Post Office Change Of Address

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Change of Address

A Change of Address (COA) is a request for the United States Postal Service (USPS) to send your mail (including packages and letters) of all individuals (or selected individuals) at the specified postal address.

How to Change Your Address

A request for a Change of Address (COA) can be short-term or long-term. You can request and fill out either option online or by getting a PS Form 3575 from your local Post OfficeTM and filling it out there. You can no longer print the PS Form 3575 from your home computer.

How Does A Change Of Address Cost?

There is a $1.10 fee for proving your identity when you ask for a COA online. When you enter your credit card or debit card number and billing address, we can electronically check with the bank that issued your card to ensure that the card information is correct. If you don’t want to use a credit card, you can get PS Form 3575 from the Post Office and fill it out.

Warning: Some third-party websites will charge you $40 or more to submit your Change of Address. The Postal Service has nothing to do with the companies that run these sites. This means that the Postal Service can’t help you or give you a refund for anything you did on a site that isn’t USPS. If you file a COA on a site other than the USPS and something goes wrong, you will need to contact the bank that gave you the credit card. Use USPS.com for all Change of Address tasks to make sure you get the best service.

How to Get Started:

Two weeks before moving or changing addresses

You can speed up and simplify the process of changing your address by telling everyone who sends you mail your new address and the date you are moving two weeks before you move. Most bills and statements have a place for you to write down your new address.

Options for filing a Change of Address

Requirements/Options

How to File
File Change of Address Online
  • $1.10 identity validation fee required
  • Eligible Credit/Debit Cards (no prepaid or gift cards):
    • MasterCard
    • Visa
    • Discover
    • American Express
  • Email address required
  • Military addresses are eligible
    • If you are moving from a military address, your email address must end in “.gov” or “.mil”
 Fill out online form at https://moversguide.usps.com/
File Change of Address at the Post Office
  • No fee required
  • International addresses (moving TO an international address) are eligible by using the Mover’s Guide only; International COA cannot be completed online
  • Pick up a Mover’s Guide at your local Post Office and follow all instructions

Note: The start date on the requested COA can be up to 30 days in the past, or up to 90 days in the future, from the current date.

What is the Online Mover’s Guide?

The Change of Address Order (PS Form 3575), instructions on how to fill out the form, and coupons for discounts on moving services are all included in the Mover’s Guide®. If you choose to fill out your COA request online, Mover’s Guide® Online gives you coupons and special offers to help you move or get settled in your new home. You can print the offers right away or have them sent to your phone as a text message.

Safety Online

The USPS cares a lot about the safety of its customers’ personal information. We use a number of methods to make it less likely that customer information will get out of our system and to stop fake Change of Address (COA) requests.

  • Secure Server – Technology for Encryption.
  • Address verification for credit and debit cards.
  • A customer can use a “third” address to verify a Change of Address through the online Change of Address application. For this option to work, the move date must be at least 7 days away so that the Move Validation Letter can be sent to the old address.

COA Request for a Person, a Family, or a Business

The person who sends in this Change of Address (COA) form says that he or she is the person, executor, guardian, authorized officer, or agent of the person whose mail will be forwarded because of this order. Sections 2, 1001, 1702, and 1708 of Title 18, United States Code, say that anyone who gives false or wrong information on this form could be fined, put in jail, or both.

Change Of Address

Situation Individual Family Business
One person only is changing their address Select Individual Move N/A N/A
Multiple persons with different last names One for each person changing their address N/A N/A
Some members of family changing their address, others not One for each person changing their address N/A N/A
Entire family, all have same last name Select Individual if filing separate requests for each person moving Select Family Move N/A
One or more individuals with same last name changing their address, but moving to different addresses

One for each person changing their address

 N/A N/A
Entire business changing its address N/A N/A

One COA covers entire company
Entire business changing its address; however, mail is received in different names N/A N/A

Complete a separate COA for the primary Business Names (do not file COAs for an individual or a business entity or other organization associated with the business)
Business moving to a residence N/A N/A Select Business Move
Individual(s) or family moving to a foreign country
  • Not allowed online
  • Go to your local Post Office
Individual/family moving from a business address
  • Not allowed
  • A Change of Address may not be filed with the USPS for an individual’s mail addressed to an organization, or to the individual at his or her place of employment, business, or other affiliation either during or after the termination of the employment, business, or other relationship.  The organization may change the address (but not the name) on mail to redirect it to such individuals. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the business to forward an individual’s mail.
Individual/family moving from residence to business Select Individual if filing separate requests for each person moving Select Family Move if everyone moving has the same last name N/A
Individual/family/business COA from a CMRA (Commercial Mail Receiving Agency) address
  • Not allowed. You may not file a COA from a CMRA
  • The CMRA (not the United States Postal Service®) is solely responsible for forwarding mail intended for individuals after the agency / recipient relationship has terminated
  • CMRAs that do forward the mail are required to put new postage on the mail
  • A CMRA must accept and re-send mail to former customers for at least 6 months after termination of the agency relationship
  • After the 6-month period, the CMRA may refuse mail addressed to a former customer
Individual/family/business COA to a CMRA (Commercial Mail Receiving Agency) address You may file a COA request to a CMRA
Individual/family/business new address is a PO Box Check individual, family, or business depending on Move Type

Proof of Change of Address

After you schedule a Change of Address (COA), the USPS will send a Move Validation Letter (MVL) right away to the address you are leaving to prove that you have moved.

MVL Image of an envelope
MVL Letter image

You will also get a Customer Notification Letter (CNL) or a Welcome Kit in the mail at your new address 5 postal business days before the COA starts. Your confirmation code is on the CNL and in the Welcome Kit (which is displayed in the area of Confirmation Code:) Keep the Code handy so you can easily change or cancel your COA order. If you want to change or cancel your COA order and don’t have the Code, you’ll have to go to a Post Office.

If you changed your address online (COA), you will get the MVL and CNL listed above. You will also get an email with the Confirmation Code that says “Change of Address Confirmation.” Again, keep the Code in case you need to make changes or cancel it in the future.

*Due to privacy and security concerns, USPS does not send duplicate COA confirmation letters unless there are special or unusual circumstances. In that case, you’ll have to pay a fee of $60.00.

People who use Informed Delivery®

Did you get an email saying that you can’t use the Informed Delivery service(s) for a little while? This happened because a Change of Address form for your online account was found. This was done for security reasons. Click here to find out more about how to get these services back up and running.

Next Step of USPS Change of Address Request

The USPS stops sending mail to your old address on the date you choose for your Change of Address (COA). You can expect mail to start coming to your new address 7–10 Postal business days after the COA starts.

Time limits for temporary COA forwarding: The shortest time for temporary forwarding is 15 days. Temporary COAs, also called “seasonal forwarding,” allow mail to be sent to a temporary address for up to 364 days, beginning on the date listed. When the end date you put on your COA request comes, mail will no longer be sent to another address.

Permanent COA forwarding time limits: Depending on the mail class, mail sent to your old address will be sent to your new address for a certain amount of time (see chart below). Here are the time limits for forwarding certain types of mail.

Mail Class Forwarded for…
First-Class Mail® / First-Class Package Service-Commercial™ / Priority Mail® service (bills, invoices, personal correspondence, reply mail) 12 months
Priority Mail Express® service (merchandise, printed material) 12 months
Periodicals (magazines, newsletters) 60 days
USPS Marketing Mail® (advertisements, catalogs, retail offers) Only forwarded IF the mailer specifies forwarding instructions
USPS Retail Ground®  12 months (Forwarded only to domestic addresses)
Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter, and Media Mail® 12 months (Forwarded only to domestic addresses)

If You Don’t File a Change of Address

If you move without filling out a Change of Address (COA) form, your mail carrier will pick up the mail that has piled up and leave you a note saying that your mail is at the local Post Office and you can pick it up there. Your local Post Office will automatically hold your mail for up to 10 calendar days if it gets too much. After that, most mail is sent back to the person who sent it. Mail that can’t be forwarded or sent back to the sender is thrown away.

Can USPS Send My Mail to a Hospital?

You can file a Change of Address (COA) to have your mail sent to a hospital, but you can’t get your mail sent from a hospital back to your home. To start getting your mail at home again, just cancel the order to send it to the hospital.

How Do I File a Certificate of Address for a Foreign Address?

  • You can’t change your address online if you live in another country.
  • If you are moving to an international address outside of the United States, you will need to fill out the same Change of Address (COA) form PS Form 3575 that you would for a domestic move at your Local Post OfficeTM.
  • If you forget to send in a COA before moving to an international address, you can explain the situation in a letter to both your old Post Office in the U.S. and the Post Office that now serves your new international address. Tell them how and where you want your mail to be sent. The letter should also include as many details as possible that are asked for on the PS Form 3575 (Change of Address Form).

Please keep in mind that if you are moving from another country to the United States, you will need to contact the postal administration in the other country.

Change of Address for a Household with More Than One Person

  • If some people in your household with the same last name are moving with you but others are staying, you need to use the “individual” option on a Change of Address (COA) form for each person moving.
  • If some people in your household are moving with you but others are staying, you need to fill out a separate COA form for each person moving and choose “individual” as the type of move.
  • If everyone in your family has the same last name and you are all moving to the same address, you only need to fill out one COA form and check the “family” box.

Do You still not know where your COA falls? Look at this list.

What About Requests for a Change of Address That Are Less Common?

Change of Address requests are handled by the USPS based on the circumstances. Here are some less common and/or unusual COA types and how to handle them:

  • People Who Have Died
    • Anyone who would normally get mail at the address of the deceased person can get mail that was meant for the deceased person.
    • If a request is made at the Post OfficeTM, mail can also be sent to a different address, such as that of a person named executor or administrator.
    • To stop mail from being sent to a deceased person or to receive mail on behalf of a deceased person, the local Post Office of the deceased must be given legal permission (such as Executor) in person or by mail, along with a Change of Address (COA) form.
    • A death certificate is not enough to give you legal permission.
  • General Delivery
    • Use a PS Form 3575 or the Internet Change of Address to move mail to or from a general delivery address. Local forwarding procedures may vary. In some small towns, the Postmaster may forward mail from General Delivery.

Change of Address Requests Can Be Changed, Canceled, or Disputed.

To change or cancel your Change of Address (COA) online, you need to know your new ZIP Code and have the Confirmation Code you got when you placed the COA order.

  • Go to https://managemymove.usps.com/.
  • Enter your new ZIP Code and the Confirmation Code in the fields that ask for them.
  • Click Submit.
  • You can now change or cancel the information in the different Change of Address fields.

If you lose your Confirmation Code, you can talk to a Postal Clerk at a Post Office about making changes to your COA order.
Note: You won’t be able to make more than two (two) changes in a single day, and one of them can be related to the street address line. After you’ve made two changes, you’ll get an error message saying: “You have already made as many changes as you can in a single day. Please try again in two days’ time.”

* You may still cancel your Change of Address (COA) order even if you have exceeded 2 allowable changes.

Need more information? Find out about Change of Address and Forwarding of Military Mail, the difference between Premium Forwarding and COA handling, and USPS Hold Mail – The Basics: What will happen to your hold mail if you move?

To Argue Against a Change-of-Address Order

  1. Go to https://managemymove.usps.com/.
  2. Under Get Started – Choose – Did you get a confirmation of a change of address, but you’re not moving? File a dispute online
  3. What is a Dispute on a Change-of-Address Order?
    1. If you are not moving but received an Official USPS Change-of-Address Validation Letter, file a dispute to flag the order for investigation. USPS Support will be told to look into the problem and figure out what to do next.
  4. Where to find your Change-of-Address Key?
    1. On the front of the Official USPS Change-of-Address Validation Letter, you can find this key. In the picture below, the key is circled in yellow.
  5. What ZIP Code™ do I enter?
    1. Enter the ZIP CodeTM that is on the Official USPS Change-of-Address Validation Letter.

Request for Change for New Construction

Before submitting a Change of Address, customers must call their local Post Office to set up delivery to a new building.