Manage · Corporate Filings
Your registered office is the official address on the public corporate record where legal and government mail is delivered. When it changes, you file a Notice of Change with the registry (in Ontario, within 15 days) to keep it current. An outdated address means you can miss lawsuits and government notices. CorpStart files the change for you.
Your registered office is the official address on the public corporate record where legal and government mail is delivered. When it changes, you file a Notice of Change with the registry (in Ontario, within 15 days) to keep it current. An outdated address means you can miss lawsuits and government notices. CorpStart files the change for you.
Your registered office is the official address your corporation gives to the government and the public: the address of record on the corporate registry. It's where legal documents can be formally served on your corporation, where government correspondence is sent, and where, in Ontario, your corporate records are presumed to be kept and available for inspection. It has to be a physical address in the jurisdiction (an Ontario address for an Ontario corporation); a bare P.O. box on its own generally won't do.
The reason it matters more than most owners realize comes down to one word: service. If someone sues your corporation, they can serve the claim at your registered office, and service is legally effective whether or not you actually see the document. If that address is stale, mail piling up at an old landlord or a former accountant's office, you can be sued, defaulted, and hit with a judgment without ever knowing it happened. The same goes for government notices about compliance or dissolution.
So this is not a bureaucratic formality. Keeping your registered office current is how you make sure the important, time-sensitive mail actually reaches you.
The obvious trigger is a physical move: you leave one office for another, or you're a home-based business and you've moved houses. But there are quieter triggers too. Many small corporations use their accountant's or lawyer's office as the registered office; if you switch professionals, that address needs to change with you, or your official mail keeps going to someone who no longer works for you.
You should also update it if the address was simply wrong or incomplete from the start, or if a building's address changed. And note the distinction: your registered office (the official address of record) and your mailing address or business location can be different addresses. Changing where you actually operate doesn't automatically change your registered office; the registry only knows what you tell it.
In short, any time the address where you want to reliably receive legal and government mail changes, the registered office on record should change to match.
In Ontario, a change of registered office address is reported to the Ontario Business Registry through a Notice of Change (Form 1), the same form used for director and officer changes, and it's due within 15 days of the change. Federal corporations report a change of registered office to Corporations Canada, and if you're moving the office to a different province, there can be additional steps because the province you're moving into may need to be notified.
It's a straightforward filing, but the 15-day window is real, and it's easy to let slide during the chaos of an actual move. The cost of letting it slide isn't a penalty so much as risk: every day the record is wrong is a day your legal mail is going to the wrong place.
There's no government fee to change an Ontario registered office. As with the annual return, you're paying to have it done correctly and promptly, and to keep your minute book updated to match.
Updating the registry is the legally required step, but a registered office change usually ripples outward. Your minute book's records should reflect the new address, and you'll typically want to update the address with the CRA, your bank, your business licences, and anyone who invoices your corporation. The registry change is the anchor; the rest keeps your affairs tidy.
This is also a good moment to confirm the rest of your public record is accurate: that your directors and officers are current, and that your annual returns are up to date. A registered office change is a small filing, but it's a natural checkpoint to make sure the corporation's whole record is in good shape.
If we spot that other details look stale while filing your address change, we'll flag them so you can decide whether to bring everything current at once.
Give us your corporation's name or number and the new registered office address. We confirm the address is a valid one for your jurisdiction, prepare the Notice of Change (Ontario Form 1) or the federal registered office change, and file it with the registry within the deadline.
We prepare the matching minute-book resolution recording the change of registered office, and send you the filed confirmation for your records. It's a quick filing, but getting it right means the mail you can't afford to miss (legal claims, government notices) actually arrives where you'll see it.
Three steps to move your address of record cleanly.
Give us the new address
Share your corporation's name or number and the new registered office address (a physical address in your jurisdiction).
We file the change
CorpStart prepares and files the Notice of Change (Ontario Form 1) or federal registered office change within the 15-day deadline.
Records updated
You receive the filed confirmation and a minute-book resolution recording the change, so your record is consistent everywhere.
Why does my registered office address matter?
It's the official address where legal claims can be served on your corporation and where government notices are sent. Service is legally effective whether or not you see the document, so if the address is stale, you can be sued or hit with a compliance notice without ever knowing. Keeping it current is how you make sure critical mail actually reaches you.
Can my registered office be different from where I actually work?
Yes. Your registered office is the official address of record; your business location and mailing address can be different. Many small corporations use their accountant's or lawyer's office as the registered office. It does need to be a real physical address in your jurisdiction (an Ontario address for an Ontario corporation), not a bare P.O. box.
How long do I have to update the address after I move?
In Ontario, you file a Notice of Change within 15 days of the change. It's an easy one to forget during a move, but every day the record is wrong is a day your legal and government mail is going to the old address, so it's worth filing promptly.
Is there a government fee to change my registered office?
For an Ontario corporation, no. There's no provincial fee for the registered office change itself. You're paying CorpStart to prepare and file it correctly and on time, and to keep your minute book updated to match.
I switched accountants and their office was my registered office: what now?
You'll want to change your registered office to an address you control, or to your new professional's office, so your official mail stops going to a firm that no longer represents you. It's a quick filing, and a good moment to confirm your directors and annual returns are also current while we're updating your record.
Don't miss the mail that matters
We file your change of registered office with the registry and update your minute book, so legal claims and government notices reach you, not your old address.
Start my corporationCorpStart is a document preparation service, not a law firm. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed lawyer or accountant.