LLP Form 12 — declaring another address for service of documents, step by step

LLP Form 12 at a glance

Who has to file LLP Form 12

• An LLP whose registered office is not where post is reliably received — a residential address, or a virtual office.
• An LLP that wants statutory notices routed to an operating office or to its professional adviser.
• An LLP required to nominate a service address for practical reasons while keeping its registered office unchanged.
• Not for changing the registered office itself — use Form 15 for that.

When it is due

Where to find it on the MCA portal

The exact path on MCA V3, in order:

Before you start

Every one of these has to be true before the form will go through. Checking them first is what saves a cancelled SRN.

• Consent of all the partners, taken under Rule 16(2), with the date recorded — it starts the 29-day clock.
• Proof of the other address, and a no-objection certificate from its owner where the LLP does not own the premises.
• The filer must be a registered Business User with a DSC associated against their DPIN.
• The LLP must hold a valid, approved LLPIN.

How to file LLP Form 12, step by step

1. Take and date the partners' consent

   Rule 16(2) requires the consent of all the partners to the nomination of the other address. Record the date precisely — MCA's fee rules measure the filing window as T plus 29 days from that date, which is one day shorter than the 30 days most LLP forms allow.

2. Log in and navigate to the form

   Sign in, then MCA Services → E-Filing → LLP Forms Download, go to the Address related filings heading, and open Form for intimating other address for service of documents.

3. Enter the LLPIN

   The LLP name and registered office pre-fill and cannot be edited.

4. Enter the other address

   Give the complete address at which documents are to be served, with PIN code, and the jurisdiction of the police station for that address. Both are needed, and the police jurisdiction field is the one most often left empty.

5. Give the date of partners' consent

   Enter the date the consent was taken under Rule 16(2). This is what the 29 days runs from.

6. Attach the supporting documents

   Proof of the other address, the owner's no-objection certificate where the premises are not the LLP's own, and the partners' consent. PDF or JPG, 2 MB maximum each.

7. Submit, sign and pay

   Submit generates the SRN. Upload the DSC-signed PDF within 15 days and pay within 7 days of that upload, or due date plus 2 days, whichever is earlier.

8. Expect it to show up in your next Form 11

   Once Form 12 is on record, fields 3(d) and 3(e) of the annual return — the other address and its police jurisdiction — become applicable and will appear in Form 11. If they come up blank there, they have to be filled manually.

Documents to attach

Mandatory

• Proof of the address being nominated for service of documents.
• Consent of all the partners under Rule 16(2).

Optional

• No-objection certificate from the owner of the premises.
• Rent or lease agreement for the nominated address.

File limits: PDF or JPG only, maximum 2 MB per file.

Government fee for LLP Form 12

The normal fee depends on the total contribution of the LLP, under the LLP Rules, 2009.

Late filing fee

Event-based ladder: standard multipliers up to 360 days, then a flat 25 times the normal fee for a small LLP and 50 times for any other LLP, with no per-day component.

Why LLP Form 12 gets rejected

These are the failures that actually stop filings, in rough order of how often they come up.

Filed after the 29-day window

MCA's fee rules set this form's window at T plus 29 days from the partners' consent — a day shorter than the usual 30. Do not assume 30.

Police station jurisdiction left blank

Required for the nominated address, and commonly missed.

Consent of all partners not obtained

Rule 16(2) requires all the partners to consent, not a majority.

Address proof missing or not matching

The address in the form must match the proof exactly.

Filed when Form 15 was meant

Form 12 adds a service address. It does not move the registered office.

LLP Form 12 — frequently asked questions

What is LLP Form 12 for?

It declares an address other than the registered office at which documents may be served on the LLP, under section 13(2) of the LLP Act. The registered office stays exactly where it is.

What is the deadline for filing Form 12?

MCA's fee rules set the window as 29 days from the date the partners' consent was taken under Rule 16(2) — one day shorter than the 30-day window most LLP event forms use.

How is Form 12 different from Form 15?

Form 15 changes the LLP's registered office address on the register. Form 12 leaves the registered office alone and simply nominates an additional address where documents can be served.

Do all partners have to consent?

Yes. Rule 16(2) requires the consent of all the partners.

Will the other address appear in my annual return?

Yes. Once Form 12 has been filed, fields 3(d) and 3(e) of Form 11 — the other address and its police station jurisdiction — become applicable for that LLP.

Can I use my accountant's office as the service address?

Yes, provided all partners consent and you have the address proof and the owner's no-objection certificate. This is a common reason for filing Form 12.

Checked against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs instruction kit for this web form and the Limited Liability Partnership Rules, 2009. MCA changes its forms and fees from time to time — confirm the current position on mca.gov.in before you file.