Mail forwarding moves correspondence to a destination you choose. Confirm recipient authorization, address format and handling instructions before relying on it for important notices.
Confirm the authorized recipients
Your mail goes to a separate USPS-registered mailbox you authorize with USPS Form 1583 and the required identification process. Make sure the names and businesses receiving mail match the accepted authorization and update changed information.
Use the correct mailbox designation
Follow the provider’s mailbox address format exactly, including any required number designation. Do not present a mailbox as an apartment or a home. Ask senders to update their records and verify delivery with a non-sensitive test letter if needed.
Choose what happens to each item
Check the actual plan for scanning, storage, forwarding, handling fees and any restricted items. A scan is not always a substitute for an original document. Arrange physical forwarding for items that require the original and allow for destination delivery and customs rules.
Plan for notices and service changes
Review incoming mail promptly because tax and legal deadlines may continue running while you travel. Before closing a mailbox, confirm the provider’s remailing process and update important senders, because USPS forwarding from a mailbox service follows special rules.
Know what forwarding does not establish
Mail service does not determine domicile, tax residence or a bank’s residential-address acceptance. Use the address troubleshooting guide when an institution rejects an address, and confirm current service details in your account or with support.
Sources and next steps
- USPS PS Form 1583 and identification instructions
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual: commercial mail receiving agencies
Source review: September 17, 2026. Service support can help organize documents; tax and legal classifications depend on the applicable rules and your facts.