Effective July 10, 2022, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 507.2.0, to add a new product offering that will allow customers to extend mail forwarding service.
The Postal Service currently provides mail forwarding service generally for 12 months at no cost to customers who submit a permanent change-of-address (COA) request. After the 12-month forwarding period, the mail is returned to the sender or disposed of by USPS®.
The Postal Service initiated a Market Test, Extended Mail Forwarding service, (Docket No. MT2020-2, PRC Order No. 5591) on July 20, 2020, to provide customers with an option to extend their forwarding service for a fee. Extended Mail Forwarding service provides customers the option to extend forwarding service beyond the 12-month period in 6-month increments, or for an additional 6, 12, or 18 months, or any combination, not to exceed 18 months. Customers may extend a permanent COA order by purchasing Extended Mail Forwarding service at a Post Office™, or online through the COA Application (Mover’s Guide®) on usps.com.
On February 14, 2022, the Postal Service filed a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to make the Extended Mail Forwarding service market test a permanent offering. Documents pertinent to the request are available in Docket No. MC-2022-40.
The Postal Service believes this new offering will provide customers with a service that will enhance their mailing experience. The standards are effective July 10, 2022.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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507 Mailer Services
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2.0 Forwarding
2.1 Change-of-Address Order
2.1.1 Normal Time Limit
[Revise the text of 2.1.1 to read as follows:]
Records of change-of-address orders are kept by Post Offices for forwarding and address correction purposes, as follows:
a. A record of permanent change-of-address orders is kept by Post Offices for 18 months, from the end of the month when the change takes effect. Generally, forwarding is available for the first 12 months. (See 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7 for additional information.)
b. A record of change-of-address orders from general delivery to a permanent local address without a time limit is kept 6 months.
c. A record of change-of-address orders to other than a permanent local address is kept 30 days.
[Revise the title and text of 2.1.2 to read as follows:]
2.1.2 Extended Mail Forwarding Service
Customers may extend a permanent change-of-address order for up to an additional 18 months of forwarding by purchasing Extended Mail Forwarding service at a Post Office, or online through the Change of Address Application (Mover’s Guide) on usps.com. Extended Mail Forwarding service may be purchased in six-month increments, or for an additional 6, 12, or 18 months, or any combination, not to exceed 18 months. See Notice 123 – Price List for fees.
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Index
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E
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[Add “Extended Mail Forwarding Service” alphabetically under “E” to read as follows:]
Extended Mail Forwarding Service, 507.2.1.2
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the July 10, 2022, edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 3-10-22
