Hey there, I appreciate the article it has helped a lot. So i’m wondering what to do about this USPS form 1583? They require you to have proof of your residential address. This form required seems to defeat the purpose of using a virtual mailbox for me. I am like most people here I need a virtual mailbox for bank and credit card purposes. I am a nomad living in Canada and all i have is my US passport. no ties to a residential address? How do i get past this so i can still receive mail?
Very good points, @ke.vernick. To just keep existing accounts open this is a great solution. But if you want to apply for new credit cards you start running into challenges as it’s the mailing address that typically gets reported to the credit bureaus.
So for it to work smoothly for new applications you’ll need to keep the residential address on file for at least one credit card.
But to answer your question about the best CMRAs, I’ve personally been very happy with Virtual Post Mail for the past decade, so I still maintain an account with them in addition to Anytime Mailbox.
But if you can find a cheap and reliable mailbox operator on Anytime Mailbox it’s hard to beat them on price.
USPS has indeed limited what kind of proofs of address they will accept.
If you have none of the ones listed you can try taking out a one-month renter’s insurance for the address where you’re currently staying (if offered in Canada—in the US I’d recommend Lemonade).
Otherwise you will need to get even more creative, such as signing a lease agreement with a friend or family member.
Hey—I’m new to this forum and this thread. This has been super helpful for me to understand the various criteria that get flagged by banks during KYC. My situation is a little bit different, as I presently live in the USA and can put down a residential address on both the EIN and Bank account opening primary address; however, I want to understand how these various virtual mail services may or may not impact what I’m able to put down as the mailing address on these various forms (SS-4 line 4 to be specific). It seems like more trouble than it’s worth for me to try and have my principal address potentially get flagged down the line as USPS updates the addresses it considers CMRA, but worth it to avoid getting business mail to my home address. Thoughts? Any advice is greatly appreciated.