Q&A for How to Forward Mail

If you get mail sent to the wrong address and you know the correct address for the recipient, cross out the old address and write the correct one on the envelope. Put the mail back in the box for your mail delivery person. If you get mail addressed to someone else and you don’t know the correct address, or if the mail was delivered to a different address from the one written on the envelope, contact the postal service or put the mail back in the box with a note for your postal delivery person.

In the U.S., it’s against the law to destroy or get rid of mail that’s not addressed to you. Instead of throwing it away, write a note for your mail carrier on the envelope (such as “return to sender” or “no longer at this address”) and put it back in your mailbox.

Fill out a Change of Address form with your post office so that they will know to forward mail to your new address. This usually only works for a few months, so you’ll also need to update your address with people and organizations that contact you regularly by mail.

USPS forwards mail (for free) on a daily basis only. Space limitations make it hard for them to store mail continuously.

In the US, first-class (regular business and personal) mail (including Express Mail) and second-class mail (periodicals) are forwardable. This includes all registered and certified mail and also includes parcels sent by first-class mail. Forward orders typically expire after one year.

Yes, you can forward all first- and second-class mail to a post office box. Simply notify the Postal Service in writing when and where you're moving.

It will. If you file the change of address with the USPS, all classes of mail will be forwarded.

Yes. All first-class mail will be forwarded as long as the forward order remains in effect (in the U.S. typically for one year).

If you have no idea when you'd want the forwarding to stop, you'll have to treat the move as permanent, then cancel the order when you want to have delivery resumed at the old address.

Submit a regular forward order. Then when the time comes you can either cancel the order or submit another forward order from the new address to the old. (Cancelling might be less confusing.)

Yes.

Let your present and past post office know about the problem. They should be able to figure out what's happening.

No. Put the contents in a new envelope with an explanation of what happened, and put the forwarding address and fresh postage on the envelope.

Check with your local post office (your previous post office if possible). Your magazines and newspapers are supposed to be forwarded for the first 60 days after your move.

No. Standard mail is not forwardable. You could re-mail the contents with fresh postage if you like, although standard mail is not usually very important (except to the mailer).

Standard mail is forwardable if you pay a special fee at the time you file the change-of-address. Check for details at your local post office.

At any post office you can fill out, sign and file a change-of-address form in your brother's name. (That will work unless someone else files a conflicting change-of-address form.)

If you mean that two people moved to different places, yes, you can file two separate (individual) forward notices at the same time.

Yes. It's important to do that. Otherwise the mail might come right back to you. Make sure that at least part of the barcode is completely unreadable.

Yes. If a proper forwarding notice is on file, priority, Express and first-class mail (even second-class mail for a limited time) will be forwarded.