How to Administer a Group Mailbox

One person can file the P.O. Box application, while other members of a household can be listed on it.

If you and members of your household would like to get a P.O. Box, you all will need to be listed on the application for the mailbox provided by the U.S. Postal Service. One person can serve as the main administrator, but all people listed on the application form will have access to the mailbox and can pick up the mail. You will need several forms of identification.

Instructions

1. Visit your local post office and ask a staffer for "PS Form 1093."

2. Fill out all the required information on this application. For example, you will need to list your full name and the names of anyone who will be sharing access to the mailbox. If you plan on being the sole administrator of the mailbox, you will list your name only. Keep in mind that a completed application requires two forms of valid ID for each person listed on the application. One of those forms must be a photo ID.

3. File your application and pay the post office box fee. The USPS will inform you of the location of your post office box. You will visit the post office where your box is located to pick up your keys or secret combination code.

Tips & Warnings

• The USPS lists these forms of photo IDs as acceptable: a "valid driver's license or state non-driver's identification card," an "armed forces, government, university, or recognized corporate identification card," and a "passport, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization."

• The USPS lists these non-photo IDs as acceptable: a "current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust," a "voter or vehicle registration card" and a "home or vehicle insurance policy."

• The USPS warns that "Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates are not acceptable IDs."

References

• USPS: PO Box Services