step
Setting up the address and company together
1. Check the name is free
Search the Companies House register before anything else. A name that is too similar to an existing one will be rejected.
2. Choose your structure
A limited company is a separate legal entity with filing duties. A sole trader has none of that but no liability protection either. The address product is aimed at limited companies.
3. Add the registered office
During formation, select the Tide address as your registered office and director's service address so your home address never reaches the public record.
4. Complete identity checks
Directors and people with significant control must be verified. Have photo ID and proof of address ready to avoid a stalled application.
5. Open the account with NEW200
Enter the referral code during account sign-up, or open through the link, so the £200 offer is attached from the start.
6. Diarise the annual duties
A confirmation statement and accounts are due every year. Post to the registered address is scanned to you, but the deadlines are still yours to meet.
Privacy
Why the home address problem is permanent
Companies House records are public and searchable
Anyone can look up a company and see its registered office, free of charge, without an account.
Historic records stay visible
Changing your address later does not erase the old filings. The earlier address remains in the document history.
There is a suppression route, but it is narrow
You can apply to have a home address removed from public view in limited circumstances, and it is not automatic. Getting it right at incorporation is far easier.
It affects credit and marketing too
A published home address attracts unsolicited business post and can blur your personal and business credit footprints.
Rules
What a registered office must legally do
Be a real, effective address
It must be an address where post is actually delivered and can be acknowledged. A PO box on its own is not sufficient.
Be in the right jurisdiction
The registered office must be in the part of the UK where the company is incorporated — England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Accept official correspondence
HMRC and Companies House will write to it. Missing that post is how penalties happen, which is why a scanning service matters.
Stay current
If the service ends, file a change of registered office before it does. An address that stops accepting post can put the company at risk of being struck off.
Questions
Tide virtual office FAQ
How much does the Tide virtual office address cost?
It is sold as a subscription on top of your Tide account, priced by tier — the account itself can stay on the £0 Free plan. Always check the current price at checkout on tide.co, because Tide adjusts the tiers.
Is Tide company formation free?
Tide runs formation packages that are free or heavily discounted when you open a Tide business account, sometimes covering the Companies House incorporation fee. The exact package changes, so confirm it before you pay.
Can I use the Tide address as my registered office?
Yes, that is its purpose — a registered office and director's service address so your home address is not published.
Do I have to use the virtual office to get the £200?
No. The NEW200 reward is tied to the business account, not to any add-on. You can claim the full £200 on the free plan with no extras.
What happens if I cancel the address?
You must file a new registered office address with Companies House before the service ends, otherwise your official post has nowhere to go and you risk compliance problems.
Does a virtual office make my company look less credible?
A central London registered office is normal for small companies and is not a red flag in itself. Use your real trading address on your website and invoices if you want customers to see where you actually work.
The £200 comes from the account, not the add-ons
Use referral code NEW200 during sign-up, or open through the link below and it is applied for you.
Claim your £200 nowRead next: Tide fees and pricing.