An address can be perfectly valid for receiving mail and quite unsuitable for receiving customers. Choose the registered office against three separate uses: legal evidence, mail handling, and the activity you actually carry out. A domiciliation contract does not permit you to store goods, cook, manufacture or put up a sign at the provider’s premises.
The checks to make
- Describe how the place will really be used, not how it is described.
- Check the lease, the co-ownership rules and the permits.
- Choose between home, premises, or a properly declared provider.
- Use the contract model the law prescribes.
- Organise how mail is received and handed over, within known timeframes.
- Align the address across every instrument and document.
- Anticipate the cost and the procedure for transferring it later.
1. Compare the options available
The best registered office is not always the future point of sale.
| Option | Suitable where | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Premises actually operated | there are customers, stock or production | the lease, the permitted use and the permits |
| Domiciliation | the address is administrative, with no operation on site | the contract, the mail, the provider’s standing |
| A personal address | the activity is compatible and the evidence is accepted | the lease, co-ownership rules and privacy |
2. Read the contract before signing it
The Regional Investment Centre notes that domiciliation falls under Law 89-17 and follows a regulated contract model.
- Identify the parties and the premises concerned.
- Check the term and the renewal conditions.
- List what is agreed on mail, notification and retention.
- Define the price, any deposit and the services included.
- Provide for termination and for notifying the relevant authorities.
- Review each party’s obligations separately.
Ask for evidence that the provider meets the conditions that apply to it; a low price does not correct an address that is legally fragile.
3. Test the address against your activity
Before signing, ask the sector authority what the place actually has to permit.
| Use | The question to ask |
|---|---|
| Selling to the public | are access, safety and signage permitted? |
| Storage | what about insurance, security and neighbours? |
| Kitchen or workshop | what hygiene, nuisance and permit conditions apply? |
| Selling online | how are returns, mail, storage and data protection handled? |
Then fix the same address in the articles, the formation platform, the bank, the contracts, the invoices and the software.
Having no premises does not mean having no address
Every formation needs an address and evidence to match. Domiciliation settles the registered office; it never replaces the premises the activity itself requires.
4. Plan for life after filing
Transferring the registered office brings decisions, documents and updates across several bodies. Compare the cost over twelve months, not on the first payment alone.
- Mail: who is responsible and within what time it is handed over
- Visits: what the address actually permits
- Invoice: the identity and address once validated
- Exit: return of documents and the transfer procedure
Where the office and the shop differ, document the applicable establishments and addresses with your professional adviser.
Mistakes to avoid
- Signing before checking the permitted use.
- Confusing the registered office with the point of sale.
- Failing to follow up official mail.
- Using several different addresses across documents.
- Overlooking the cost of transferring the office later.
Frequently asked questions
Is domiciliation legal?
Yes, within Law 89-17 and the contract that applies to it.
Can I work at the provider’s premises?
Only where the contract, the premises and the activity expressly allow it; an address alone confers no such right.
Can I use my home?
It depends on the legal form, the evidence accepted, the lease and the activity; check before filing.
Should the registered office appear on invoices?
Use the professional identity and address once validated with your accountant.
How should mail be handled?
Set the frequency, the notification method, the authorised person and proof of handover.
What to take away
Treat the address as legal and operating infrastructure at once. Check the use, the contract, the mail and the cost of leaving before copying it everywhere.
Sources
The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.
- Casablanca-Settat RIC, What is domiciliation?, read 30 August 2026
- Casablanca-Settat RIC, Domiciliation guide under Law 89-17
- DirectEntreprise, official platform, read 30 August 2026
- OMPIC, Creation and business life, read 30 August 2026
Keep your commercial identity consistent
Once validated, carry the same address into customer records, invoices and sales documents. BelloPOS helps centralise that data; it does not validate the registered office.
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