Yes – since 1 January 2021, anyone filing a new UK trademark application from outside the UK, Gibraltar, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man must appoint a UK address for service. Before Brexit, an address anywhere in the European Economic Area was accepted; that option no longer exists for new applications.
The rule shift wasn’t a minor procedural tweak – it followed a formal UKIPO consultation in which 92% of respondents supported requiring a UK-specific address, and it applies regardless of the applicant’s nationality or where their business is based. Overseas businesses that previously relied on an EEA address for older EU trademark rights now need to actively appoint a valid UK address if they want to file anything new or take action on existing rights.
Without a valid UK address for service, UKIPO correspondence – including opposition notices, examination reports, and renewal reminders – can go unreceived or be delayed, and in contentious proceedings this has previously resulted in overseas rights holders losing their case by default. UKIPO has also confirmed that from 1 January 2024, a UK address for service is required specifically when contentious proceedings (invalidation, rectification, revocation) are filed against comparable trademarks derived from former EU rights.
Most overseas applicants solve this the same way they solve the equivalent requirement for UK company formation: by using a UK-based address service that receives and forwards official correspondence, avoiding the need for a UK attorney purely to satisfy the address requirement if the applicant is otherwise handling the filing themselves.
Yes, but only using a valid legal reason under Section 8 – since 1 May 2026, Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions have been abolished in England, all tenancies are now periodic, and a tenant can only
Yes – from 15 December 2026, most private landlords in England with assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and their properties on the new PRS Database (branded the ‘Register your rental property’ service), with
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main reforms came into force on 1 May 2026 – the biggest change to England’s private rented sector in decades. It
Yes – there is no residency requirement to register a UK limited company. Directors and shareholders can be based anywhere in the world, and the entire incorporation process can be completed online without visiting the
As of 1 February 2026, the standard Companies House fee to register a UK limited company online is £100, up from £50 following a fee increase to fund Companies House’s expanded powers under the Economic
The core difference is legal separation: a limited company is a distinct legal entity from its owner, with its own finances and limited liability, while a sole trader has no legal separation from the individual