Your USPS change of address validation code is the 16-digit number printed inside the Customer Notification Letter that USPS mails to your new address, usually about five business days before your forwarding start date. It’s the key to editing or canceling your forwarding online at managemymove.usps.com. If you filed online and your identity was verified successfully, USPS also emails you a code right away, so check your inbox before you wait on the mail.
Where the Code Is Mailed
After you submit a change of address, USPS sends two different letters. A Move Validation Letter goes to your old address so anyone still living there can dispute the change if they didn’t authorize it. The one with your code — the Customer Notification Letter — goes to your new address, tucked inside a Welcome Kit envelope that also carries coupons from USPS partners.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address
The envelope looks a lot like junk mail. Before you assume the letter is missing, sort through everything that has arrived at the new address since your move. The code is sometimes labeled “validation code” and sometimes “confirmation code.” Same thing.
The Emailed Code From Online Filing
If you filed at usps.com, you paid a $1.25 identity verification fee with a credit or debit card whose billing address matches either your old or new address. When that online verification succeeds, USPS emails you a confirmation code immediately.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address Search your inbox and spam folder for messages from USPS before doing anything else. You’ll still get the paper letter later, but the emailed code works right now.
If your identity couldn’t be verified online, USPS instead emails a barcode and instructions. You have 20 days to bring that email and a valid photo ID to a participating Post Office, where a retail associate scans the barcode to finish verification.2USPS. USPS In-Person Identity Proofing Filing in person at a Post Office skips the $1.25 fee entirely.3United States Postal Inspection Service. Change of Address Scams
If the Code Never Arrives
If it’s within about a week of your forwarding start date and the Welcome Kit still hasn’t shown up, you have three ways to recover.
- Call USPS customer service at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777). A representative can look up your request, confirm its status, and help you get a replacement code.
- Visit your local Post Office with a valid photo ID. Staff can verify your identity and resolve issues with the request on the spot.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address
- Recheck your email. If online verification worked, the code is already sitting in your inbox.
One limit worth knowing: USPS will only issue a duplicate confirmation letter for a change of address request that is less than 18 months old.4USPS. Change of Address – The Basics Past that point, you’ll need to file a new request.
Using the Code at managemymove.usps.com
Once you have the 16-digit code, go to managemymove.usps.com, enter your new ZIP code and the code exactly as printed, and click Submit. From there you can edit your forwarding details, change the dates, or cancel the request.4USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
Without a valid code, any changes have to be made in person at a Post Office with a photo ID. The same page is where someone who received a Move Validation Letter can dispute a change they didn’t authorize.
A Few Things the Code Won’t Do
Only two places can legitimately take your change of address: usps.com and your local Post Office. Third-party sites styled to look like USPS have charged people up to $40 for a service that costs $1.25 online or nothing in person, and in some cases the address change never actually gets filed.3United States Postal Inspection Service. Change of Address Scams If a site charges more than $1.25 or the URL isn’t on usps.com, close the tab.
A USPS change of address also only tells the Post Office where to send your mail. It doesn’t notify your bank, insurer, the DMV, voter registration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or subscription services. You have to update those yourself.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address