Section 12 – Registered Office of Company (RO requirements, name display, name change)
## Section 12 – Registered Office of Company
### (1) Time limit to have a Registered Office (RO)
Within 30 days of incorporation and at all times thereafter, a company shall have a Registered Office capable of receiving and acknowledging all communications and notices.
### (2) Verification of RO with RoC
Company shall furnish to RoC verification of its RO within 30 days of incorporation.
### (3) Mandatory display, engraving and printing requirements
Every company shall:
Item
Where to display/print
Manner
(a) Name + RO address
Outside every office/place of business
Conspicuous position, legible letters, in the language(s) in general use in that locality
All business letters, billheads, letter papers, notices, official publications
Printed
(d) Name
On hundies, promissory notes, bills of exchange and other prescribed documents
Printed
### Former Name Disclosure
If the name was changed during the last 2 years, the company shall also print/affix the former name(s) wherever the current name is required to be displayed.
Worked example
### Example 1
Example (Time limit): ABC Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated on 1 April 2026. It must have a RO by 30 April 2026 and file verification with RoC by 30 April 2026.
### Example 2
Example (Local language display): A company has an office in a Tamil-speaking locality. Its display must be in legible letters in Tamil (or English along with Tamil), since Tamil is the local language in general use.
### Example 3
Example (Former name): XYZ Ltd. changed its name from 'ABC Ltd.' to 'XYZ Ltd.' on 1 January 2025. On all business letters from 2025 through 2027, it must display both 'XYZ Ltd.' and 'ABC Ltd.' (former name) — since the name change was within the last 2 years.
⚠️ Common exam mistakes
Confusing RO requirements with commencement of business (Section 10A) — they are distinct compliance requirements, though both have 30-day and 180-day timelines respectively.
Forgetting that the RO must be capable of receiving AND acknowledging communications — a mere postal address is insufficient.
Missing the former-name disclosure rule — applies for 2 years from the date of name change.
Forgetting that CIN, phone, email, website must be on all business letters/billheads/notices — not just on the letterhead.
Bare-Act text Section 12 · Companies Act, 2013 · click to expand
Section 12: (1) A company shall, 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. (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 documents as may be prescribed.