By: David William
Many people have had their mailing addresses changed without their knowledge. In a recent report by KPIX, a news station in Kansas City, we uncovered an alarming trend: mailing addresses were changed without permission. According to KPIX’s research, the Postal Inspection Service (PIS) received more than 17k complaints of fraudulent address changes within the past year and that the USPS has received 46,058 inquiries about the validity of change of address orders since January 2016.
Form 3575
If you’re moving and don’t want to send your mail to your old address, you can use the USPS’s Form 3575 to update your address online. You must complete the form as it asks for the new address and name, and you must mark each individual as a separate person in the first paragraph. If you’re moving with a partner, you’ll need to use two forms.
A Change of Address request can be permanent or temporary, and it can be completed online or at a Post Office near you. However, you can no longer print a PS Form 3575 from your home computer. When filling out the online form, you’ll need to provide your credit card or debit card information, as online services will use the information you provide to validate your identity. Otherwise, you can fill out the physical Form 3575 at a Post Office near you.
Online application
If you wish to reroute your mail to a new address, you can submit a Change of Address request with the USPS. A change of address request can either be for 15 days or for a year. You can choose between two methods of forwarding mail: online or at your local Post Office. If you are using an online application, you must pay an identity validation fee of $1.10, or choose to submit a copy of your proof of identity, such as a credit card.
A death certificate is not considered a legal authorization. Otherwise, mail may be forwarded to the general delivery address. The Postmaster of some small towns may hand forward from a general delivery address. You can edit the information about the change of address online by entering the new ZIP code, verifying the confirmation code, and filling out the various fields. You will then be able to view your mail right away, or you can wait for your new address to be processed.
In-person
You can make a change of address at a USPS branch in person by filling out an online form or by visiting a post office in person. Both options require a one-time $1.05 fee. Changing your address online takes less than five minutes, but you’ll need to drive to a post office and wait in line to see a teller. If you’re moving during the COVID-19 outbreak, changing your address in person can be tricky.
Changing your address can also be helpful if you are not sure when you’ll return. Some people move out of state for an extended period of time, and others just need a temporary change of address. For example, college students or seasonal employees may be out of town for a year or more and don’t want their mail to appear empty. In this situation, a change of address can make sure that the mail arrives at their new place even if they don’t plan to stay long.
Premium forwarding service
The USPS recommends that you use a Premium forwarding service when you need to make a change of address. Although this service costs a few dollars more than temporary forwarding, it can hold your mail for up to a year. If you’re not going to be home for at least two weeks, you should simply put your mail on hold for that time. Otherwise, the service will be useless.
Premium forwarding service for USPS change of addresses is an experimental two-year-old service that allows residential delivery customers to forward mail in an easier and more personalized manner. This service allows residential customers to receive reshipped mail using Priority Mail every week, and can be extended up to a year. For those who need to make a change of address for business purposes, the Premium Forwarding Service Commercial can help. It collects mail from multiple addresses and forwards it to your new address in one package. The only difference between this service and the CAO is that the Premium Forwarding Service Commercial requires an annual subscription fee.
