You can forward someone else’s mail through USPS, but only if you can document legal authority to act on that person’s behalf, and you have to file the request in person at a post office rather than online. A completed PS Form 3575, your own photo ID, and proof of your authority are the three things the clerk will want to see. Filing a change of address for someone without that authority is a federal crime, so this is worth doing carefully.
Who Can Legally Redirect Another Person’s Mail
USPS treats mail as private correspondence and will only process a third-party change of address when you can show a documented right to act for the recipient. Four kinds of authority satisfy that requirement.
Power of Attorney
A power of attorney works if the document is broad enough to cover postal matters or specifically names mail handling among your duties.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address A narrow POA limited to something like real estate transactions likely won’t satisfy the clerk. If you’re having a POA drafted with this purpose in mind, ask the attorney to include language about managing postal correspondence.
Guardianship or Conservatorship
When someone has been legally declared incompetent, a court-appointed guardian or conservator can direct their mail, and USPS follows whatever the court order says. If more than one person claims authority over the same recipient’s mail, the court order controls.2Postal Explorer. Domestic Mail Manual – 508 Recipient Services Bring the actual court order, not a lawyer’s letter about it.
Written Consent from a Competent Adult
If the person is mentally competent but simply can’t get to the post office, they can sign a written consent authorizing you to act for them. This is common for elderly parents, deployed service members, and people recovering from surgery. The consent should identify both people, state what you’re authorized to do, and ideally be notarized. A notarized letter carries more weight at the counter than a handwritten note.
Executor or Administrator of an Estate
If the recipient has died, the executor or administrator can forward the deceased’s mail, but USPS requires proof of appointment. A death certificate on its own is not enough.3USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased You’ll need letters testamentary or letters of administration from the probate court. Executors are frequently turned away for showing up with only the death certificate.
What to Bring and How to File
Third-party changes of address cannot be submitted online. You must file in person so postal staff can verify your identity and review your paperwork.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address There is no fee for an in-person change of address; the $1.25 identity verification charge only applies to online submissions people make for their own mail.4USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
Bring the following to the post office:
- Completed PS Form 3575 (available at the post office or in the free Mover’s Guide packet)
- Your own valid photo ID
- Your proof of authority: the POA, court order, letters testamentary, or notarized consent letter
To complete the form you’ll need the recipient’s full legal name, the complete old address including any unit number, the complete new address, the date forwarding should start, and a description of your relationship and the legal basis for your authority. Double-check ZIP codes and unit numbers before you go. A transposed digit can send mail into limbo.
Hand the form, ID, and authorization documents to the retail associate. Expect questions, particularly if your authority document is anything other than a straightforward court order. Postal employees face personal liability for processing fraudulent changes, so patience at the counter is warranted.
What Happens After You File
Forwarding may begin within three business days, but USPS recommends allowing up to two weeks for the change to fully take effect.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address During that window some mail may still arrive at the old address.
USPS also sends a Move Validation Letter to the old address as a fraud check. Anyone at that address can dispute the order online at managemymove.usps.com using a 13-digit key printed on the letter.4USPS. Change of Address – The Basics If you’re managing mail for someone in a nursing home or hospital, tell whoever is receiving mail at the old address to expect this letter and to treat it as legitimate.
What Gets Forwarded and for How Long
Standard forwarding is not comprehensive. A permanent change of address forwards First-Class Mail for 12 months and periodicals such as magazines and newspapers for 60 days.5USPS. Mail Forwarding Options That covers most of what matters: bills, bank statements, tax documents, and personal correspondence.
USPS Marketing Mail and Package Services Mail are generally not forwarded under either a permanent or temporary change.5USPS. Mail Forwarding Options Catalogs, flyers, and certain bulk-rate packages will stop arriving rather than follow the recipient. If the person receives important items shipped through lower-cost package services, contact those senders directly.
After 12 months, unforwarded First-Class Mail is returned to the sender with the new address printed on it, which prompts senders to update their records but also means the recipient stops receiving that mail. If a year isn’t enough, USPS offers Extended Mail Forwarding in additional 6, 12, or 18-month blocks (18 months is the maximum extension):6USPS. Extended Mail Forwarding
- 6 months: $24.50
- 12 months: $36.50
- 18 months: $48.50
You can start with a shorter extension and add more 6-month blocks at $24.50 each so long as the total extension stays within 18 months.6USPS. Extended Mail Forwarding Extended forwarding applies to First-Class Mail and certain package services; periodicals don’t continue beyond the initial 60 days.
Premium Forwarding Service for Broader Coverage
If the recipient needs everything forwarded, not just First-Class items, Premium Forwarding Service Residential bundles all their mail at the local post office and ships it weekly via Priority Mail, including First-Class Mail, periodicals, and marketing notices.7USPS. Premium Forwarding Services
The service is expensive. Enrollment is $26.40 online or $28.70 at the post office, and the weekly fee is $29.70 regardless of how much mail actually ships that week.7USPS. Premium Forwarding Services At roughly $120 a month, PFS is really for temporary situations where missing anything would be costly, such as a parent spending several months in a rehabilitation facility.
Forwarding Mail for a Deceased Person
USPS lets an appointed executor forward a single piece of mail without visiting a post office, but redirecting all of a deceased person’s mail requires an in-person visit with letters testamentary or letters of administration.3USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased Again, a death certificate alone won’t do. If probate hasn’t been opened yet, you’ll need to wait until the court issues the appointment letters.
Once forwarding is active, use the 12-month window to work through every sender and update records. Financial institutions, insurers, and government agencies each have their own documentation requirements. Forwarding buys time; it isn’t a substitute for closing out the accounts.
The Criminal Risk of Getting This Wrong
Redirecting someone else’s mail without authorization is a federal crime, not a paperwork infraction. Taking mail addressed to another person with intent to pry into their affairs, or stealing or fraudulently obtaining someone’s mail, each carries up to five years in federal prison.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1702 – Obstruction of Correspondence9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1708 – Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally Knowingly delaying or obstructing the mail is punishable by up to six months.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1701 – Obstruction of Mails Generally
A fraudulent change of address is more serious still. Because the form itself travels through the postal system, it can be charged as mail fraud, which carries up to 20 years in prison.11U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fraud Offenses – Mail, Wire, Bank and Health Care Prosecutors take these cases seriously, particularly when a fraudulent address change is part of an identity theft scheme.
Canceling Forwarding When Authority Ends
If forwarding is no longer needed, you can cancel online at managemymove.usps.com using the confirmation code from the original request, or in person at a post office. A new address change requires a fresh request; you can’t modify the existing one.
If your authority ends, whether because a power of attorney is revoked, a guardianship is terminated, or an estate closes, cancel the forwarding promptly. Continuing to redirect someone’s mail after your authority has expired puts you back in the same criminal territory as filing a change of address you were never authorized to file in the first place.