Registered Office Change Australia: Step-by-Step ASIC Checklist for Updating Your Company Address

Registered Office Change Australia: Step-by-Step ASIC Checklist for Updating Your Company Address

Registered Office Change Australia: Step by Step ASIC Checklist for Updating Your Company Address

This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a qualified legal or compliance professional.

A registered office change Australia is a routine corporate event — but it carries specific ASIC obligations that must be completed in the right order and within strict timeframes. Every Australian company must have a registered office in Australia, and any change to that address must be notified to ASIC within 28 days using Form 484. Get it wrong, and your company's public register entry will show an incorrect address — creating real problems for service of documents, counterparty due diligence, and regulatory correspondence.

This guide provides a complete step by step checklist for changing a company's registered office in Australia, including the resolution requirement, Form 484 process, principal place of business considerations, internal register updates, and document retention obligations.

A company's registered office is the official address in Australia to which ASIC, courts, and third parties can send notices and serve legal documents on the company. It is a legal requirement under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and must be:

A physical address in Australia (not a PO Box) Open and accessible to the public during standard business hours — or at a minimum, for at least 3 hours between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on each business day Notified to ASIC at all times

ASIC publishes the current registered office on its public register. Any person can search the ASIC register to find a company's registered address. This makes accuracy critical — an out of date address could mean your company misses legally served documents or regulatory notices.

ASIC's requirements for company registered offices are detailed at https://asic.gov.au/for business and companies/companies/company building blocks/company registered office/.

Registered Office vs. Principal Place of Business

These are two distinct addresses — and both may need to be updated separately.

Address Type Purpose ASIC Notification Required? Registered office Where legal documents can be served on the company Yes — within 28 days Principal place of business Where the company conducts its primary business activities Yes — if different from registered office, within 28 days

Many smaller companies use the same address for both. However, if they differ — for example, where the registered office is a law firm or corporate services provider — both must be separately maintained and separately notified to ASIC when changes occur.

Step 1: Confirm the New Address Is Eligible

Before initiating the change process, confirm that the new address:

Is a physical street address in Australia (not a PO Box or DX address) Will be open and accessible during required hours Has consent of the occupier if it is not company owned premises Is confirmed and agreed upon with the relevant landlord or service provider (if using a corporate services address)

Step 2: Obtain Consent of Occupier (If Required)

If the new registered office address is not owned or leased by the company itself — for example, if you are using a lawyer's office, accountant's office, or registered office service — you must obtain the consent of the occupier in writing before the change takes effect. This is a requirement under the Corporations Act 2001 .

The company's directors should pass a board resolution formally approving the change of registered office. The resolution should record:

The new registered office address The effective date of the change Confirmation that the occupier's consent has been obtained (if applicable)

The resolution must be recorded in the company's minute book.

The change must be notified to ASIC by lodging Form 484 ("Change to company details") within 28 days of the change taking effect. This is done through ASIC's online portal (ASIC Connect).

Key fields for a registered office change in Form 484:

Field What to Enter Change type Change of registered office address New registered office address Full street address, suburb, state, postcode Effective date Date the change takes effect (must match resolution) Occupier's consent confirmed? Yes/No (consent must have been obtained before lodgement)

A lodgement fee applies — check ASIC's current fee schedule. Keep the ASIC confirmation of lodgement as part of your compliance records.

Step 5: Update Principal Place of Business If Needed

If the principal place of business is also changing — and it is recorded separately with ASIC — this must also be updated via Form 484. The principal place of business change can be lodged at the same time as the registered office change, or separately if the changes do not occur simultaneously.

Once ASIC has been notified, update the company's internal records to reflect the new address:

Register / Document Action Required Company register / entity management system Update registered office address immediately Internal contact list and entity schedule Update address for the company Contracts that reference the registered office Note for future renewals — some agreements reference the registered office as the address for notices

Using entity management software makes this step significantly easier — registered office changes can be reflected instantly across your entire entity database.

Step 7: Update External Facing Documents and Systems

The registered office address often appears on company documents and correspondence. Audit and update the following:

Document / System Notes Company letterhead and email templates Update to new address Invoices and purchase orders Update template to new address Company website (Contact/Legal pages) Update as soon as practicable Banking correspondence Notify bank of new registered address Insurance policies Some policies reference the registered office — notify insurer Legal contracts (as a notice address) Many commercial contracts use the registered office for service of notices — consider whether counterparties need to be notified

Retain the following for at least 7 years :

Board resolution approving the change Occupier consent (if applicable) ASIC Form 484 lodgement confirmation Any supporting correspondence

Task Responsible Completed? 1 Confirm new address is eligible and accessible CoSec / CFO ☐ 2 Obtain occupier's written consent (if required) CoSec / CFO ☐ 3 Pass board resolution approving the change Board / CoSec ☐ 4 Lodge Form 484 with ASIC within 28 days CoSec ☐ 5 Update principal place of business with ASIC if separate CoSec ☐ 6 Update internal entity management system / registers CoSec ☐ 7 Update letterhead, invoices, website Administration ☐ 8 Notify bank and insurers Finance / Administration ☐ 9 Review commercial contracts for notice address clauses Legal / CoSec ☐ 10 File resolution, consent, and ASIC confirmation CoSec ☐

Special Considerations for Corporate Groups

In a corporate group, each entity has its own registered office — and they may all change simultaneously if the group relocates. However, each entity must be updated separately with ASIC.

Task Notes Identify all entities with the old address as registered office Cross check entity management system Prepare a separate board resolution for each entity Each entity must have its own resolution on file Lodge a separate Form 484 for each entity ASIC's lodgement is entity by entity Update all entity records in group management system Each entity's registered office updated individually Confirm ASIC lodgement for each entity Do not assume a bulk lodgement is possible

Corporate compliance software designed for group management can dramatically streamline this process — generating batch resolutions, tracking lodgement status for each entity, and confirming completion across your entire group.

What Happens If You Don't Notify ASIC in Time?