- December 29, 2020
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Have you decided on moving out of your present home? Congratulations to you. Change is one constant thing in life, and it is pleasant that it is happening to you right now. Moving from one place to another is quite tasking as there are a couple of things you would need to change when you move. While you may be lost to the excitement of moving out of your old place, you may forget some of the basic things you need to change when you move. One of the most important things that you should pay more attention to is changing your address. This Ultimate Change of address checklist when moving should be your guide.
The Ultimate Move Out Checklist
The most important thing to do when you move out of your old place is the change of address. A change of address is you telling the United States Government through the United States Postal Service (USPS) to change your mailing address. Without this, the United States Postal Service will only assume that you still reside in your old address. All correspondence directed to you will be forwarded to the old address until you file for a change of address.
Tips For Changing Your Address When You Move
Know Your New Address Correctly
It may sound funny, but you must know the correct address of your new home. Changing the address is simply done so you don’t get junk mails sent to your former residence. However, submitting a wrong address mail with the United States Post Office means you won’t get mail sent to your former or new home but to another mailing address unknown to you. The stress of moving could make you forget some details in your mailing address, ensure you speak with your realtor or landlord to get the correct and complete postal address.
Decide If Your Change of Address is for Permanent or Temporary
Before filing for a change of address, you should decide if the address is temporary or permanent. If you are moving for a brief period of time, your mail will be changed from your old one to the new one for only 6 months. However, you get the option to extend it to 12 months after the first 5 months expires. This is best chosen for vacation. Select the permanent change of address if you are not planning to move out in the nearest future. Your mailing address will be changed permanently
Individual or family change of address?
When filing for a change of address from the United States Postal Service, you have the option of including the names of all the people that are moving with you on the form. If you are a family person and you will be moving out with all family members, you will have to input their names correctly on the form. Input the names of your family members moving out with you on the form. If there are members of your family who have different surnames moving out with you, fill their form differently. However, if the entire family members moving with you have the same surname, that’s a lot much effortless. Just fill out their names on the same form you out your name.
Know-How Long It Takes To Approve Change of Address
There are so many factors that determine how long it will take for your change of address request to be approved. However, at worst, it should not take more than 7 working days for your request to be approved. Once you submitted all necessary data, your request will be approved within seven working days.
The Best Time To Apply For Change Of Address Before Moving Out
There are different opinions on how fast you should apply for a change of address before moving out. Some schools of thought opined that it should be done a week before you move out. Some argued that you must have submitted your request two weeks before you move out. This is to ensure that it is approved on or before you move into your new place.
While you must request for change of address before you move so as not to forget due to the overwhelming task of moving out and settling in a place – you can also get unlucky that even after applying, your request will not be approved even weeks after you have moved into your new place. The consequence of this is that you will lose lots of mails between that period of transition. The best moment to apply for a change of address depends on your moving checklist. Ensure you study it well to ascertain the best and most appropriate time for you to file for a change of address.
How to Change Address When Moving
Having known the tips and things to consider when applying for a change of address, it is necessary that you also learn how to apply for one when the need arises.
Apply Online
You can complete your application online. There are a couple of advantages you get for applying online. It saves you time and energy of walking into a post office. Also, you can do it from the comfort of your home or office without stress. However, applying online will attract a token of about $1.05 for identity and validation. Some of the things needed for the application are Valid credit or debit cards. It could be MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express. A valid email address is required. You can make use of military addresses too. If you are using a military address, your mail must end in “.gov” or “.mil.”
Apply at the post office
If you don’t have enough time to spare, you can walk into a local post office not far from you to apply. Although submitting your application online is good and fast, applying at the post office is more credible because you will meet experts who will guide you through the application process.
Change your address via Phone
This is another option available for you if you don’t have the time to spare at the post office. It is also an escape for those who don’t know how to use the internet well.
All you need to do is place a call by dialing 1-800-ASK-USPS follow the instructions given from the programmed responses. You must have a credit card because this also attracts about $1 for identification and verification.
Change your address via mail
Another option for you if you don’t like the phone thing is submitting your change of address request via mail. Using this option, you will need to print out the PS Form 3575, fill it and submit it to United States Post Service USPS through the mail. Although it is quite challenging to access Form 3575, this is because the USPS would encourage that you submit your request through their online portal. However, if you can get the form printed successfully, it is one sure way of submitting your request.
