Postal Boxes
Postal Boxes, often known as Post Office Boxes or PO Boxes, are locked compartments within a Post Office. There are three types of Postal Box services available from Canada Post:
Convenience Postal Boxes are available for a fee and are a convenient, secure means for customers to receive mail at an affordable rental rate. Customers can choose the appropriate size for the volume/amount of mail they typically receive.
Canada Post offers convenient rental periods of 3, 6 and 12 months for Convenience Postal Boxes.
Payment for Convenience Postal Boxes must be paid in advance for the selected rental period. For information on current Convenience Postal Box rental prices, ask your post office representative or see Canada Post Prices.
The appropriate size of Postal Box should be selected to accommodate the typical volume of mail received. If the current Postal Box cannot accommodate the typical volume of mail received, the post office may request that the customers transition to an appropriate Postal Box size (e.g., change from A - Small to B - Medium) to meet the volume requirements. An increase in the Convenience Postal Box rental price may apply. In certain situations, Canada Post may provide Mail Forwarding service free of charge when customers transition to the next Postal Box size.
Prime mode Postal Boxes are provided at no charge, when the mode of mail delivery for the applicable civic or physical address has been designated by Canada Post as a Prime mode Postal Box. Customers may rent a Convenience Postal Box in place of, or in addition to, their Prime mode of delivery, for a fee.
General Delivery is a service offered when customers cannot receive mail through any other available free mode of delivery. General Delivery is also offered to the travelling public for a period of up to four months. Unless the General Delivery is considered the prime mode of delivery for the customer (for example, if Canada Post does not otherwise have a free mode of delivery available in the area) the General Delivery service will be subject to the same terms and conditions, including prices, applicable to the Convenience Postal Box service.
The Postal Box is to be used only to receive mail items sent to you through Canada Post approved services. It may not be used as a storage or security compartment. The use of the Postal Box is not transferable. In the case of Convenience Postal Box rentals, only four individuals, four families or two businesses (or a combination of two family names and two businesses) can use the Postal Box.
All customers wishing to receive Postal Box service must sign and agree to the Postal Box Terms and Conditions. Where applicable, the customer must pay the rental price and key deposit(s) (for replacement of keys) in advance for the rental period selected (see Section 4 Postal Box Keys).
The use of customer information gathered by Canada Post is governed by the Privacy Act.
At the time of rental/activation, Postal Box customers are provided two keys to access their Postal Box and, if applicable, a security key. The keys are not to be copied. All keys remain the property of Canada Post and must be returned on request. When renting a Convenience Postal Box, a key deposit is required and is refunded upon termination of the Convenience Postal Box and return of all keys. A fee equal to the key deposit fee applies to replace lost or damaged keys.
For information on current Postal Box key deposit fees, ask your post office representative or see Canada Post Prices.
In order for mail to be forwarded from a Postal Box, a Mail Forwarding request must be in effect. Mail items addressed to a shared Postal Box (e.g., where several businesses have a common postal address) may not be redirected unless all of the mail addressed to the Postal Box is forwarded to another single address. For information on Mail Forwarding service, see Mail Forwarding Service.
The following methods of payment are acceptable for Postal Boxes service:
When customers have rented a Postal Box, written renewal reminders are typically provided prior to the end of the rental period. If your Postal Box service is not renewed on or before the expiry of the rental period, the service may be terminated on the day after the rental period ends. Customers may request the cancellation of the Convenience Postal Box service at any time and a refund may apply. See Canada Post Prices at canadapost.ca/prices for more information. If a Postal Box is terminated because the Postal Box was used inappropriately, including, without limitation, for an unlawful purpose or in a manner contrary to the Canada Post Corporation Act and Regulations, you will not receive a refund of the rental price and key deposits.
General enquiries concerning Postal Boxes should be directed to your local post office representative or Customer Service by email at: service@canadapost.ca or by calling 1-800-267-1177. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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