Canada Post Change of Address: Useful Tips And Guidelines

Canada Post Change of Address is the system that enables users to change the delivery address of their mail. This system empowers users to self-serve. And makes it possible for users to change the system themselves through online means.

You have the liberty to either make a permanent address change or for a temporary period. In addition, it helps redirect your mail to your new address. Canada Post has devised a mail forwarding tool for this purpose. 

The process of Canada Post Change of Address is quite simple, actually! The fee required for this mail forwarding tool is economical. This expense is the same as what is paid by you for filling up a form at a postal outlet. Also, note that this cost changes with different locations and whether the entity is an individual or a profiteering firm. 

This service becomes necessary when you change your location, even for a short period. When you change your location, your mailings, like licenses and legal documents, might still bear the previous address. As a result, you risk the danger of missing their mail. To avoid that, you must change your address permanently or for a short period of time. 

Mail Forwarding Service

Canada Post change of address can be done through a mail forwarding system developed by the same. It enables individuals and businesses to notify their new addresses with authority. This change of address will empower the mailing agency to ship your order from your Canadian address to anywhere in the world. So you can be sure to receive all your new mail and parcels at the place you want. This mail forwarding service is of two types. They are:

• Mail Forwarding For Moves
• Mail Forwarding For Temporary Relocation. 

Mail Forwarding for Moves is for a permanent address change. When you are not going back to your previous address, you need to use Mail Forwarding for Moves. You can also use this mail if your business happens to be permanently relocated or you are receiving mail and parcel of a deceased individual.

Use Mail Forwarding For Temporary Relocation when you are relocating for a short period of time. If you have a temporary posting out of your permanent address, you can go for Mail Forwarding For Temporary Relocation. This can also be used when you are handling mail and parcel on behalf of someone else. 

Are You Eligible For The Mail Forwarding Service?

If you are intending to use Canada Post Change of address, you must be eligible for the mail-forwarding service. In addition, you need to fulfill all the following conditions for the usage of the system:

• Your old address needs to be Canadian.
• Your old address cannot be a common location for mail delivery, such as hotels, lodges, or places where several business firms share the same location. 
• Your old address cannot be a privately administered mailbox. 

When Should The Order For Mail Forwarding Service be Placed?

Canada Post recommends the order be placed at their website 30 days before the date from when you want to receive mail. Canada Post-change of address takes effect in just 5 days when you place your order online. You will be able to receive your forwarded mails at your new address. 

Step by Step Process to Avail Mail Forwarding Service?

The most important requirement for availing mail forwarding systems is to have a government-issued photo identification if you happen to order on others’ behalf. You would also require proof of authorization for the same. The following listed steps form the complete process of Canada post change of address:

Step 1: You must have a Canada post Account to purchase the mail-forwarding system.  Visit the Canada post website and log in or sign up, as may be the case.

Step 2: In this step, you would be asked to furnish your address details. Then, upload your identification proof. When you are asked to show your government-issued photo identification details, you can show your driver’s license, citizenship card, or passport. Again, provide all the details correctly.

Step 3: You are now required to go through the terms of service. This means, ‘for what duration of the period does the mail forwarding system need to be active?’

Step 4: Now you would be directed to pay. You can use your credit card to pay for the mail-forwarding system. The amount you are required to pay depends on the duration of the service and other related factors.

Step 5: You may be asked to visit the post office with the barcode. It generally happens when your identity can’t be confirmed properly. In such cases, you may be required to visit the nearest post office. Once you get there, the post office can verify your identity and confirm your order. 

This was the complete online process required for Canada post change of address. 

Making Changes to Mail Forwarding Service

Canada Post change of address lets you make appropriate changes to the mail forwarding service. You can either use online means or directly go to the post office to make changes as and when you need. Apart from changing your mailing address, you can also change many other details. But you need to follow these steps for doing so:

1. The first step is to log in to your Canada Post Account.
2. Select ‘Dashboard’ after clicking on your name in the right corner of the screen.
3. Now, you need to select ‘Mail Forwarding’ and click ‘View All Orders.’
4. The next step is to select ‘View Details’ of the order you seek to change.
5. Choose from ‘Extend’ or ‘Cancel Service.’

What’s Forwarded And What’s Not?

The Canada post forwards your mail and not parcels to your new location. If you want to receive parcels at your new address, you need to inform the sending authority duly. Even if you have a mail forwarding system purchased, Canada Post will not forward it to your new address. It also does not send the mail received at a shared postal address. At a shared mailing address, two or more entities receive their posts, making it difficult for the Canada Post to recognize which mails they need to forward. 

Canada Mail also does not forward the personal mails received at a business or institution’s address. It avoids mail from hospitals, hotels, lodges, schools, and similar places. It avoids forwarding newspapers and flyers which are received by post. The Mail Forwarding system of the Canada post does not forward mails received from private mailboxes. In cases about dissolved partnerships, divorces, and similar issues, Canada Post would ask for a joint agreement duly signed by all the parties. It would also refuse to forward prepaid envelopes.

Mail Forwarding Service on Behalf of Others

Canada Post change of address enables you to order the mail forwarding system on behalf of others. For example, you can purchase a mail forwarding service on behalf of individuals and businesses. You can also purchase the mail forwarding service for a deceased person. 

You can apply for the mail forwarding service via online means. The steps involved in the process are:

Step 1. Visit the Canada Post website.

Step 2. Sign up or Log in to the website.

Step 3. You can specify who’s mail you would like to forward, give relevant details of the same, and complete the online form. 

Step 4. You will now be directed to pay for the mail forwarding service. You will be asked to pay with your credit card. 

Step 5. You should print your barcode and take that to the post office. Along with the barcode, you also require government-issued photo identification details along with documents establishing your relationship with the other person. You need to prove to Canada post your authority to function on behalf of another person or business.

When you are bringing the barcode generated online to the post office, you should also bring the letter of authorization when buying on behalf of another person or business. In addition, if you have any legal document which demonstrates your right and authority to act on behalf of other businesses and individuals, you need to bring it. Apart from these, your government-issued photo identification details are a must. 

When you are buying a Mail Forwarding service for a dead person, you need to show the online generated barcode. You might also need to show any one of these documents like a death certificate, medical examiner’s certificate, funeral director’s certificate, cremation, or any other such certificate by a competent authority. You would also be asked to show documents proving you as the legal representative of the deceased person. You can show any one of the documents from this list:

• Grant of letter probate
• Letters of Administration (You can also attach the will of the dead person.)
• Certified statement of the liquidator
• Statutory Declaration Form

These documents will help you to establish your authority to act over the dead person. Once you can establish the authority, you can have your order confirmed.

Pricing of Mail Forwarding Service

The management of Canada post change of address takes pricing decisions of mail forwarding service. The price charged for mail forwarding service depends on factors such as the duration of service, the distance you are moving, and whether it is temporary or permanent. You also have the option to carry up to four extra names on a mail forwarding service for a fee.

When you are moving within the province permanently for four months, you may be charged $56.70, and for a year, you would be charged $86.80. When you are moving outside the province permanently, you would be charged $70.55 for four months and $108.80 for a year. In addition, you would be charged $167.35 and $250.75 if you move to the U.S.A. or any other country for the same period.

If you happen to move temporarily within a province, you would be charged $53.70 for 3 months and $17.90 per month after the first three months. When you move across the Canadian provinces for a temporary period, you have to pay $67.35 for the first three months and $22.45 per month after the first three months. If you move to the U.S.A. or any other country, only to be relocated back, you would be charged $98.55 for the first three months and $32.85 per month if you wish to extend it beyond the first three months.

You carry the option to add your additional four contacts to the benefits of the mail forwarding service. In addition to this, you also have the option to add four other contacts for a fee per head. You would be charged $3.0 per name for the addition of names within a Canadian province. The same is the fee to include a person moving across the Canadian provinces. If you are adding someone who has moved to the U.S.A. or any other country, you would be charged $5.0 for each person.

Civic Addressing System

Canada Post change of address is a joint program of the Canada Post and the federal government of Canada. This program aims at eliminating the usage of post office box numbers and is an arrangement directed towards the rural people of Canada. Canada Post change of address or the civic addressing system has already been under implementation in towns and cities for several years and is now being implemented in rural areas. 

This civic addressing system helps match the physical address of a person to its mailing address. This type of addressing system is already well established in towns and cities in Canada. The civic addressing system serves dual benefits to its customers. First, it is helpful for Canada Post in improving the accuracy of its mail and parcel delivery process. Second, it makes the team more competent and effective. The address is also useful to the users as one address serves both the purposes of physical address and mailing address.

Canada Post change of address is not a big deal. It’s a simple job that can easily be completed online.

Last Updated on October 1, 2023 by alishbarehman