There is a new comment on my post Mail and Mailing Address Options that says:
The required PS Forms 1903 and 1583 prevent anyone without a physical address from getting a po box or using services like ups store, postal annex, etc...
Thank you! whoever left the comment.
State ID card plus Voter Registration card is one way to fulfill the need for two forms of ID for those required forms.
Yes, you need to fill out one of those forms in order to get either a PO box or a mailbox from a service like the UPS Store, but that doesn't necessarily stop you from getting a mailing address. PS Form 1903 is an application for a PO box. Form 1583 is an application for mail service through an agent. You can find them both here: All Online PDF Forms in Numeric Order
Two pages from the official site of the US Post Office:
Valid ID
To get a PO Box number and pick up your keys, you’ll need to show two valid IDs: one photo ID and non-photo ID. Your ID must be current, contain sufficient information to confirm that you are who you claim to be, and be traceable to you. Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates are not acceptable IDs. The Post Office will accept a...
•Valid driver's license or state ID card.
•Military, government, university, or recognized corporate ID.
•Passport, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization.
•Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust.
•Voter or vehicle registration card.
•Home or vehicle insurance policy.
Acceptable Forms of ID
When you go to the Post Office to pick up your keys, two current forms of ID are required. One must be a photo ID. The other must include your physical address. Acceptable forms of ID are listed below.
Acceptable Photo IDs:
•Valid driver's license or state non-driver's identification card
•Armed forces, government, university, or recognized corporate identification card
•Passport, passport card, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization
Acceptable Non-Photo IDs:
•Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
•Voter or vehicle registration card
•Home or vehicle insurance policy
My recollection is they used to list mail in your name as well. I am not finding it. I have gotten a mailing address four times while on the street. One was a PO Box, two were physical mailboxes at a service such as The UPS Store and one was a Virtual Address.
When I was in Port Aransas, I applied for a PO Box. I had my state ID (a photo ID on their list) and my Sam's Club card (a photo ID issued by a recognized corporation). I used those as my two forms of ID and for my physical address I used the address of the state campground where I was legally camped (for about $10 or so a night). The guy looked it over and said "I'll accept that" and I paid him and he gave me the keys to a PO Box.
When I was in downtown San Diego, I registered to vote and received my voter registration card at Rachel's, a homeless services center for women. Please note that a voter registration card is listed above as an acceptable non-photo ID. I used my voter registration card and California state ID to establish a mailbox at a service such as The UPS Store when I was in the North County.
They aren't supposed to deny you the right to vote just because you are homeless. They offered me and my sons the opportunity to register to vote every time I went to social services about food stamps. Thus, if you are an American citizen with the right to vote, a voter registration card is something you should be able to get, even while homeless. And that card plus a state ID meets the requirements of your two forms of ID for getting mail service.
After getting that new street address, I then walked next door to a bank and used my new address to set up a new bank account with a nation-wide bank that had local physical branches. My old bank was a regional bank in the Deep South and it was charging me $17/month for a service fee. While in California, I had no access to a physical branch and I wanted a no fee account because $17/month is a lot of money for most homeless people. It certainly was for me.
I have been careful to not tell my bank I am homeless.
I later used those bona fides (the new street address) to set up a virtual address. They required an even higher standard of information. I think I had to have a notary public sign something. I will try to do a post about that some time. My virtual address was cheaper than getting a mailing address from a service like the UPS Store (at least it was cheaper than my mailing address in San Diego -- I recently got another address elsewhere and it costs less than my virtual address).
I still have my virtual address. It allows me to check mail online from anywhere. They will send me a PDF copy of information I actually need. I get very little actual mail. I need it for things like tax forms. I plan to keep my virtual address even after I get off the street. It helped enormously to have a virtual address when I decided to leave San Diego County. Being able to check my mail online gives me flexibility to go wherever I want.
Recently, I again set up a physical mailing address where I currently am in the Central Valley. I printed out a bank statement from my bank. I used my California ID and my printed bank statement with my address on it as my two forms of ID, one with photo and one with proof of address.
So, if you have no address at all, no, you cannot get a mailing address. But if you go to a homeless services center that provides a mailing address, you can use this to then get your own address. (In San Diego County, options include Neil Good or Rachel's in downtown San Diego or Brother Benno's in Oceanside.) If you use that address to get a voter registration card and take your voter registration card and your state ID card to either the Post Office or a service such as the UPS Store, you have your two valid forms of ID, one with photo and one with proof of address.
I generally cannot be identified as homeless just by taking one look at me. I don't volunteer that I am homeless when I try to get a mail service. I try to go in looking as normal and middle class as possible. I have dealt with the government and large bureaucracies my whole life. I view the need for two forms of ID as just a box to check off. They need to do that to cover themselves because the Post Office says so.
But they are a business and unless I give them a reason to turn me away, they want my money. So I show up with my two valid forms of ID, I fill out papers and sign them and I pay them. For me, the biggest challenge has been coming up with the money to pay them.
See also: Virtual Mail
The required PS Forms 1903 and 1583 prevent anyone without a physical address from getting a po box or using services like ups store, postal annex, etc...
Thank you! whoever left the comment.
State ID card plus Voter Registration card is one way to fulfill the need for two forms of ID for those required forms.
Yes, you need to fill out one of those forms in order to get either a PO box or a mailbox from a service like the UPS Store, but that doesn't necessarily stop you from getting a mailing address. PS Form 1903 is an application for a PO box. Form 1583 is an application for mail service through an agent. You can find them both here: All Online PDF Forms in Numeric Order
Two pages from the official site of the US Post Office:
Valid ID
To get a PO Box number and pick up your keys, you’ll need to show two valid IDs: one photo ID and non-photo ID. Your ID must be current, contain sufficient information to confirm that you are who you claim to be, and be traceable to you. Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates are not acceptable IDs. The Post Office will accept a...
•Valid driver's license or state ID card.
•Military, government, university, or recognized corporate ID.
•Passport, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization.
•Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust.
•Voter or vehicle registration card.
•Home or vehicle insurance policy.
Acceptable Forms of ID
When you go to the Post Office to pick up your keys, two current forms of ID are required. One must be a photo ID. The other must include your physical address. Acceptable forms of ID are listed below.
Acceptable Photo IDs:
•Valid driver's license or state non-driver's identification card
•Armed forces, government, university, or recognized corporate identification card
•Passport, passport card, alien registration card, or certificate of naturalization
Acceptable Non-Photo IDs:
•Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
•Voter or vehicle registration card
•Home or vehicle insurance policy
My recollection is they used to list mail in your name as well. I am not finding it. I have gotten a mailing address four times while on the street. One was a PO Box, two were physical mailboxes at a service such as The UPS Store and one was a Virtual Address.
When I was in Port Aransas, I applied for a PO Box. I had my state ID (a photo ID on their list) and my Sam's Club card (a photo ID issued by a recognized corporation). I used those as my two forms of ID and for my physical address I used the address of the state campground where I was legally camped (for about $10 or so a night). The guy looked it over and said "I'll accept that" and I paid him and he gave me the keys to a PO Box.
When I was in downtown San Diego, I registered to vote and received my voter registration card at Rachel's, a homeless services center for women. Please note that a voter registration card is listed above as an acceptable non-photo ID. I used my voter registration card and California state ID to establish a mailbox at a service such as The UPS Store when I was in the North County.
They aren't supposed to deny you the right to vote just because you are homeless. They offered me and my sons the opportunity to register to vote every time I went to social services about food stamps. Thus, if you are an American citizen with the right to vote, a voter registration card is something you should be able to get, even while homeless. And that card plus a state ID meets the requirements of your two forms of ID for getting mail service.
After getting that new street address, I then walked next door to a bank and used my new address to set up a new bank account with a nation-wide bank that had local physical branches. My old bank was a regional bank in the Deep South and it was charging me $17/month for a service fee. While in California, I had no access to a physical branch and I wanted a no fee account because $17/month is a lot of money for most homeless people. It certainly was for me.
I have been careful to not tell my bank I am homeless.
I later used those bona fides (the new street address) to set up a virtual address. They required an even higher standard of information. I think I had to have a notary public sign something. I will try to do a post about that some time. My virtual address was cheaper than getting a mailing address from a service like the UPS Store (at least it was cheaper than my mailing address in San Diego -- I recently got another address elsewhere and it costs less than my virtual address).
I still have my virtual address. It allows me to check mail online from anywhere. They will send me a PDF copy of information I actually need. I get very little actual mail. I need it for things like tax forms. I plan to keep my virtual address even after I get off the street. It helped enormously to have a virtual address when I decided to leave San Diego County. Being able to check my mail online gives me flexibility to go wherever I want.
Recently, I again set up a physical mailing address where I currently am in the Central Valley. I printed out a bank statement from my bank. I used my California ID and my printed bank statement with my address on it as my two forms of ID, one with photo and one with proof of address.
So, if you have no address at all, no, you cannot get a mailing address. But if you go to a homeless services center that provides a mailing address, you can use this to then get your own address. (In San Diego County, options include Neil Good or Rachel's in downtown San Diego or Brother Benno's in Oceanside.) If you use that address to get a voter registration card and take your voter registration card and your state ID card to either the Post Office or a service such as the UPS Store, you have your two valid forms of ID, one with photo and one with proof of address.
I generally cannot be identified as homeless just by taking one look at me. I don't volunteer that I am homeless when I try to get a mail service. I try to go in looking as normal and middle class as possible. I have dealt with the government and large bureaucracies my whole life. I view the need for two forms of ID as just a box to check off. They need to do that to cover themselves because the Post Office says so.
But they are a business and unless I give them a reason to turn me away, they want my money. So I show up with my two valid forms of ID, I fill out papers and sign them and I pay them. For me, the biggest challenge has been coming up with the money to pay them.
See also: Virtual Mail