PO Box Addresses In The UK: Everything You Need To Know

In this post we explain everything you need to know about PO Box Addresses in the UK, including what they cost and how to get one.

Already know you need a PO Box? Click this link to get your Free UK PO Box Address from UK Postbox.

PO Box Addresses have been a part the UK’s postal system for over a century. Typically located in a Post Office or one of Royal Mail’s sorting facilities, they let you have an alternative, secure and private mailing address, other than that of your primary residence or business location. PO Boxes are synonymous with privacy as they give the owner protection at their home or office address.

Why would I need a PO Box?

There are many reasons why people and businesses start using a PO Box Address. Having a PO Box address lets you shield your actual location, helping you avoid unwanted visitors and maintain security wherever you’re are. We’ve listed below some of the top reasons people take out a PO Box:

Top 6 reasons for having a PO Box Address:

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1. Privacy and professionalism for home based businesses.

Lots of small businesses working from home don’t want their actual location to be public.  A PO Box gives them extra protection and helps avoid unwanted visitors turning up to their homes. PO Boxes can also help these small businesses look more professional.

2. To avoid unwanted visitors at office premises.

Some large businesses are no different from small ones in that they don’t want customers turning up at their offices unannounced. Insurers, call centres, and large solicitors, amongst others, all use PO Box Addresses to protect their actual location.

3. Get an address in the UK regardless of where you are in the world.

You’d be surprised by the amount of people who are overseas and need an address in the UK. Expats in particular often need a physical address in the UK once they leave. International businesses also can benefit from having a PO Box in the UK as they can allow them to start up or build their presence here.

4. Keep a postal address in the UK whilst you’re temporarily abroad.

There are a lot of people who leave the UK temporarily, but what happens to their post whilst they are away? Many of those leaving the UK for work or pleasure will end up missing important letters until they return home. PO Boxes, coupled with an online post management app such as our own, allows people to keep receiving post regardless of where they are.

5. A fixed address for those who move frequently or are in temporary accommodation.

A huge number of the population move home at least once a year and with that comes the possibility of losing important post, or worse it falling into the wrong hands. Increasingly, renters are using PO Boxes so that regardless of where they move to they can maintain the same postal address.

6. Privacy for victims of abuse

Privacy is of course of the highest importance to those who are vulnerable. A PO Box can “shield” those who have been victims of abuse, protecting them and their location.

Our UK based team is always on hand to assist those who have suffered abuse in any form. If you are looking to have more postal privacy then please contact us to speak to one of the team in the strictest of confidence.

What’s the difference between a Royal Mail and a UK Postbox PO Box?

Royal Mail have been providing PO Boxes to individuals and businesses for many years; typically their service gives you a physical address in a sorting office and you can choose to either collect your post or have it forwarded to you at a different location. The big difference between UK Postbox’s PO Boxes and Royal Mail’s is flexibility, a UK Postbox PO Box lets you read and manage your post online. Where Royal Mail only lets you collect or forward your post to a single location, our advanced mail app (free with all accounts), lets you access your post from anywhere and control it on an item-by-item basis.

When your UK Postbox PO Box receives mail we’ll let you know, either by email or by notification from the mobile app. You can then log in from anywhere in the world; read your post online; have us forward it to you, or ask for it to be stored for when you’re ready to receive it.

You can then log in and tell us what you’d like us to do with it. Ask us to open and scan so you can read it online; have us forward it onto wherever you are in the world; or ask us to store it for when you’re ready to receive it. It’s a PO Box made smarter.

In addition our PO Boxes let you have an address in your choice of major UK cities. Traditionally, with Royal Mail, you’d be bound to your local sorting office, not with us. Choose from London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff or Poole.

How much does a PO Box cost?

The cost of a Royal Mail PO Box varies depending on the service you choose. The cheapest option, where you collect your post from the sorting office, comes in at £215 per annum. Want it forwarded on to another UK address? The price then increases to £265 per annum. You could receive one or a hundred letters and you’d pay that flat fee.

How much does a PO Box cost with UK Postbox?

UK Postbox’s PO Box Addresses are FREE. Anyone, regardless of who they are or where they are in the world can have an address in the UK and will only start paying when they receive mail.

We want to make PO Boxes as accessible as possible, and by removing the fixed annual fee it opens up the option of having a PO Box to even those who receive just a few letters a month. In fact we have some customers that get only a couple of letters a year, using the service for the odd bits here and there. It costs them next to nothing but they still get all the benefits.

Read and manage your post online from anywhere

To recap, you get a physical address in the UK, just as you would with Royal Mail but with the added benefit of being able to read and manage your post online, from anywhere in the world.

The value in our service isn’t so much the PO Box Address itself, but the ability to access your post from anywhere. So we charge you based on the volume of post you receive.

We have five main plans, all of which come with a free PO Box Address and access to our Advanced Postal Management App.

All of our prices include UK VAT at 20%, but you may not be liable to pay this.

Pay-As-You-Go

Perfect for up to 10 letters a month, no monthly commitment, pay only for the post you receive.

Letter 10 - £9.00 per month

A starter plan aimed at people who expect to receive up to 10 letters per month.

Letter 25 - £12.00 per month

For people who receive up to 25 letters per month.

Letter 50 - £21.00 per month

High volume plan for people receiving up to 50 letters per month.

Letter 100 - £36.00 per month

Our highest volume letter plan for people receiving up to 100 letters per month

Not found a plan for you?

Contact us for a bespoke quote

How do I get a PO Box?

If you are expecting thousands of letters and don’t need online access to your post, then head over to the Royal Mail website where you can sign up online for their flat fee.

If however you need extra flexibility;  like the idea of reading your post from anywhere and see the benefit of being able to control forwarding on an item-by-item basis, then sign up with us.

The sign up process is quick and easy and typically you’ll have your new address within 24 working hours. First head to our pricing page so you can choose the plan that suits you best; next head on to our online mail app which we call ipostalmail. You’ll be asked to select your plan, let us know who you are and where you are and then your account will be created.

Finally, because we are money laundering regulated, all of our customers have to go through identity verification. This varies a little depending on who you are, i.e. a business or consumer, so be sure to visit our page about identity verification so you can have everything to hand. Our identity verification team is here to make the process as smooth as possible, so if you’re having any issues then either use the live chat feature to contact us, or visit the contact us page on the site and choose your preferred method of communication.

PO Box alternatives

You might be looking for an address to redirect your post to, an official address for your business or an actual street address in London. We have various types of addresses to choose from, so if a PO Box doesn’t quite fit your requirements then visit the pages below to learn more. All of our addresses come with our Advanced Mail Management App, so you can read and manage your post, at anytime from anywhere.

Royal Mail Redirection Address

London Street Addresses

Registered Office Address

Directors Service Address

Parcel Forwarding Address