How to Forward Your Address: Online, In Person, or by Mail

To forward mail with USPS, file a Change of Address online at usps.com/move for a $1.25 identity verification fee, or fill out PS Form 3575 in person at any post office for free. You can submit the request as early as 90 days before your move or as late as 30 days after, and First-Class Mail forwards for 12 months once it starts.¹ Setting it up takes about five minutes. Setting it up early is what keeps bills, tax documents, and insurance notices from falling into a gap between addresses.

Pick Permanent or Temporary

USPS offers two forwarding types, and the choice affects how long your mail follows you. A permanent change of address is what most movers need. It forwards First-Class Mail for 12 months and periodicals for 60 days.²

A temporary change of address fits a semester away, a seasonal stay, or a long visit. It runs anywhere from 15 days up to one year, then stops automatically and reverts mail to the original address.³ If you aren’t sure which one applies, permanent is the safer choice because you can cancel it early.

Who the Request Covers

When you file, USPS asks you to pick Individual, Family, or Business.³ An Individual request forwards mail addressed to one person. A Family request covers everyone at the address who shares the same last name, so you don’t have to file separately for each household member. Anyone with a different last name needs their own Individual request.

A Business request covers mail addressed to the company. If you file for a business, you have to do it in person at the post office, and you’ll need documentation showing you’re authorized to act for the company. USPS accepts a notarized letter, a power of attorney, or a letter on company letterhead signed by someone in a leadership role.³

What to Have Ready

Gather this before you start so you don’t stall halfway through:

Full names of everyone the request covers.
Old and new addresses, including apartment, suite, or unit numbers.
The date you want forwarding to begin (90 days before to 30 days after your move).¹
An email address for confirmations and reminders.
For online filing, a credit or debit card whose billing address matches either your old or new address.¹
For in-person filing, a valid government-issued photo ID.

The Three Ways to File

Online

Filing online at usps.com/move is the fastest option.¹ Pick your move type, enter your addresses, choose a start date, and pay the $1.25 identity verification charge.³ That fee is for authentication only, not for the forwarding itself. If the online verification fails, USPS emails instructions for finishing an in-person identity check at a participating post office.

In person

Go to any post office and fill out PS Form 3575, the Change of Address Order. Hand it to a postal worker with your photo ID. There’s no fee.⁴ This is also the required route for a business move or a move outside the country.

By mail

You can fill out PS Form 3575, attach a copy of your photo ID, and mail it in. This is the slowest option and worth using only if you can’t reach a post office or file online. Expect additional processing time beyond the standard window.

When Forwarding Actually Starts

Forwarding can begin within three business days of your request, but USPS recommends allowing up to two weeks for it to work reliably.³ Filing well ahead of your move date is the best way to avoid a delivery gap.

Two pieces of mail confirm the request. About five business days before your start date, a Customer Notification Letter lands at your new address with a 16-digit confirmation code.¹ Save that code. You’ll need it to make any changes later, and USPS options for recovering a lost code are limited. Separately, a Move Validation Letter goes to your old address so anyone still living there can flag a request they didn’t make.³

What Gets Forwarded and What Doesn’t

Not every piece of mail follows you. Knowing the categories saves you from wondering where something went.

First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage packages are forwarded for free.³
Magazines and newsletters are forwarded for 60 days under a permanent change of address.²
Media Mail is forwarded, but you pay the shipping from your local post office to your new address.³
USPS Marketing Mail (most advertising flyers, coupon packs, and catalogs) is not forwarded unless the sender paid for it, and gets discarded.²

First-Class forwarding lasts 12 months. After that, the carrier stops redirecting. Treat forwarding as a safety net, not a permanent fix, and update your address directly with banks, insurers, the DMV, and anyone else who sends important mail.

Moving Outside the United States

You cannot file an international change of address online. Visit a post office in person and complete identity verification before you leave the country.³ Once you’re abroad, there’s no way to finish the identity step, and USPS won’t process the request. First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage items forward to international addresses for free; Media Mail forwards at your cost; Marketing Mail doesn’t forward.

Extending Beyond 12 Months

If 12 months isn’t enough, you can buy an extension that keeps First-Class Mail forwarding active longer:⁵

6 additional months: $24.50
12 additional months: $36.50
18 additional months: $48.50

You can add extended forwarding when you first file or later by editing your request. USPS emails a reminder when you have one month left on the standard period.³ Once you pay for extended forwarding, you can’t cancel it or get a refund.

Premium Forwarding Service

Standard forwarding sends each piece as it arrives, so mail trickles in. Premium Forwarding Service Residential (PFS-R) bundles all your mail into a single Priority Mail shipment sent weekly.² It fits people who split time between two homes or want everything in one batch during a temporary stay.

PFS-R carries fees on top of the free forwarding baseline:

Enrollment fee: $26.40 online or $28.70 at the post office (non-refundable).
Weekly fee: $29.70 per week of service.⁶

Minimum enrollment is two weeks; maximum is one year, with a new request required after that.⁷ At roughly $30 a week, it adds up quickly and makes the most sense for shorter stays.

Changing or Canceling the Request

To modify or cancel forwarding online, go to managemymove.usps.com and enter your new ZIP code with the 16-digit confirmation code from your Customer Notification Letter.¹ From there you can adjust the end date or stop forwarding entirely. If you filed in person, take your photo ID and confirmation code to any post office to make changes.

Update Senders Directly

USPS shares your updated information through a database called NCOALink, which licensed mailers use to refresh their lists.⁸ Some senders pick up your new address automatically, but plenty never check the database and others check only periodically. Don’t rely on it for anything that matters. Manually update your bank, credit card companies, health insurance, employer, the IRS (using Form 8822), the DMV, and any subscription services as soon as you know your new address.

Once forwarding ends, USPS returns mail still going to your old address to the sender for six months, with a label showing your new address, and after that returns stop and the mail is treated as undeliverable.³⁹ That gives you 18 months from your move date to get every sender updated on your own.

1
FAQ | USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
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USPS. Mail Forwarding Options
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USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
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USPS.com. What Does PS Form 3575 Mail Forwarding Change of Address Order Look Like
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FAQ | USPS. Extended Mail Forwarding
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USPS. Premium Forwarding Services
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FAQ | USPS. Premium Forwarding Services
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PostalPro. NCOALink
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USPS. DMM Revision – Extended Mail Forwarding Service