The short answer
General Delivery is a free USPS service that holds mail at a Post Office for people without a permanent address, such as travelers or people between homes. Address it with the recipient’s name, “GENERAL DELIVERY,” and the city, state, and ZIP Code of the authorized Post Office. Each piece is held for up to 30 days, and you pick it up at the counter with identification.
What is General Delivery?
General Delivery is a USPS service that holds your mail at a local Post Office so you can pick it up in person at the counter. There’s no mailbox, no box number, and no street address involved: the sender writes your name, the words “GENERAL DELIVERY,” and the city, state, and ZIP Code of the Post Office that will hold it.
The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), the rulebook USPS publishes for mail services, covers it in section 508.6.0. It describes General Delivery as “intended primarily as a temporary means of delivery” for people who are traveling or not permanently located, and for customers who want Post Office box service when no boxes are available.
The USPS FAQ adds a few more intended uses: Post Offices without city carrier delivery, people in non-city delivery areas for whom a PO Box, Caller Service, or carrier delivery would be an unreasonable inconvenience, and Post Offices that serve transients and people without a permanent address. In practice, it’s the closest thing USPS offers to a free, no-application mailing address.
Who can use General Delivery?
Anyone the local postmaster agrees to serve. The USPS FAQ describes the service as free “when and where it is authorized” and says no application is required. Common situations include:
- People experiencing homelessness or between homes who need somewhere to receive benefit letters, job replies, or court notices.
- Travelers, seasonal workers, RVers, and others moving through a town for a few weeks.
- People who have just moved and don’t yet have a permanent address or mailbox.
- Residents of an area where Post Office boxes are sold out and who want box-style pickup in the meantime.
- People in places without city carrier delivery who would otherwise have no practical way to receive mail.
What are the limits on General Delivery?
General Delivery isn’t unconditional. Under DMM 508.6.2, a postmaster may refuse or restrict it for a customer who can’t present suitable identification, or whose mail volume or service level, such as mail piling up uncollected, can’t reasonably be accommodated.
You can use only one General Delivery location at a time, according to the same section. The USPS FAQ adds that any limit on how long you may keep using General Delivery is set by the postmaster, and that General Delivery mail isn’t delivered on Sundays or holidays. Because the service is meant to be temporary, plan to move to a PO Box or a residential address once you have one.
How long does the Post Office hold General Delivery mail?
DMM 508.6.4 says each General Delivery mailpiece is held for no more than 30 days, although the sender may request a shorter period. The USPS FAQ adds that mail can be held longer if the sender or addressee asks and the postmaster approves.
The FAQ also gives shorter default periods for mail that arrives without a specific address or sender instructions. After the hold period ends, expect the mail to be returned rather than kept, so check in regularly.
| Situation | How long USPS holds it |
|---|---|
| Standard General Delivery mailpiece | No more than 30 days |
| Sender asks for a shorter hold | The shorter period the sender requests |
| Sender or addressee asks for longer, postmaster approves | Longer than 30 days, as approved |
| No specific address or sender instructions, office with letter carriers | 10 days |
| No specific address or sender instructions, office without letter carriers | 15 days |
Which Post Office offers General Delivery?
Not every Post Office does. DMM 508.6.2 says General Delivery is normally available at only one facility under a Post Office with multiple facilities, though a postmaster may authorize more than one location. In a city with many branches, that usually means one designated branch, and it may not be the one closest to you.
The USPS FAQ recommends two steps before you give anyone a General Delivery address. First, find the authorized facility with the USPS Find Locations tool, filtering for “General Delivery.” Second, call or visit that facility to confirm the service is available, get the exact ZIP Code to use, and ask about pickup hours. DMM 508.6.3 likewise tells customers to contact the destination Post Office before mailing to learn the authorized facility and its ZIP Code.
How do you address mail to General Delivery?
Use three lines: the recipient’s name, the words GENERAL DELIVERY, then the city, state, and ZIP Code of the authorized Post Office. That’s the format the USPS FAQ shows. Publication 28, USPS’s addressing standard, says to spell out “GENERAL DELIVERY” with no abbreviation, uppercase preferred, as the delivery address line.
For the ZIP+4, Publication 28 notes that each General Delivery record in the USPS ZIP+4 file carries the add-on code 9999, and section 262 says the ZIP Code or ZIP+4 must be applied as found in that file. The five-digit ZIP Code of the right facility is the essential part; if you add the four-digit extension, it’s -9999. Here’s a fictional example:
| Line | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recipient’s full name, as it appears on their ID | JORDAN ELLIS |
| 2 | The words GENERAL DELIVERY, spelled out | GENERAL DELIVERY |
| 3 | City, two-letter state, and the authorized facility’s ZIP Code (optionally ZIP+4 ending in 9999) | SPRINGFIELD IL 62703-9999 |
| Return address | Sender’s own address in the upper-left corner | DANA RIVERA, 412 MAPLE ST, PEORIA IL 61602 |
How do you use General Delivery, step by step?
These steps come from DMM 508.6.0 and the USPS FAQ. Details such as counter hours vary by location, so the phone call in step 2 saves wasted trips.
- Find the authorized facility in the city where you want to pick up mail, using USPS Find Locations filtered for General Delivery.
- Contact that Post Office to confirm it offers the service, get the exact ZIP Code, and ask about hours and which identification it accepts. The FAQ says people interested in General Delivery should speak with the postmaster.
- Give senders your General Delivery address in the three-line format: your name, GENERAL DELIVERY, then city, state, and ZIP Code. Use the same spelling of your name that appears on your ID.
- Pick up your mail at the counter, bringing identification. DMM 508.6.3 says a General Delivery customer can be required to present suitable identification before mail is handed over.
- Check in regularly, since each piece is held for no more than 30 days unless a different period is requested and approved.
- Switch to a permanent arrangement, such as a PO Box or a residential address, when you can, and update the senders who have your General Delivery address.
What ID do you need to pick up General Delivery mail?
USPS asks for “suitable identification.” DMM 508.1.1.5 lets postal employees withhold mail from a claimant they don’t know until the person presents an acceptable primary form of identification, or identification that is suitable under the General Delivery rules. DMM 508.6.2 also lets a postmaster refuse General Delivery to someone who can’t present suitable identification.
The DMM doesn’t publish a separate General Delivery ID list, so ask the Post Office what it will accept when you call to confirm the service. If you don’t have a current photo ID, raise that during the same call rather than at the counter.
What are the alternatives to General Delivery?
General Delivery is free and needs no application, but it’s temporary, tied to one Post Office, and has a 30-day hold limit. Depending on your situation, one of these may fit better:
- A PO Box: the USPS FAQ itself suggests a Post Office Box if you want mail available for pickup each morning. It requires an application and a fee, and it has its own address format.
- A friend’s or relative’s address, written with “c/o” so the carrier knows who receives mail there for you.
- USPS Hold Mail, if you have a permanent address and are only away for a while.
- A USPS Change of Address, if you’ve moved to a new permanent address and want mail forwarded.
Can you send a letter to someone at General Delivery?
Yes. A letter mailed to a General Delivery address goes to the designated Post Office and waits there for the recipient. Before you mail it, ask the recipient for the exact ZIP Code they confirmed with that Post Office, and write their name exactly as it appears on their ID so the counter clerk can match it.
IRIS, an independent print-and-mail service (not USPS), prints the US Letter-size PDF you upload and mails it by USPS First-Class Mail to a US address. You enter the sender and recipient addresses and review the document, addresses, options, and total before paying. Write the recipient address in the USPS General Delivery format shown above, and review it on the order summary before you pay. A one-page black-and-white letter is $3.20, with no stamps or envelope needed. IRIS doesn’t offer guaranteed delivery dates, and order status isn’t proof of delivery, which matters here because the Post Office holds each piece for a limited time.
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- USPS DMM 508.6.0: General Delivery
- USPS FAQ: What is General Delivery?
- USPS Publication 28, section 261: General Delivery format
- USPS Publication 28, section 262: ZIP Code or ZIP+4
- USPS Find Locations
Published by IRIS Postal Forms, operated by Great Lakes Computing Office LLC. Send a correction.