A virtual office gives your company an address, someone to receive the post and access to meeting rooms, without renting a workspace of your own. It is common among startups, consultants and remote companies, and many use it simply to get a business address in Stockholm. Here we go through what a virtual office is, what is usually included, what it costs, which rules apply to your company's address and when it is time to move into a real office.
Short answer: A virtual office is a service where you rent a business address with mail handling and can book meeting rooms when needed, but have no workspace of your own. It usually costs from a few hundred to a couple of thousand kronor a month. The address can be registered as a limited company's address with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket), since it is in Sweden. It suits you when you mostly work remotely and need a fixed address, but not when the team needs to meet regularly.
What is a virtual office?
A virtual office is a business address at a serviced office or coworking operator, often with add-on services. You work somewhere else, for example at home, but the company has an address that appears on its website, invoices and in the registers, and post is received there.
What is usually included or available as an add-on:
- Business address. An address you may use as the company's postal and visiting address.
- Mail handling. Post is received at reception. For an extra fee it can be scanned, forwarded or collected.
- Telephone answering. A receptionist answers in the company's name and transfers calls or takes messages.
- Meeting rooms. Meeting rooms can be booked by the hour, sometimes with a number of hours included.
- Occasional desk. Some operators include a few days a month in the open-plan area.
Some operators distinguish between a plain business address and a virtual office, where the latter has more services.
What does a virtual office or a business address in Stockholm cost?
The price depends on location and what is included. A plain business address outside the city centre often costs a few hundred kronor a month, while a virtual office with meeting rooms and telephone answering in central Stockholm can cost a couple of thousand. Helio, for example, charges SEK 1,900 a month excluding VAT for a virtual office in Stockholm. Expect meeting rooms, mail forwarding and scanning to cost extra, and compare what is actually included before you compare prices.
Can a virtual office be registered as the company's address?
Yes. A limited company's address is registered with Bolagsverket, and the change is easiest to make at verksamt.se. What matters:
- The address must be in Sweden. Since 17 August 2020, Bolagsverket no longer accepts a foreign address for a limited company. The aim is that the company should be easy to reach for customers, creditors, courts and authorities. A virtual office is a common way for companies with owners abroad to get a Swedish address.
- Use c/o. If the company uses the operator's address, give it as a c/o address, for example "Company AB c/o The Operator", so that post reaches you.
- Post must get through. Authorities send post to the registered address. The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) no longer uses a separate tax address and sends post to the company's registered postal address or digital mailbox. Make sure someone reads the post, or set up a digital mailbox so you do not miss anything from the authorities.
- Address and registered office are not the same thing. The registered office (säte) is the municipality where the board has its seat, as stated in the articles of association. It does not change when you change address. The company name, the corporate identity number and the municipality where the board has its seat must always appear on invoices, letters, email and the website. So if the address is in a different municipality from the registered office, the address alone is not enough: the registered office is stated separately, for example "Registered office: Gothenburg", under Bolagsverket's rules. To move the registered office to the same municipality as the virtual office, the articles of association must be amended.
Advantages of a virtual office
- Low cost. A fraction of what your own premises cost, usually without a long commitment.
- Your home address stays private. You avoid having your residential address on your website, invoices and in public registers.
- A fixed address. The address stays the same even if you move or work from different places.
- Somewhere to meet clients. The meeting rooms give you a place to hold a meeting without renting an office.
- Easy to scale up. Many operators let you move to a desk or a room in the same building.
Disadvantages of a virtual office
- No workspace of your own. You still sit at home or in a café, with what that means for focus and community.
- Hard to build a team. Colleagues who never meet find it harder to work together and learn from each other.
- Add-ons cost money. Meeting rooms, telephone answering and mail handling are often charged per use or per hour, and the total can be higher than expected.
- Delayed post. Post that is scanned or forwarded arrives later, which can be a problem with deadlines from authorities.
- The address says little. Many people know that an address at a serviced office may be a mailing address only.
Virtual office, desk, serviced office or your own office?
| Option | What you get | Suits you when |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual office | Address, post, meeting rooms when needed | You work remotely and need a fixed address |
| Desk or coworking | A place in a shared space, fixed or flexible | One or a few people who want a workspace and community |
| Serviced office | Your own room with services, furnished and ready | A small team that wants its own door without running the premises |
| Your own office | Your own premises with a lease | A growing team that wants to shape the office around itself |
We cover the differences between serviced offices, coworking and your own office in our guide to flexible offices. If you just want a place for yourselves, there is more in the guide to renting a desk or sharing an office.
Who is a virtual office for?
- Startups that want to keep costs down but do not want their home address in the registers.
- Consultants and freelancers who work at clients' premises and mostly need an address and an occasional meeting room.
- Remote companies where everyone works from home but the company needs an address in Sweden.
- Foreign companies establishing themselves in Sweden that need a Swedish address before they know how large an office they need.
When is it time for a real office?
A virtual office is often a good start, but there are a few signs that you have outgrown it:
- You book meeting rooms several times a week. The hours soon cost as much as a desk of your own.
- The team is growing. Once more than two or three of you need to meet regularly, it becomes hard to work well without a shared place.
- You are hiring. New colleagues get up to speed faster when they can sit with the team.
- Clients want to meet you. Your own premises make it easier to receive visitors and show who you are.
- You need storage or equipment. That cannot be solved with a mailing address.
The next step does not have to be a large office of your own. Many first move to a desk or a small room in a serviced office, and then on to their own premises once the team has grown.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual office?
A service where the company rents an address with mail handling and can book meeting rooms, without having a workspace of its own.
What does a virtual office cost?
Usually from a few hundred to a couple of thousand kronor a month, depending on location and what is included. Meeting rooms and mail forwarding often cost extra.
Can a virtual office be registered with Bolagsverket?
Yes. A limited company's address must be in Sweden, and an address at a serviced office or coworking operator works. Give it as a c/o address so that post reaches you.
What is the difference between a business address and a registered office?
The address is where post is sent. The registered office is the municipality where the board has its seat under the articles of association. The registered office must always be stated on invoices, letters and the website, even when the address is in a different municipality.
Is a virtual office the same as a serviced office?
No. In a serviced office you rent a room of your own. A virtual office is usually a service that serviced offices sell to companies that do not sit there.
Can a sole trader have a virtual office?
Yes, many operators also sell business addresses to sole traders (enskild firma). Check with the operator and Skatteverket which address you should register.
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