Elevate Your Business with Virtual Office by Anytime Offices

A virtual office business address is a physical mailing address that businesses can use as their official address without actually having a physical office space at that location. It provides businesses with a professional image, a place to receive mail and package deliveries, and a local presence in a desired location without the expense of renting physical office space. Business address service by Anytime Offices is compliant with ASIC (Australian Securities and Investment Commission) requirements for registered business addresses.

The membership includes a range of services in addition to the business address, such as mail forwarding and access to private offices, meeting rooms and hot desks.

Yes, you can.

Anytime Offices' business address can be used as registered office for your business. We comply with ASIC regulations. We will provide you with a dedicated, private letter box which can be used for documents storage. As part of the service, you will also receive access to private offices and meeting rooms, which will enable you to conduct your business. In addition, if you want your business address to be the principal place of business, you must ensure that your business name is displayed at the address. Speak to us about the Client Directory Board Listing in the building.

You can make a change of address through ASIC's website. It's important to keep your information up to date so you receive information and avoid late fees. Changes to your registered office address, principal place of business and the residential address of any officeholders or members must be made online.

To change your company addresses:

1. Register for online access using your company's corporate key
2. Log in to ASIC online Portal with your company's ACN or ABN
3. Enter your username and password
4. Select 'Start new form' and select 'Change to company details' (484)
   To avoid late fees, you must inform ASIC about any changes to your address within 28 days.

For more information, visit ASIC fees.

A company may have a contact address; this is optional and different to registered office. To update your company's contact address, you need to lodge a Form 486 Notification to nominate, change or cease a contact address for a company.

Company officeholders are responsible for letting ASIC know about any changes to their company details.

Watch video about how to update company address with ASIC.

An Australian company must have a registered office to receive correspondence. A registered office does not need to be the same as the company's principal place of business, but it cannot be a post office box. If the company does not occupy the premises, the occupier of the address must give written consent to use the address as its registered office. You must notify ASIC of any address changes within 28 days. Once you've made the change online, the new address will appear on ASIC register within seven days.

A company's principal place of business is the primary location where its business is performed. This is generally where the business's books and records are kept and is often where the head of the firm and other senior management personnel are located. An Australian company must tell ASIC the address of its principal place of business. It cannot be a post office box. You must notify ASIC of any changes within 28 days.

Step 1 — Is a company right for you? 

You need to decide if a company suits your needs or if you should use a different business structure. Business.gov.au has a great 'Help me decide' tool that can help you work out the business structure that will best suit your needs and what registrations you should consider.

A company is its own legal entity and lets you conduct business throughout Australia. You can also make use of other privileges, such as corporate tax rates or limited liability.

Registering a company is different to registering a business name. For more information, see your business structure.

• You can also register different types of companies, including:
• Not for profit or charitable organisations
• Registrable Australian bodies
• Special purpose companies.

Step 2 — Choosing a company name 

There are a few things you should consider when choosing a company name. A company's name cannot be identical to an existing name. You can only use a name that is not identical to an existing company or business name.

If you are the holder of an identical name, you may be able to register the name for the company in some cases.

Before May 2012, it was possible for multiple businesses with the same name to exist as long as they were registered in different states and territories. This is no longer possible under ASIC's national register. You won't be able to register a company name if an identical name already exists. You can only use certain characters in a company's name.

The following characters are accepted:

0-9 $ space A-Z % . ; a-z * || " @ & ? = ! / \ _ — T() { }

Some terms are restricted. Some words and phrases cannot be used without the approval of a government minister. Some examples include: 'bank' 'trust' 'Royal' 'Incorporated'

You can't use words that could mislead people about a company's activities. This includes associations with Australian government, the Royal Family, or any ex-servicemen's organisations.

ASIC may also refuse a name if it's considered offensive or suggests illegal activity. See company name availability to learn more about company names and restricted words.

Step 3 - How will your company operate? 

Before registering, you will need to decide how your company will be governed. Your company can be governed by replaceable rules, its own constitution, or a combination of both.

Replaceable rules

Replaceable rules are in the Corporations Act and are a basic set of rules for managing your company. If a company doesn't want to have a constitution, they can use the replaceable rules instead. Using replaceable rules means your company does not need a written constitution. This means you don't have the expense of keeping it updated as the law changes.

Constitution

A company can also have a written constitution instead of using replaceable rules. Companies must keep a copy of their constitution with their company's records. See constitution and replaceable rules for more information.

Special rules for sole director/member proprietary companies. If a proprietary company has just one officeholder, they don't need to follow replaceable rules or have a constitution. If another director/member is appointed, then replaceable rules automatically apply to the company. This can be changed to a constitution at a later date.

Share structure

A proprietary company must have no more than 50 non-employee shareholders and be either limited by shares or be an unlimited company that has a share capital. A proprietary company must not conduct any activity that requires disclosure to investors. They may only offer shares to members of the company or employees/subsidiaries of the company.

Step 4 -  Understand your obligations as a company officeholder 

If you're an officeholder of a company, you must follow the requirements in the Corporations Act. This includes meeting your legal obligations, which includes: ensuring company details are kept up to date, maintaining company records and details on the register, paying the appropriate lodgement fees and annual review fees as required. Officeholders are ultimately responsible for a company's adherence to the Corporations Act.

Step 5 -  Get consent from officeholders, members and occupiers 

You must get written consent from the people that will fill these roles:

Director (must be over 18)

Secretary (must be over 18)

Member (every company must have at least one member).

At least one director and secretary of a proprietary company must ordinarily reside in Australia. At least two directors of a public company must ordinarily reside in Australia.

Get the consent of the owner of your registered office address. If your registered office does not belong to the company (Anytime Offices' virtual office), you must get their written permission to use the address. You don't have to send copies of your written consent to us, but you do need to keep these with your records. You must also set up a register to record details of the members of your company.

Step 6 -  Registering your company 

Australian Government Business Registration ServiceYou can register a company using the Australian Government's Business Registration Service (BRS). BRS combines several business and tax registrations in one place, making it even easier to start a business.

Contact a private service provider (PSP). You can choose to register a company through a private service provider (PSP). This could be your accountant, your solicitor, or another business that provides online services with ASIC. They will usually charge a fee for their services above what ASIC would charge.

Once ASIC processed your application, they will:

• Give the company an ACN (which you can use to apply for an ABN)
• Register the company
• Send you a certificate of registration.

They will also send you a corporate key, which is a unique number for your company. You will need your corporate key to create an account online and update your details.

Step 7 - After your company is registered.

After your company is registered, make sure:

• The company's name is on display wherever the company conducts business and is open to the public
• The company's ACN/ABN is displayed on any documents the company publishes
• The company's details are kept up to date.

Virtual offices have become increasingly popular for businesses of all sizes throughout the world due to their many advantages. A virtual office allows you to work remotely without being tied to a physical office space. By doing so, you are able to forgo the physical costs associated with traditional office space in addition to providing an opportunity to increase efficiency and savings when it comes to time, money and resources.

Many virtual offices offer the same features as a traditional office space, such as 24/7 reception services, mail forwarding and cheque deposit, a listed business address and the use of a local telephone number. This is all facilitated through the use of advanced technology,  such as cloud services and VoIP, that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. While technology is one of the founding pillars that virtual offices are built on, it is only the  beginning for what benefits are possible with a virtual office.

One of the biggest advantages of utilising a virtual office is the cost savings associated with it. You will have the ability to save on rent, furnishings, electricity, and many other costs related to maintaining a traditional office. This can be incredibly beneficial for any type of business, including start-ups and small businesses who are looking to reduce overhead costs in order to become profitable.

Another advantage of a virtual office is increased flexibility. With a virtual office, you are not bound by the traditional 9-5 work schedule since you are able to access your work from anywhere in the world at any given time. This provides you with the opportunity to accommodate virtual meetings and brainstorming sessions with remote coworkers, suppliers and customers. In addition, a virtual office space allows you to take advantage of global time differences. You can have time to complete overnight tasks while your colleagues in different time zones continue to work during their daytime hours, thus increasing productivity without having to sacrifice between work-life balance.

Finally, virtual offices offer enhanced customer support. With 24/7 reception services, you are able to provide round-the-clock assistance to customers and suppliers even when the office is closed or you're unavailable. You can have someone answer emails, receive and forward mail, set meetings and provide technical support to gain an edge over your competition by having a team available at any time of the day or night.

In conclusion, virtual offices offer businesses of all sizes more flexibility and lower costs than traditional office spaces. With a virtual office, you can access your work from anywhere at anytime while being fully equipped with the same features and services. With the cloud and VoIP technology facilitating these services and features, you are able to take advantage of cost savings while increasing the speed and efficiency of tasks. The ultimate result of utilising a virtual office is improved customer service and support that will help take your business to the next level.