Move company records to a SAIL address (AD03)
Tell Companies House which records will be kept at the inspection address.
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How it works: Move records to a SAIL address (AD03)
Find your company
Search by name or number. We fill in the public details.
Answer the questions
Answer only what the register cannot tell us.
Pay by card
Approve the details and pay the total shown.
We submit to Companies House
We check it and send it to Companies House. Updates come by email.
About this filing
Tell Companies House which company records are now kept at your SAIL address using form AD03.
There is no Companies House fee; the SimpleFilings service fee is £4.99. A SAIL is a single alternative inspection location.
Read more
Our service helps you list the records that are moving. We check your instructions and you approve the AD03 before it is submitted.
The SAIL address itself must already be registered with an AD02, or be registered alongside this change.
AD02 then AD03: how records move to a SAIL
A company's statutory records must be available for inspection. By default they are kept at the registered office. The law allows some of them to be kept at one other place instead: the single alternative inspection location, or SAIL.
Using a SAIL takes two steps. First, the SAIL address is registered with form AD02. Then form AD03 tells Companies House which records are actually held there. Registering the address alone does not move any records. AD03 is the notice that does.
Companies House recommends filing online. Paper forms sent by post take longer to process.
See also: Register the SAIL address first (AD02)
Records you can list on an AD03
Only the records listed in section 1136 of the Companies Act 2006 can be kept at a SAIL. For most private companies, the main ones are:
- The register of members (shareholders).
- Records of resolutions and meetings.
- Directors' service contracts, or memoranda of their terms.
- Directors' indemnity provisions.
- Contracts and documents about the company buying back or redeeming its own shares.
- The register of debenture holders.
- Copies of instruments creating charges over company assets.
Registers you no longer keep or list on an AD03
Since 18 November 2025, companies no longer keep their own register of directors, register of directors' residential addresses or register of secretaries. The register of people with significant control has also gone. Companies House holds that information on the public register instead.
So there is no need to list those registers on an AD03. Only list records the company still keeps and that are now held at the SAIL.
Rules for the SAIL address
- There can be only one SAIL. All records kept away from the registered office must be at that same place.
- The SAIL must be in the same part of the UK where the company is registered. A company registered in England and Wales cannot use a SAIL in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- The SAIL must be notified to Companies House, with AD02, before or alongside the AD03.
- The records must actually be held there and available for inspection. Filing AD03 does not make that happen on its own.
AD03 deadline and fees
A company must tell Companies House where its register of members is kept and of any change in that place. If it is in default for 14 days, the company and every officer in default commit an offence. In practice, file the AD03 within 14 days of moving the records.
There is no Companies House fee for AD02, AD03 or AD04. If you use SimpleFilings, the only charge is the £4.99 SimpleFilings service fee.
What you need to file AD03
- The company number and the company authentication code.
- A registered SAIL address, or the address you are registering with AD02 at the same time.
- A clear list of the records now kept at the SAIL, excluding records already notified on an earlier AD03.
- The authenticating person’s full printed name and capacity, such as director or secretary. AD03 requires a name rather than a signature; these details appear on the public record.
- The records themselves, already held at the SAIL and available for inspection there.
What happens after you order your AD03
Find your company and tell us which records are moving. We check your list against the records that section 1136 allows at a SAIL and ask about anything unclear. You approve the AD03 before it is submitted.
The register changes only when Companies House accepts the filing. Payment, or a submission receipt, does not on its own mean the filing has been accepted. Keep a copy of the approved filing with the company's papers.
Common AD03 mistakes
- Filing AD03 before the SAIL address has been registered with AD02.
- Choosing a SAIL in a different part of the UK from where the company is registered.
- Splitting records across more than one alternative address.
- Listing registers that companies no longer keep, such as the register of directors or the PSC register.
- Forgetting AD04 later. If the records go back to the registered office, Companies House must be told again.
Moving records back to the registered office
If you stop using the SAIL, use AD04 to tell Companies House the records are now kept at the registered office. If you only need to change the SAIL address itself, that is a new AD02.
File it yourself or use SimpleFilings
You can always file directly with Companies House. Here is how that compares with using SimpleFilings.
| Question | File it yourself | Use SimpleFilings |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No fee | £4.99 (no Companies House fee) |
| Who fills in the form | You complete the Companies House form yourself. Official guidance | We do, from your answers, after checking the public register |
| Approval | You submit it yourself | You confirm you are authorised and approve the details before we submit |
What this request covers
We check your instructions and submit the filing once it is approved. The register changes only when Companies House accepts it.
Before you start
- The SAIL address must already be registered or registered alongside this change.
- We verify the existing SAIL and prior AD03 notices, then match your exact records list to the official categories before payment. Records already notified do not need to be repeated.
- We verify the named authenticator’s capacity and authority from the current register or supplied evidence. AD03 requires a printed name, not a signature. Specialist capacities and UK Societas cases require route review.
Fees
£4.99 SimpleFilings service fee. Companies House does not charge a fee for an AD03 filing. The service covers one AD03 notice for the records you list. It does not include registering the SAIL address itself, providing an address or storage, keeping the registers up to date, or legal advice.
No Companies House filing fee for this standard filing.
Total: £4.99. There is no Companies House fee for this standard filing.
Step by step
- Find your company. Find your company by name or number. We fill in its public details from the Companies House register, such as the registered office, officers and people with significant control.
- Answer the questions. Answer only the questions we cannot fill in from the register, add any documents asked for and give the email address for your receipt and filing updates. Confirm that you are authorised to arrange the request and that you have checked and approve the details.
- Pay by card. Approve the details and pay the total shown by secure card payment. We check your answers before preparing the filing. There is no Companies House fee for this standard filing.
- We submit to Companies House. We check your answers and any documents, then submit to Companies House. Updates go to your email, and you can follow progress through your private request link. A payment receipt is not confirmation that Companies House has accepted the filing.
Official sources
Guidance checked .
- Move your company's records to the single alternative inspection location (AD03)
- Register a single alternative inspection location (AD02)
- Move your company's records to the registered office (AD04)
- Companies House forms: file a change of address
- Running a limited company: company and accounting records
- Companies Act 2006, section 1136: where company records may be kept
- Companies Act 2006, section 114: register of members, place kept and notice
- Companies Act 2006, section 162 (omitted from 18 November 2025): register of directors
- Companies (Company Records) Regulations 2008, regulation 3: single alternative inspection location
- Companies House fees
Move records to a SAIL address (AD03): common questions
Which records can I move to a SAIL address?
Only the records listed in section 1136 of the Companies Act 2006. For most private companies that means the register of members, records of resolutions and meetings, directors' service contracts and indemnities, documents about buying back or redeeming the company's own shares, the register of debenture holders and copies of charge instruments. Every record kept away from the registered office must be at the one SAIL.
What is the difference between AD02 and AD03?
AD02 registers the SAIL address with Companies House. AD03 tells Companies House which records are held at that address. You usually need both.
Is there a Companies House fee for AD03?
No. Companies House does not charge for AD03. If you use SimpleFilings, the only charge is the £4.99 SimpleFilings service fee.
How long do I have to file AD03?
For the register of members, the law makes it an offence to be in default for 14 days after a change in where it is kept. File within 14 days of moving the records.
Can I keep my company records at my accountant's office?
Yes, if that office is registered as the company's SAIL and is in the same part of the UK where the company is registered. All records kept away from the registered office must be at that one address.
Do I list the register of directors or PSC register on an AD03?
No. Since 18 November 2025, companies no longer keep a register of directors, register of secretaries or PSC register. Companies House holds that information instead.