Here’s the problem: more often than not, there is no such thing!

In most countries a company’s registered address is simply its main place of business – i.e. the physical location of its headquarters.

This is because governments other than US are less preoccupied with making sure that a company can be served notice of proceedings – the main purpose of a registered agent. The reason behind this might be that litigation is more commonplace in US and that the judiciary plays a greater role in governing public and private affairs.

This is not to say that equivalents do not exist elsewhere. In some countries, mostly common law jurisdictions such as the UK or Australia, the concept of a registered address provided by a third party does exist and we can implement it. But other than in the context of foreign contractual parties, it’s usually not compulsory and is really just a custom that many, but not all, business implement.

And in many countries the concept of a registered address distinct from the main place of business will not be understood by local stakeholders, leading to challenging discussions between local lawyers and their US counterparts.

We know how things work both in the US and abroad and we are experts at “translating” foreign corporate compliance concepts for a US audience and vice-versa.