You cannot add someone to a PO Box online. USPS lets you apply for a new box through its website, but adding an authorized user to an existing box requires both you and the new person to go to the Post Office in person, with valid ID for each of you. The process is quick once your paperwork is in order, and there is no fee beyond a possible charge for a duplicate key.
What to Bring to the Post Office
Both the primary box holder and the person being added need two forms of valid, current identification. One has to include a photo. The other has to be traceable to the bearer’s physical address.
Acceptable photo IDs include:
- Valid driver’s license or state non-driver identification card
- U.S. Armed Forces, government, university, or recognized corporate employee ID
- Passport, passport card, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization
- NEXUS card or Matricula Consular card
Acceptable non-photo IDs include:
- Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
- Voter or vehicle registration card
- Home or vehicle insurance policy
Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates are not accepted.
You will also need a completed PS Form 1093, “Application for Post Office Box Service.” Download it from the USPS website or pick one up at the counter. Write the new person’s name in the section for other authorized users. Everyone who will receive or pick up mail through the box must appear on the form.
What Happens at the Counter
Go to the specific Post Office where your PO Box is located. Both people need to be there at the same time. Hand the completed PS Form 1093 and all the IDs to the clerk, who will verify each person’s identity against the documents. Once the IDs check out, the clerk updates the box records and the new person is officially authorized. It usually takes only a few minutes.
Getting a Key for the New User
An authorized user can pick up mail, but they need a way to open the box. USPS typically issues two keys when you first rent one. If you still have the spare, hand it over. If you need another, ask the clerk during your visit. USPS charges for duplicate keys, and the cost varies by location.
What an Authorized User Can and Cannot Do
Being listed on the box gives someone access to the mail inside, not ownership of the account. The primary box holder, meaning the person who originally signed the PS Form 1093, keeps control. Only the primary holder can pay renewal fees, close the box, or change the service.
Change-of-address rules make this concrete. For a standard paid PO Box, only the primary box customer can file a change-of-address order. If an authorized user moves and wants their mail redirected, the primary holder handles the forwarding. The authorized user cannot file their own change-of-address order for mail at that box.
Adding a Child
USPS allows minors to receive PO Box service unless a parent or guardian submits a written objection to the postmaster. You can list a child on your PS Form 1093 so they can receive mail. Minors are the one exception to the two-ID rule: the Domestic Mail Manual requires identification from “all applicants listed on the application…except for minors.”
Removing Someone Later
To take a person off the box, go back to the same Post Office and submit an updated PS Form 1093 without their name. Because the primary holder controls the account, the person being removed does not have to be present or consent. If they still have a key, changing the lock is the safer move; ask the clerk about a lock replacement during the visit, which carries an additional fee.