Mail forwarding

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Post offices and other mail service providers typically offer a mail forwarding service, commonly known as

First Class Mail, it is generally for a period of one year. British Royal Mail
provides a service called Mail Redirection, enabling redirection for up to two years. Customers of such a service usually, but not exclusively, use mail forwarding when they change an address.

The mail forwarding service offered by

postal authorities
should be distinguished from private mail forwarding services. Private mail forwarding services tend to offer additional services that might not be provided by governmental services, such as mail scanning services, online mailbox management and various domestic and international delivery options.

Private mail forwarders were also used before the Universal Postal Union standardized the way international mail was delivered and paid for, for example to send mail via a third country.[1]

Regulations

Malta

MaltaPost provides a redirection of mail service, ranging from a move of a few days to a permanent move, including overseas.[2] Redirection is made for a period of up to one year for individuals, NGOs and non-profit organizations, or up to three years for businesses and other entities.[3]

United Kingdom

Since 1 October 2007, borough councils in London are empowered to require local private mail forwarding services to register with them, under the London Local Authority Act 2007, section 75.[4][5] Registered services must obtain evidence of identity from their customers and retain copies of those documents. They also have to keep records of the customer's name and address/registered office and addresses to which mail is sent. It is a criminal offence for a person to fail to comply with section 75, to provide false information when making an application, or to make false entries in records.

Companies operating in the UK outside London are required either to be licensed by

which?
]

United States

United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent federal agency that provides postal services, such as mail forwarding, to the public.[6][7] When using a private forwarder to forward mail, USPS form 1583 is required.

Private mail forwarding services are also offered by private forwarding companies, who often offer features like the ability to see your mail online via a virtual mailbox. Virtual mailboxes usually have options to get your mail scanned, discard junk mail and forward mail to your current address. Private forwarding companies usually have a monthly service fee and shipping fees for shipping the mail. When new users apply for the service, the company will assign them an address where they can receive their US mail and packages. This type of service is mostly used by people moving outside the US, such as expatriates, long term travelers or retirees and international shoppers who wish to shop online for US products. Since many online retailers do not ship overseas, and border restrictions affect the delivery of their packages to their designated countries, people living outside the US need a US address to get products delivered to a local address, from which they can ship to themselves[

USPS. Several companies e.g. MyUS, Forwardme.com, Splice Packages, Global Shopaholics, and Shipito
, among others, allow customers to consolidate multiple packages into one.

See also

References

  1. ^ Beam, Christopher (5 January 2007). "How international mail works". Slate.
  2. ^ "Redirection of Mail...With MaltaPost". MaltaPost. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Redirection of Postal Articles Terms & Conditions". MaltaPost. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ^ "HMRC Licenced Virtual Office". i-support-business.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Mail Forwarding". postscanmail.com.
  6. ^ "The history of the United States Postal Service". United States Postal Service. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. ^ "A Customer's Guide to Mailing". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.

External links