You can open a PO Box for someone else in the practical sense that matters, but not by putting the box in their name while you handle everything. USPS rents the box to you under your own name using PS Form 1093, and you list the other person on the application as an authorized recipient. That person then has to visit the Post Office in person and show their own identification before their mail can be delivered to the box or picked up from it.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 508
Adding Another Adult to Your PO Box
PS Form 1093, the “Application for Post Office Box Service,” is the only form involved. The back of the form has space for two separate lists: everyone whose mail can be delivered to the box, and everyone authorized to pick mail up from it. The lists don’t have to match. You might want a sibling’s mail delivered to your box without handing over a key, or you might want a friend to be able to collect your mail without receiving any of their own there.2United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service
If the box already exists, you don’t start over. You update PS Form 1093 with the new person’s information, and the same ID rules apply. Any change to who receives or picks up mail is your responsibility to record with the Post Office.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 508
There is no workaround for the in-person ID step. If the person you want to add can’t come to the Post Office, USPS can’t verify them, and their mail can be refused or returned. Spouses can share a single application, but both still have to present their own identification.2United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service
What Identification Each Person Needs
Each adult listed for personal use has to show two forms of current, valid ID. One must be a photo ID, and one must be traceable to a physical address.2United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service For business accounts, each person listed must be prepared to show ID on request.
Photo IDs USPS accepts:
- Driver’s license or state ID card, current and valid
- Government or military ID, including university and recognized corporate employee IDs
- Passport or passport card, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization
- NEXUS or Matricula Consular card
Documents accepted as the second, address-traceable ID:
- Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
- Voter or vehicle registration card
- Home or vehicle insurance policy
Three documents people commonly bring get rejected: Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates. USPS does not accept any of them for PO Box purposes.3United States Postal Service. PO Box Help Utility bills are also not on the accepted list, even though many people assume they qualify as proof of address.
Adding a Minor
Minors don’t have to show ID to receive mail at a parent or guardian’s PO Box. If you want a child’s mail delivered to your box, just list the child’s name on the back of PS Form 1093 and handle the application yourself.2United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service
Minors can also have their own PO Box. USPS provides service to anyone under 18 unless a parent or guardian submits a written objection to the postmaster. A minor doesn’t need a parent to initiate the application, but they can’t apply online and have to go into the Post Office.1United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 508
PS Form 1583 Is a Different Form
If you’ve been reading about PS Form 1583, that form doesn’t apply to a USPS PO Box. PS Form 1583 authorizes a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, such as a UPS Store, private mailbox service, or virtual mailbox provider, to accept mail on your behalf. For an actual Post Office Box at USPS, PS Form 1093 is the only form involved, and the rules, fees, and ID requirements are set by USPS rather than a private operator.
What Happens to Mail for Someone Not on the Form
Only mail addressed to people listed on your PS Form 1093 will be placed in the box. If a letter arrives for a name that isn’t on the application, the Post Office can refuse it or return it to sender. That’s the trap when you’re setting up a box for a relative or roommate: renting the box is the easy half, and it doesn’t do the other person any good unless they’re listed on the form and verified in person.
Applying and Picking Up Keys
You can start at usps.com by reserving a box and paying with a credit or debit card. Most Post Offices offer five box sizes, extra small through extra large, with 3, 6, or 12-month terms. Not every location carries every size, so check availability at the specific Post Office before committing.4USPS. PO Boxes
Online reservation doesn’t skip the counter. Whether you apply online or on paper, you still have to visit the Post Office to activate the box and pick up your keys or lock combination. Bring the completed PS Form 1093 and two forms of ID for every adult listed on it. The box activates once verification is complete.2United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service
If you reserve online and never come in, you have 30 days before USPS closes the reservation and refunds the payment automatically.5USPS. USPS Terms and Conditions The same 30-day window applies to the other person you’re adding: their access starts only after they’ve been in with their own ID.