Select Individual if only one person is moving. Select Family if everyone in the household has the same last name and all members of the family are moving. Select Business if a Business is moving and you are an authorized representative of said Business.

Please select the type of move this is going to be, Are you moving for less than a year (temporary) or more than a year (permanent)

How To Change Your US Postal Service Address Online

The US postal service allows its customers to change their addresses multiple ways. People apply for US Postal Service Change of Address for several reasons. You may be going on a vacation, moving to a different city to pursue a career or business or simply buying property and settling in a different place.

These are common reasons why people shift and whether the change is temporary or permanent, you’ll still expect your mails to reach you. So many important documents are sent through the post office. A lot of critical information is also sent via postal services and missing out on them would have great consequences. Some of these include pending bills, bank statements, court documents and official business communication in case your home address also doubles up as your business address.

In the case of temporary residency, you can decide whether to change your address or maintain the current one. If you want mail to be delivered to your temporary address, then you’ll have to make the necessary changes.

The temporary changes can be for as long as a year or as short as fifteen days. The postal service has both the regular and premium mail forwarding services. You can register for the change online or at your local postal office. You will however be required to produce forms of identification and evidence that you reside at the primary address.

It is important that you notify the USPS in good time about your intention to US Postal Service Change of Address. This is so that they may advice you on how to go about the whole process. You will also get all the necessary information about the different services available and their pricing. In a situation where the change of address is temporary, you’d also want to be advised about the options available for you.

It may help you make an informed decision and choose a service that will serve you effectively. If you wait until the last minute, you may not go about the whole process properly. Notifying them in good time will therefore provide you with an easy transition. The USPS is notified of the intention to change address by filling out form 3575.

If the change of address is permanent, you don’t want your mail to continue being delivered to the old address. That would lead to loss of mail or unnecessary inconveniences. You need to notify the USPS about you intention to move in good time so that you have your particulars changed.

Filling out a change of address form will enable all your first class mails sent to your previous address to be forwarded to the new one. This provision lasts for only up to 12 months upon which any first class mail sent to your old address will automatically be returned to sender. You however have the option of registering for premium mail forwarding services which enables you to have your mails forwarded to your new address for a temporary duration.

The premium mail forwarding service is not a permanent solution but you can get to enjoy a variety of premium services for a period of time. Also the service would make more sense to people with dual residences. Maybe if you have a beach house where you go on vacation, you can use the service until you return to your primary residence. This ensures that you still receive your mails irrespective of which of your residences you are residing in. There are costs that come with this service.

The USPS has a General Delivery mail service that can be used by those who relocate to new cities or towns but still don’t have permanent addresses. This makes it possible for an individual to continue receiving his or her mails as he or she looks to have a permanent address. When people send you mails that have to be delivered using this service, they have to write “General Delivery” after your name. This is then followed by the name of your new city and state, then a nine-digit ZIP code that belongs to the main U.S post office.

A business owner will be required to fill out a separate form for change of address in the event that the business address is being changed due to relocation or change of premises.

There are three options available for changing your address from the old to the new one. A lot of people find it most convenient to submit their change of address requests online. It is the age of technology and so many people find it easier to make the changes via internet as opposed to filling out physical forms.

Online USPS Permanent Change of Address

This is probably the easiest and fastest way to submit your change of address request. You can go online and fill in the request form which is then submitted. A verification fee will be charged to your credit or debit card. This is important because it helps to verify the authenticity of the request by confirming your personal details.

According to the United States Postal Service, this fee is meant to safeguard you against possible fraudsters. It matches the information from the credit card with the data contained in their files about your address. This is simply to confirm that you are personally making the changes and not a thief looking to get a hold of your mails.

Telephone

Change of address requests can also be made via telephone but you’ll still be charged a verification fee. Just like in the online submission, this fee will be charged to your credit or debit card to confirm your personal details. It is also a fairly fast way to submit the request for change of address.

In Person

This is where you present yourself at your local postal office and fill in form 3575. With this mode of submission, you will not be charged any fee. You need to however provide identification documents that confirm the authenticity of the details filled and whether the address is truly yours.

Once the request to change address has been successfully submitted, you’ll receive three forms from the United States Postal Service for the confirmation of the US Postal Service Change of Address. The forms include:

Validation letter: this is a letter sent to your old address validating the changes made. This letter will not be sent out to you in case you have already moved. Letter confirming permanent change of address: this is sent to your new address. You can also see this letter online in your USPS change of address mailbox. Welcome kit: this is also sent to your new address. It contains offers and coupons relevant to your new address.

When these changes are finally effected, your mails may take around seven to ten working days to reach your new address. After that the delivery period reverts to normal.

As you fill the change of address details, it is important to indicate whether the new address that you’ll be using will be on behalf of a business, an individual or family. Also as mentioned before, the request for changes should not be a last minute affair.

It should be done in good time so that you don’t lose your mail or become inconvenienced. The USPS advises that the request for change of address should be made at least seven or ten days before you require the mails to be forwarded to the new address. You should also not fill in the change of address form too early since the first mail forwarding date shouldn’t be beyond the next three months.

There are several important institutions and government agencies that you should inform about the change of address. This is because they operate with information contained in their systems and any changes to be effected must be initiated by you. Some of the institutions and government agencies include:

Banks: banks send a lot of important documents like account statements, credit card statements and new bank guidelines to their customers via postal mail services. Even though some people will argue that this practice is quickly diminishing because of online banking, there are still documents that have to be sent to customers through US Postal service Change of Address services.

Demand notices, offer letters and even change of interest rates notices are supposed to be physically received by customers and as such they must be sent through the post office. In a situation where a bank customer changes his or her address, a form has to be filled in updating the bank of the new changes. The same will then be captured in the system. It is therefore very important that you notify your bank about your change of address.

Internal Revenue Service: tax matters in the United States are very serious. You should inform the IRS about the change in address if you expect tax refunds or any other mail from them. You can write the new address as you fill out the tax return forms so that it is captured in the system.

Social Security Administration: if you receive social security benefits like survivors, security retirement or disability benefits, you can use the “my social security” online portal to update the new address particulars. Those who are enrolled for medicare can also make those changes using the same portal since they fall under the Social Security Administration.

Department of veteran affairs: any veteran who receives the benefits payments or wishes to update mailing information can also contact the department and make the changes.

U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services: non-U.S citizens who change their places of residence must inform the immigration department about the changes.

State Motor Vehicle Agencies: this is necessary for changing your address on the driver’s license or on the registration of your motor vehicle.

State Election Offices: you can contact the state election office so that they capture the address changes on your voter registration record.

Of course changing your mailing address is a contractual agreement that you enter into with the USPS. The privacy act statement basically functions to safeguard the information provided by you to the USPS as you fill in your details. They are supposed to protect this information and not disclose it to a third party unless in situations or to persons stipulated by the act. Again if you withhold important information that may facilitate the smooth change of address, you will be highly inconvenienced. It is therefore necessary for you to furnish the postal office with all the important details without leaving out key information.

Change of Address With The United States (US) Postal Office Online

Once you realize that you’ll be moving, notify the USPS early enough so that the transition from your old address to the new one becomes seamless. Many people lose their mails when changing addresses or receive them late because of not beginning the process in good time.

Imagine the number of things that could go wrong when you lose important mails or receive them way past their usefulness. You could miss out on business deals, have personal information fall into the hands of the wrong person or expose yourself to litigation by missing important deadlines.

Submitting your US Postal Service Change of Address is an easy and straightforward process but it has to be done right. Don’t wait until the last minute to start the process. Ensure that you notify the postal office about the impending changes so that you receive proper guidance. A change of location is always a welcome part of life. It can provide you with a fresh start and give you a new perspective in life. It can however not be very pleasant when you lose or can’t receive your mails.

A lot of information is provided on the USPS website about changing addresses but there are many tips provided here that aren’t available on the site. If you are moving from one town to another within the United States, changing your address should not be something to stress about. The US Postal Service Change of Address process has been streamlined to ensure that it is smooth for everyone.

The different options availed for submitting requests is just one way of catering for the different types of customers. The verification process on the other hand ensures that the process is safe and protected from thieves.