c/o Address
By Stephan HolzbachPublished Updated
A c/o address (care of) is a delivery instruction in which post is addressed to a person or company that can be reached at the address of another person or company. The c/o tells the carrier with whom the post is to be left.
Explanation
The abbreviation c/o comes from English and means 'in the care of'. In practice it is used when the recipient does not have their own letterbox at the address but can be reached via a third party. In business dealings, c/o addressing is common for virtual office users: post is addressed to 'Company XY, c/o Postservice.at, Seitenstettengasse 5/37, 1010 Vienna'. The service provider receives the post and forwards it to the recipient. At Postservice.at, the c/o address is capable of receiving service of documents, because delivery is ensured by mail being received on weekdays.
Why does this matter?
c/o addressing enables several companies to be reachable at the same physical address. For virtual office users it is the usual form of addressing and is accepted by authorities, courts and business partners.
Relation to Postservice.at
At Postservice.at, you can receive your post with c/o addressing. The post is reliably assigned to your company and processed Monday to Friday. In the commercial register and imprint, the address can be stated without the c/o addition.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to state c/o in the commercial register?
No, only the address itself is entered in the commercial register (Seitenstettengasse 5/37, 1010 Vienna). The c/o addition is a delivery instruction for the carrier and is not part of the official company address.
Is a c/o address capable of receiving service of documents?
Yes. At Postservice.at the c/o address is capable of receiving service of documents: mail is received in person at the address on weekdays, and you can be reached there.
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