Moving soon? Don’t forget to forward your snail mail! For those who haven’t yet chosen a place to live in their new town or state, renting a PO Box (at least temporarily) in the new locale is your best bet. This will give you a place to forward your mail while you househunt around your new city. Also, for those who travel often or own a home business, PO Boxes are a great alternative to having all that mail pile up inside your personal mailbox. Interested in learning more? Here’s a quick rundown on how to get a PO Box set up when you move.
A PO Box (short for post office box) is a personal mailbox located inside a post office. The box is safe and secure – so you can be sure that no one will steal or tamper with your mail. Many Post Office locations also offer extended business hours and 24-hour access to your mail.
PO Boxes have quite a few advantages over a personal, at-home mailbox. For starters, PO Boxes are especially helpful to those living in areas where it is difficult for mail carrier services to deliver mail. PO Boxes are also a good thing to have if you travel a lot or are out of town often. If privacy and security are your top concerns, then opting for a PO Box will be the best choice for you. That’s because renting a PO Box address will keep your home address private and important documents confidential. Own a home business? Renting a PO Box will also allow you to separate your personal mail from your business mail.
There are only a few possible cons to renting a PO Box. First, using a PO Box for your mail means having to drive (or walk – depending on proximity) to the local post office to pick up your mail. If you consider this a hassle, then perhaps renting a PO Box in your new city isn’t the best option. Second, if your post office doesn’t offer 24-hour service or extended business hours, you won’t be able to pick up your mail at all hours of the day. Third, renting a PO Box costs money. So if you’re on a tight budget, opting for a PO Box probably isn’t the best decision.
If you’re moving to a new city, you probably have a long list of things to do before the big relocation. Thankfully, applying for PO Box in your new home is a cinch. You can apply either online or in person at a Post Office.
Here are the steps to reserving your PO Box online:
To reserve your PO Box in person:
PO Boxes come in five different sizes:
According to USPS, when you arrive at your local Post Office, you’re going to need one photo ID and one non-photo ID. All identification must be current, contain sufficient information to prove that you are who you say you are, and they must all be traceable to you.
Acceptable forms of photo ID include: a current driver’s license or state ID card; a military, government, university or recognized corporate ID; a passport, alien registration card or certificate of naturalization.
Acceptable forms of non-photo IDs include: a current lease, mortgage or deed of trust; a voter or vehicle registration card; and a home or vehicle insurance policy.
What won’t work: Forms of ID that are unacceptable include Social Security cards, credit cards and birth certificates.
The cost of renting a PO Box depends on the size of the box you wish to rent, the length of time you wish to rent the box and your specific Post Office location. You can see the different prices for your Post Office location online. For reference, to rent an extra small PO Box for one year could cost around $108. A small box could cost $150 to rent for a year. A medium box could cost $250 a year. Renting a large PO Box for a year could cost upwards of $450. A 12 month rental for an extra large box could end up costing you somewhere in the $700 ballpark. I should also note that all reservation and renewal fees can be paid online with a credit card.
To find the right moving company to handle your next move, check Moving.com’s extensive network of reputable and reliable movers. All relocation companies in our network are licensed and insured, so you can rest assured that your move will be in good hands. Good luck and happy moving!
If anyone knows how to move, it’s Marian White. The South Carolina native spent the last decade living and working in Washington, DC, New York City, Boston and Palm Beach. With every move, she mastered the art of folding bankers boxes, repurposing bubble wrap and unabashedly asking for directions. Before writing for Moving.com, Marian authored “Moving to Palm Beach County: The Un-Tourist Guide,” a relocation guide for moving to the Palm Beaches. Marian has an M.A. in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College and a B.A. from Furman University.View all posts by Marian White
