Ms. TEENA KAPOOR a 3rd year law student from Gitarattan International Business School college
INTRODUCTION
The registered office of a company is a place to which all official communications pertaining to a Company is sent. In addition to a registered office, a company can have an corporate office or administrative office or branch office or factory, etc., However, only the registered office of the Company needs to be registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. All other offices or additional locations can be opened by a company without any intimation to the ROC.
The registered office of the Company will also determine the domicile of the company (State of Incorporation). The state or location in which the registered office of the Company is situated will determine the Registrar of Company (ROC) to which the application for company registration must be made. Any change in registered office address must be notified to the Registrar of Companies (ROC) within a specified period
MEANING
Section 12.Registered office of company.Effective (1) A Company shall, on and from the fifteenth day of its incorporation within thirty days of its incorporation and at all times thereafter, have a registered office capable of receiving and acknowledging all communications and notices as may be addressed to it.
Provided that a Specified IFSC public company shall have its registered office at the International Financial Services Centre located in the approved multi services Special Economic Zone set-up under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 read with the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006, where it is licensed to operate, at all times.
Provided that a Specified IFSC private company shall have its registered office at the International Financial Services Centre located in the approved multi services Special Economic Zone set-up under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 read with the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006, where it is licensed to operate, at all times.”.
(2) The company shall furnish to the Registrar verification of its registered office within a period of thirty days of its incorporation in such manner as may be prescribed.
(3) Every company shall—
(a) paint or affix its name, and the address of its registered office, and keep the same painted or affixed, on the outside of every office or place in which its business is carried on, in a conspicuous position, in legible letters, and if the characters employed therefor are not those of the language or of one of the languages in general use in that locality, also in the characters of that language or of one of those languages;
(b) have its name engraved in legible characters on its seal, if any ;
(c) get its name, address of its registered office and the Corporate Identity Number along with telephone number, fax number, if any, e-mail and website addresses, if any, printed in all its business letters, billheads, letter papers and in all its notices and other official publications; and
(d) have its name printed on hundies, promissory notes, bills of exchange and such other document as may be prescribed:
Provided that where a company has changed its name or names during the last two years, it shall paint or affix or print, as the case may be, along with its name, the former name or names so changed during the last two years as required under clauses (a) and (c):
Provided further that the words ” One Person Company ” shall be mentioned in brackets below the name of such company, wherever its name is printed, affixed or engraved.
(4) Notice of every change of the situation of the registered office, verified in the manner prescribed, after the date of incorporation of the company, shall be given to the Registrar within fifteen days within thirty daysof the change, who shall record the same.
(5) Except on the authority of a special resolution passed by a company, the registered office of the company shall not be changed,—
(a) in the case of an existing company, outside the local limits of any city, town or village where such office is situated at the commencement of this Act or where it may be situated later by virtue of a special resolution passed by the company; and
(b) in the case of any other company, outside the local limits of any city, town or village where such office is first situated or where it may be situated later by virtue of a special resolution passed by the company:
Provided that no company shall change the place of its registered office from the jurisdiction of one Registrar to the jurisdiction of another Registrar within the same State unless such change is confirmed by the Regional Director on an application made in this behalf by the company in the prescribed manner.
(6) The confirmation referred to in sub-section (5) shall be communicated within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of application by the Regional Director to the company and the company shall file the confirmation with the Registrar within a period of sixty days of the date of confirmation who shall register the same and certify the registration within a period of thirty days from the date of filing of such confirmation.
(7) The certificate referred to in sub-section (6) shall be conclusive evidence that all the requirements of this Act with respect to change of registered office in pursuance of sub-section (5) have been complied with and the CHANGE shall take effect from the date of the certificate.
(8) If any default is made in complying with the requirements of this section, the company and every officer who is in default shall be liable to a penalty of one thousand rupees for every day during which the default continues but not exceeding one lakh rupees.
(9) If the Registrar has reasonable cause to believe that the company is not carrying on any business or operations, he may cause a physical verification of the registered office of the company in such manner as may be prescribed and if any default is found to be made in complying with the requirements of sub-section (1), he may without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (8), initiate action for the removal of the name of the company from the register of companies under Chapter XVIII.
Registered Office Requirement during Company Registration
At the time of incorporation of a Company, it is important to declare the registered office of the Company and submit documentary evidence. Typically, the following documents must be submitted while declaring a registered office of a company during incorporation:
Electricity Bill / Water Bill / Property Tax Receipt
No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Landlord for Registered Office
Rental or Lease Agreement between Landlord and the Company
It is important to note that the name and address mentioned on the electricity bill / water bill / property tax receipt exactly match the NOC Certificate from Landlord and the Rental Agreement. Further, the registered office of a company cannot be a vacant land or building under construction. However, there is also no requirement for the registered office to be a commercial or industrial property. The registered office of a company can also be a residential property.
In case the company has not decided the registered office of the Company while filing for incorporation, Companies Act, 2013 provides the option for the Company to declare a temporary address. The registered office of the Company must then be declared by filing INC 22 within 15 days of incorporation of the Company.
REFERENCES
COMPANIES ACT 2013
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