Three terms to choose from
USPS offers 3, 6 or 12 month payment periods on the same online form. The term picked at signup sets when the next payment is due, not just the first one.
Mailbox service
What is USPS PO Boxes Online?
It is the reservation and payment step, not the whole signup. USPS lets you search a branch, pick a box size and a payment term, fill out an online Form 1093 and pay by card from a browser — then requires you to print that form and show two forms of ID at the counter within 30 days before the box is actually yours. Wording quoted below is from usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm and USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508, both read 2026-08-31.
USPS wording quotedDMM 508 citedRead 2026-08-31
Online gets you a reservation
The keys still come from a person at a counter, not a download.
What this page is not. This is not a price list — USPS prices PO Boxes by branch, and that comparison already lives on our PO Box cost guide. It is not the PO-Box-versus-home-delivery question either, which is covered on our PO Box vs mailbox guide. This page is only about the online enrollment product itself: what poboxes.usps.com actually does for you, and what it still leaves for the counter.
The four steps USPS lists
- 1. Search for a locationFind the Post Office you want the box at, searchable by ZIP or city on the PO Boxes Online tool linked from usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm.
- 2. Select preferencesChoose the branch, the box size and the payment period. USPS lists five sizes at most branches, from extra small at roughly 3 x 5.5 inches up to extra large at roughly 12 x 22.5 inches, though USPS notes not every size is available at every location.
- 3. Complete the applicationFill out the online Form 1093, accept the terms and conditions, enter billing and payment information, and submit. This is the step that happens entirely on the web.
- 4. Verify at the counterUSPS's own instruction is to print your completed form and bring it to the Post Office counter where your box is located, along with two forms of acceptable U.S. identification, within 30 days of submitting your online application.
Step 3 is where most people assume the process ends. It does not — the box is reserved and paid for, but nobody has confirmed it is you yet.
Why the ID check waits for the counter
USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508 describes the same product from the regulation side, and its version is precise about what the online session does and does not do. An applicant using PO Boxes Online must complete the required fields on the online Form 1093, then “present an unsigned printout of the online Form 1093 in person to the Post Office.” The signature and the identification both happen face to face. Nothing about that changes because the form started as a web page instead of a paper one at the counter.
Every applicant listed on the box, minors aside, has to show one primary and one secondary form of ID at that visit. Skip the visit past 30 days and the reservation lapses, which is the most common way people end up filling the same form out twice.
Payment terms the online form locks in
The 3-month term has no opt-out
A 3-month payment period requires enrolling in automatic renewal with no opt-out. Choosing 6 or 12 months instead lets the box holder opt out of automatic renewal.
Payments are due by the 10th
USPS states payments must be made by the 10th of the month the payment is due, whether that payment renews automatically or is made by hand each term.
None of that changes the rent itself. USPS states plainly that prices differ depending on your location, so the online form shows the figure for the branch you searched, not a number this page can print. Our own PO Box cost guide goes through what sets that number.
Where these rules come from
- USPS, PO Boxes — the four-step online signup flow, box sizes, payment terms and the 10th-of-the-month deadline. Read 2026-08-31.
- USPS Postal Explorer, Domestic Mail Manual 508, Recipient Services — PS Form 1093, the two-ID requirement, and the online-application language describing the unsigned printout step. Read 2026-08-31.
USPS revises pricing and terms without notice. Confirm the current form and requirements at the branch you plan to use before relying on either source above.
PO Boxes Online, answered
What is USPS PO Boxes Online?
The USPS tool for reserving and paying for a PO Box from a browser instead of a Post Office counter. You pick the branch, box size and payment term, submit an online Form 1093, and pay online. The box is reserved, not open, until you finish the last step in person.
Can I finish signing up for a PO Box without visiting the Post Office?
No. USPS states you must print your completed form and bring it to the Post Office counter where your box is located, along with 2 forms of acceptable U.S. identification, within 30 days of submitting the online application.
Does PO Boxes Online verify my identity on the web?
No. USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508 describes the online step as completing the Form 1093 fields and presenting an unsigned printout of that form in person to the Post Office. Identity is checked at the counter, not during the online session.
Does a 3-month PO Box term auto-renew?
Yes, and there is no opt-out on that term. USPS requires the 3-month payment period to be enrolled in automatic renewal. Choosing 6 or 12 months instead lets you opt out of automatic renewal.
What happens at the counter visit?
The retail associate checks your printed form against your two forms of ID. Once identity is confirmed you receive the PO Box keys or lock combination, and the box is yours to use.