For a temporary move, submit a temporary USPS Change of Address when you want eligible mail sent from your permanent address to another U.S. address for at least 15 days and up to one year.
Use USPS Hold Mail instead when you will be away for 3 to 30 days and want mail kept at the Post Office.
Consider Premium Forwarding Service when you want eligible mail consolidated and shipped on a regular schedule for a fee.
No option forwards every item from every carrier. Choose the service based on trip length, destination, mail sensitivity, packages, and how quickly you need access.
Choose temporary Change of Address when:
- You will live at another U.S. address for 15 days to one year.
- You want eligible mail forwarded as it moves through USPS.
- You can tolerate added delivery time.
- The temporary address can securely receive mail.
Choose USPS Hold Mail when:
- You will be away for 3 to 30 days.
- You prefer mail held at the servicing Post Office.
- You will collect it or have it delivered at the end of the hold.
Choose Premium Forwarding Service Residential when:
- You want eligible mail consolidated and sent to you on a recurring basis.
- You accept enrollment, weekly, postage, and service fees.
- You need the current service terms verified before enrollment.
Choose a virtual mailbox when:
- You need remote envelope review and user-directed scans or forwarding.
- You need carrier acceptance or mail actions beyond standard USPS forwarding.
- You have verified the provider, address, identity, privacy, and item rules.
Table of Contents
What is temporary mail forwarding?
Temporary forwarding is a USPS Change of Address request with a defined end date.
It tells USPS to route eligible mail from the old address to the temporary address during the selected period.
The old address remains the place you intend to return to.
A temporary request does not update sender records, create residency at the destination, or change legal, tax, voting, licensing, or banking addresses.
How long can temporary forwarding last?
USPS states that a temporary Change of Address can generally be used for at least 15 days and up to one year.
Enter a realistic end date and modify or cancel the request if plans change.
For an absence shorter than 15 days, Hold Mail may fit better. For a longer move or no planned return, a permanent Change of Address plus direct sender updates may be more appropriate.
How to submit a temporary Change of Address
1. Start with USPS
Use the official USPS Movers Guide or visit a Post Office. Avoid third-party sites that imitate USPS or charge unnecessary fees.
2. Choose temporary
Select the temporary option and enter both the start and end dates.
3. Choose individual, family, or business
- Individual: one person is moving, or people with the same last name are going to different places.
- Family: everyone sharing the same last name is moving from the same address to the same temporary address.
- Business: mail addressed to an organization is moving under an authorized request.
Separate requests may be needed for different last names or business names.
4. Enter exact addresses
Include correct unit, apartment, suite, PMB, or box information. Confirm that the temporary destination accepts your mail and packages.
5. Complete identity verification
Follow the official online or in-person process. Save the confirmation code securely.
6. Select a start date with lead time
USPS advises allowing up to about two weeks for forwarding to fully take effect. Mail already in transit may still reach the permanent address.
7. Confirm the request
Watch for USPS validation or confirmation notices and report a request you did not authorize.
Temporary forwarding checklist
Place the existing setup card after the submission steps and use this copy:
- Official USPS request submitted.
- Correct request type selected.
- Start and end dates confirmed.
- Every last name or business name covered.
- Unit designators verified.
- Confirmation code saved.
- Permanent and temporary mailboxes secured.
- Critical senders updated directly.
- Carrier package accounts reviewed.
- End-of-stay plan scheduled.
The card should not state that forwarding is immediate or complete.
What mail is forwarded?
Treatment depends on mail class, sender endorsement, service, and the request:
- First-Class Mail is commonly forwarded during the applicable period.
- Priority Mail and eligible USPS packages may be forwarded.
- Periodicals have different forwarding treatment and timing.
- USPS Marketing Mail generally is not forwarded unless the mailer uses an eligible endorsement.
- Mail marked with sender instructions may be returned or handled according to that instruction.
- Some government, financial, identity, or restricted mail may follow sender-specific rules.
- UPS, FedEx, DHL, local couriers, and retailer delivery networks do not use the USPS request as a universal address change.
Check the current USPS forwarding page and contact the sender for critical items.
Why forwarding can be delayed
Forwarding adds a processing and transportation step. Delays can occur because:
- The request is still activating.
- The item entered the network before the start date.
- The name does not match the request.
- A unit or mailbox identifier is missing.
- The mail class or sender endorsement limits forwarding.
- The temporary address needs correction.
- Weather, volume, or transportation affects the route.
- The item is carried outside USPS.
Do not use forwarded delivery for a deadline-sensitive original when the sender can update the address directly.
USPS Hold Mail for short trips
USPS Hold Mail generally retains eligible mail for an address for 3 to 30 days. At the end, USPS can deliver the accumulated mail subject to capacity, or the customer can collect it according to Post Office procedures.
Hold Mail applies to the address, not just one person. Coordinate with everyone receiving mail there. Use the official USPS Hold Mail page, and secure the account with multi-factor authentication.
Hold Mail may be better when:
- The trip is short.
- The permanent mailbox would overflow.
- The temporary destination is unreliable.
- You do not need mail while away.
- Consolidated end-of-hold delivery is manageable.
Premium Forwarding Service Residential
Premium Forwarding Service Residential is a paid option that can consolidate eligible mail and ship it from the primary address to the temporary address on a recurring schedule. Enrollment, weekly, postage, and service conditions apply and can change.
Verify:
- Current price.
- Minimum and maximum duration.
- Which mail and packages are included.
- Schedule and holiday effects.
- Handling of oversized or special items.
- Destination eligibility.
- Cancellation and refund rules.
Use the current USPS Premium Forwarding page rather than a cached price.
Choose the right temporary mail option
Place the comparison card here:
Temporary Change of Address:
Eligible mail is redirected item by item; 15 days to one year; normal forwarding delays.
Hold Mail:
Eligible mail stays at the servicing Post Office; 3 to 30 days; no remote delivery during the hold.
Premium Forwarding:
Eligible mail is consolidated and shipped on a recurring basis; paid service; current terms apply.
Virtual mailbox:
Mail is received at a separate commercial location; remote actions depend on provider plan; not a USPS forwarding product.
Buttons should lead to the official USPS pages or the provider’s clearly labeled service terms.
Packages from USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and retailers
A temporary USPS request does not reliably update packages already ordered or shipped. Before travel:
- Change saved shipping addresses.
- Update subscriptions and preorders.
- Review digital wallets and express checkout.
- Pause recurring shipments.
- Enable official carrier notifications.
- Use holds or vacation settings where available.
- Confirm whether the temporary address accepts private carriers.
- Check apartment, hotel, campground, campus, and mailbox rules.
For an in-transit shipment, contact the merchant first. The shipper may need to authorize a carrier change.
International temporary moves
USPS provides special instructions for moving outside the United States and may require an in-person request. International forwarding is limited, and private-carrier, customs, destination-country, and prohibited-item rules apply.
For critical mail:
- Switch to secure electronic delivery when available.
- Update the sender directly.
- Use an authorized U.S. recipient where lawful.
- Consider a verified mail-receiving service with international forwarding.
- Review customs declarations, duties, taxes, and restricted items.
- Do not forward medicines, IDs, financial instruments, or hazardous items without confirming legality and carrier rules.
Forwarding to a hotel, RV park, campus, or short-term rental
Before using the address, ask:
- Does the property accept USPS mail?
- Does it accept UPS, FedEx, and DHL?
- Is a guest or site number required?
- Must the name match a reservation?
- How long is mail held?
- Are identification and pickup fees required?
- What happens after checkout?
- Are packages refused because of size or storage limits?
A temporary address is useful only if the recipient can securely retrieve the item.
Temporary forwarding for a business
A business should identify:
- Who is authorized to submit the request.
- Which business names and departments receive mail.
- How checks, legal notices, tax mail, cards, and customer returns are handled.
- Whether the temporary location permits business mail.
- How invoices and sender records are updated.
- How delivery and chain of custody are documented.
- Who monitors the old address during activation.
- How the request ends without disrupting operations.
Do not use ordinary forwarding as a substitute for a registered agent or required physical office.
Remote mail access
Keep the PostScan Mail location finder after the USPS alternatives and business section.
Need a separate receiving address with remote mail actions? Compare location, carrier acceptance, content-scan security, forwarding destinations, storage, pickup, recipient limits, and total fees. A virtual mailbox is separate from USPS temporary forwarding and does not update sender records.
Every location card should disclose service limitations and prohibited items.
Update critical senders directly
Forwarding is a backup. Directly update:
- Banks and card issuers.
- Employer and benefit plans.
- Health and insurance providers.
- Tax and government agencies where appropriate.
- Schools and professional bodies.
- Courts, lawyers, and active case contacts.
- Subscription and ecommerce accounts.
- Friends, family, clients, and vendors.
If the change is truly temporary, ask whether the sender can use a temporary correspondence address without changing legal residence or account eligibility.
How to modify or cancel the request
Use the confirmation code and official USPS management flow. Verify the revised start date, end date, names, old address, and temporary destination.
If the code is lost, follow USPS recovery instructions or visit a Post Office with the required identification. Avoid duplicate overlapping requests unless USPS directs you to submit one.
End-of-stay checklist
- Set or confirm the forwarding end date.
- Stop shipments to the temporary address.
- Update subscriptions and saved checkout addresses.
- Collect held items.
- Ask the temporary property about late arrivals.
- Confirm the permanent mailbox is secure and accessible.
- Review USPS and carrier notifications.
- Update critical senders again if needed.
- Close or redirect the virtual mailbox only after all expected mail arrives.
- Keep confirmation and case records until the transition is complete.
Security and scam prevention
- Use USPS.com and official carrier apps.
- Enable multi-factor authentication.
- Do not share the Change of Address confirmation code.
- Treat unexpected validation notices as possible unauthorized activity.
- Avoid links in unsolicited redelivery texts.
- Do not post a travel address or tracking number publicly.
- Limit who can view scanned mail.
- Use secure destruction for unneeded sensitive documents.
- Report suspected mail theft through official channels.
