Yes, for most Australian companies. A “virtual office” address can be your registered office if it meets the same rules as any other address.
A note on the name: "virtual office" is just the common term. At MailStreet it's an address and mail service. No desk or room is included.
The rules it has to meet
From the Corporations Act 2001 and ASIC’s guidance:
- It must be in Australia (section 142).
- It must be a physical street address. ASIC says a registered office can’t be a PO Box. That rules out any “virtual mailbox” that is really a PO Box or parcel locker.
- The occupier must consent in writing if your company doesn’t occupy the premises, and you must be able to show that consent to ASIC (section 143). When you lodge the address, you state that the occupier has consented.
- Notices must actually reach you. Communications and notices to your company may be addressed to the registered office, and documents can be served there (section 109X). Someone has to receive them and tell you.
ASIC says plainly that a registered office doesn’t have to be an address where your company conducts business.
The exceptions
- Public companies. A public company’s registered office must be open to the public each business day, either 10 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 4 pm, or at least 3 hours it chooses between 9 am and 5 pm (section 145). Many address services can’t offer that. At MailStreet, public companies are by request only: contact us before signing up and we look at each case individually.
- Your principal place of business is a separate question. It’s the main address where your company conducts business. You can use a MailStreet address as your principal place of business. It’s up to you to make sure that’s accurate for your business. More: registered office vs principal place of business.
- Your company registers. Registers such as your members register must be kept at your registered office, your principal place of business, or where the work of maintaining them is done (section 172). We don’t hold your registers, so keep them at your principal place of business or with your accountant, and tell ASIC within 7 days if they’re kept somewhere other than your registered office or principal place of business.
What to check before you sign up
- A real street address, not a PO Box or locker.
- A written consent letter from the occupier, ready before you lodge with ASIC.
- Same-day alerts for official mail, so a notice from ASIC or the ATO doesn’t sit unopened.
- ID checks. Since 1 July 2026, businesses that provide a registered office address are covered by Australia’s anti-money-laundering laws. A provider that skips ID checks is a red flag. See why we verify your ID.
- Honest wording. “Suite” in an address is often just a mailbox reference. At MailStreet it is, and we say so.
How it works with MailStreet
Sign up, pass your ID checks, and your address is released with a signed occupier’s consent letter in your dashboard. Then lodge the change with ASIC within 28 days: here’s how. Your address is in Preston VIC 3072, and it works for companies trading anywhere in Australia.
Details: registered office address, or what a virtual office actually is.