If USPS left a peach-colored PS Form 3849 at your door, the USPS redelivery process gives you three ways to get the item: schedule a free redelivery online at tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm, call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or pick it up yourself at the post office listed on the slip. You’ll need the barcode or tracking number from the form. Act within a few days. The post office holds most items for about 15 days from the first delivery attempt before sending them back to the sender.
How to Schedule Redelivery
The online tool is the fastest option. Newer versions of the PS Form 3849 include a QR code that takes you straight there from your phone. You’ll enter the barcode or tracking number, the delivery address, and the date you want the carrier to try again. There’s a field for special instructions, which is where a gate code or side-entrance note belongs.1USPS. PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice
No internet? Call 1-800-ASK-USPS and follow the automated prompts. The phone system asks for the same information and gives you a confirmation number. Save it.
If you’re already enrolled in Informed Delivery, you can schedule redelivery directly from the digital notification USPS sends about your held mail.2United States Postal Service. Informed Delivery – Mail and Package Notifications
The Same-Day Cutoff and the One-Attempt Rule
To get redelivery on the same day, submit your request by 3:00 AM Eastern Time, Monday through Saturday. Anything after that cutoff moves to the next delivery day.3United States Postal Service. Terms and Conditions of Use for the USPS Redelivery Online Service Interface
The bigger constraint catches people off guard: you only get one redelivery request per mailpiece.4United States Postal Service. Redelivery – The Basics If the carrier comes back and nobody’s home, you can’t reschedule online again. You’ll have to pick the item up at the post office before the hold period runs out.5United States Postal Service. What are the Second and Final Notice and Return Dates for Redelivery
Requesting redelivery also doesn’t reset the 15-day clock. That runs from the first delivery attempt regardless of what you schedule after it.
Signature-Required vs. Ordinary Packages
For ordinary packages without extra services, the carrier automatically tries again the next business day. Only if that second attempt also fails do you get a PS Form 3849, and any further attempts have to be requested.4United States Postal Service. Redelivery – The Basics
Signature-required mail — certified, registered, or insured items that need a signature — gets no automatic second attempt. If nobody signs on the first try, the carrier leaves the slip and takes the item back the same day.4United States Postal Service. Redelivery – The Basics
One thing that doesn’t work: signing the back of the PS Form 3849 and taping it to your door. That does not authorize the carrier to leave accountable mail without you present. Someone has to be there in person when the carrier arrives.1USPS. PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice
Picking Up the Item Yourself
You can skip redelivery and go get the item at the post office listed on your slip. Bring the PS Form 3849 and a current government-issued photo ID. USPS accepts a state driver’s license, U.S. passport or passport card, military ID, permanent resident card, or a tribal identification card. Social Security cards, birth certificates, and credit cards are not accepted, even as backup.6Federal Register. Forms of Identification
Sending Someone Else
Someone else can pick up your mail if they bring written authorization from you and their own valid photo ID. You can write the authorization on the back of the PS Form 3849 or on a plain piece of paper: something like “[Name] has permission to pick up mail for [your name],” signed by you.7United States Postal Service. Picking Up Mail that is Being Held at Your Post Office
Sharing a last name and address is not enough for accountable mail. A spouse or roommate still needs written authorization from you, or a standing delivery order on file at the post office. A standing delivery order acts as permanent authorization until you revoke it, which is worth setting up if someone in your household regularly handles your mail.7United States Postal Service. Picking Up Mail that is Being Held at Your Post Office
How Long USPS Holds Your Mail
For most domestic mail, including certified, insured, and registered items, the hold period is 15 days from the date of the first delivery attempt. After that, the item is marked unclaimed and returned to sender. The sender may owe return postage, and getting the item back means asking them to ship it again.
Priority Mail Express can have a shorter window, so treat those notices with more urgency. International inbound mail follows different schedules: Express Mail Service items from abroad are returned after 15 days, and other international classes may be held up to 30 days.8United States Postal Service. 766 Retention Period
The hold period doesn’t bend for what’s inside the envelope. Legal documents, court filings, and government correspondence follow the same 15-day clock. If you’re expecting something time-sensitive, checking USPS tracking or enrolling in Informed Delivery is more reliable than waiting for a slip you might not notice for a day or two.