Post office ID requirements come down to a simple split: most counter services need one current, government-issued photo ID, while a few services also need a second document that proves your physical street address. Which category your errand falls into decides whether you can walk in with just a driver’s license or need to bring paperwork with you.
One ID or Two: Match the Document to the Service
A single primary photo ID is enough for picking up a held package or held mail, buying a money order, sending or receiving certified, registered, or insured mail, collect on delivery transactions, and Priority Mail Express. Submitting a change-of-address request also takes one photo ID.1Federal Register. Forms of Identification
You’ll need both a primary photo ID and a secondary address-verification document for:
- Renting a PO Box
- Using a commercial mail receiving agency (the UPS Store, virtual mailbox services, and similar)
- Premium Forwarding Service
- Caller Service, which is business mail pickup
What Counts as a Primary Photo ID
Your primary ID has to be current and carry a clear photograph. The Postal Service accepts a wide list of government-issued documents:2United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 608 – Section 10.3 Acceptable Primary Forms of Photo Identification
- Driver’s license or non-driver ID card from any U.S. state, territory, or federally recognized tribal government
- U.S. passport or passport card, or a foreign passport
- Permanent resident card (green card) or other USCIS-issued ID
- Certificate of citizenship or naturalization
- Military and federal employee IDs, including the Department of Defense Common Access Card, Uniformed Services ID, tribal identification cards, and federal PIV or USAccess cards
- Matricula Consular issued by a Mexican consulate
- NEXUS card showing an identification number
Two additional photo IDs work for some services but not all. A corporate employee ID from a U.S. corporation in good standing, and a photo ID from a U.S. public or private university, are accepted for many retail services and for PO Box applications. They are not accepted for a commercial mail receiving agency application, which requires a government-issued photo ID.2United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 608 – Section 10.3 Acceptable Primary Forms of Photo Identification
Physical documents only. A mobile driver’s license or other digital wallet version of an ID is not accepted at the counter.
What Counts as Proof of Address
When a service calls for a second document, its job is to tie you to a physical home address. You can use any qualifying primary photo ID that already shows your address, such as a driver’s license with your current address on it. Otherwise, bring one of these:3United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 608 – Section 10.4 Acceptable Secondary Forms of Identification
- A current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
- A voter registration card or vehicle registration card
- A home insurance policy or vehicle insurance policy
- Form I-94 (Arrival and Departure Record)
The address on your secondary document has to match the address on your application, and it has to be a physical street address. A PO Box address will not satisfy the requirement.
Utility Bills No Longer Work
This is the change that surprises the most people. The Postal Service removed utility bills from its list of acceptable secondary identification because they cannot be reliably traced back to the person presenting them. Show up with only a power bill and you will be turned away.4United States Postal Service. Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates
Bank statements and credit card statements are not accepted either. If your name is not on a lease or mortgage, your realistic options are a vehicle registration, a voter registration card, or an insurance policy.
Documents the Post Office Will Not Accept
A few documents people commonly carry do not clear the bar:5United States Postal Service. PO Box Help
- Social Security card. No photograph, no address.
- Birth certificate. It proves who you were at birth, not who you are now.
- Credit cards. Issued privately and easy to obtain in another name.
Extra Rules for PO Boxes
You can start a PO Box application online at usps.com/poboxes, but you still have to appear at the post office in person with both forms of ID before you get keys or a combination. Every adult listed on the box must present their own identification. Parents or guardians can list minors without separate ID for them.6United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – How To Apply for a PO Box
PO Box applications take the widest range of photo IDs, including corporate and university IDs, which makes a PO Box a workable option for someone without a government-issued photo ID.
Extra Rules for Commercial Mailboxes (Form 1583)
Using a commercial mail receiving agency instead of a PO Box means completing PS Form 1583, “Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent.” The form asks for your full legal name, your physical home address, and the identification numbers from both your primary photo ID and your secondary address ID.7United States Postal Service. PS Form 1583 – Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent
The ID rules here are stricter than for a PO Box. Your primary ID must be government-issued, so corporate and university IDs will not work. The secondary document must show a physical street address matching what you entered on the form.
You do not visit a post office for Form 1583. You either sign it in person at the commercial agency, where an employee verifies your two IDs and witnesses the signature, or you have it notarized by a notary public commissioned in a U.S. state or territory. The form’s language permits the signature to be confirmed in real-time audio and video, so remote online notarization is available through several online notary platforms.7United States Postal Service. PS Form 1583 – Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent
Money Orders Above $3,000
Buying a single money order takes a photo ID like other counter services. Once your same-day money order purchases reach $3,000 or more, the clerk must also complete PS Form 8105-A (Funds Transaction Report), which records your photo, name, and address. The requirement comes from federal anti-money-laundering rules, and the clerk cannot waive it.