US Expats- New USPS Form 1583 Update major issue for your US mail forwarding.
u/JaiYenJohnr/expatsJul 3, 2026
Foreign leases are acceptable- I just did it with mine (needs to be in English though)
Answered September 2026
Your overseas should normally take 9–11 weeks—roughly October 3–26 for an August 1–10 receipt—and Traveling Mailbox Basic is my best current pick for ordinary pre-arrival mail, but not for your W-7 or residence.
“I applied for an ITIN from New Zealand using a CAA, and the IRS received it in early August 2026. How long does it usually take to receive the number? Also, what is the best US address service to use before I move to the US for college in February 2027?”
Summary
You are not late: as of September 2, an early-August overseas filing has not reached the IRS’s 9-week minimum estimate. Your can also work with the IRS on an issue and may receive a copy of the notice, so you have a clear backup route if nothing arrives by week 11.
Use a different address route depending on whether you mean the pending ITIN notice, ordinary pre-arrival mail, or your official U.S. residence.
Pending ITIN noticekeep current
Keep the New Zealand mailing address entered on Form W-7 reachable. The IRS uses line 2 for written ITIN-status notification, and its instructions bar a post-office box owned and operated by a private company.
Ordinary mail before collegebest fit
My best current fit is Traveling Mailbox Basic: the advertised plan is $15/month, includes 40 incoming envelopes, 35 scanned pages, three recipients and unlimited cloud storage, and can forward mail worldwide for postage plus $2 per shipment. This is a practical recommendation from the services reviewed, not an official government ranking.
Actual address after arrivalafter arrival
If you are an F-1 student, give your the physical place where you live within 10 days of an address change. Use that residence—not the —for the school’s physical-address record and when a bank asks for a residential street address.
Virtual box as your residencenot residence
A can receive and forward mail, but it does not become the physical place where you live. It therefore cannot replace the actual-location rule for F-1 address reporting and generally does not satisfy the bank rule requiring a residential or business street address.
The mailbox recommendation is for mail handling, not a legal-residence determination; the F-1 rule applies only if F-1 is your status.
Read the full explanationHide the full explanation
Watch out for
The overseas clock is longerThe IRS’s current page says 7 weeks generally but 9–11 weeks when you apply from overseas. If “early August” means August 1–10, 2026, week 9 falls October 3–12 and week 11 falls October 17–26; as of September 2, you are still inside the normal window.
Keep your W-7 address reachableThe Form W-7 instructions say the IRS sends the status notice to line 2 and say not to use a post-office box owned and operated by a private company. Keep access to the New Zealand address on your pending filing; use the recommended mailbox only for new, ordinary mail—not as a replacement W-7 address.
A mailbox is not your U.S. homeIf you enter in F-1 status, 8 CFR 214.2(f)(17) generally requires the actual physical place where you live, not a mailing address, and you must report a change to your within 10 days. Banks also generally must collect a residential or business street address, so do not present a as your home.
The ITIN does not give work rightsAn is for the federal tax system. The IRS expressly says it does not provide or change immigration status, authorize U.S. work, or serve as identification outside the federal tax system.
Mailbox setup requires identity checksUSPS requires PS Form 1583 and two IDs, including one photo ID, for a . Traveling Mailbox says it verifies identity and signature by notary or a video call; forwarding costs postage plus $2 per shipment, and physical envelope storage beyond 30 days costs $1 per envelope per month.
Next steps
These steps protect delivery of the pending ITIN notice, give you a clear follow-up date, and set up a separate mailbox for ordinary mail.
While the ITIN is pending
Keep the W-7 mailing address reachable
Keep receiving mail at the line 2 address through the processing period. The IRS uses that address for written ITIN-status notification; do not substitute a private-company post-office box for it.
Requirements
Access to the New Zealand mailing address entered on Form W-7
Until week 11
Wait through the overseas processing window
Count 9–11 weeks from IRS receipt. If receipt was August 1–10, 2026, the published window runs approximately October 3–26; use your actual receipt date for the exact week-11 day.
Requirements
The exact IRS receipt date confirmed by your CAA or delivery record
After week 11
Follow up if no notice arrives
From New Zealand, call the IRS at +1-267-941-1000; it is not toll-free. Also contact your CAA, because the IRS says a CAA can work with it to resolve application issues and receive copies of client ITIN notices.
Requirements
Eleven weeks have passed from the exact IRS receipt date
When you first need U.S. mail received
Open Traveling Mailbox Basic for ordinary mail
Use https://travelingmailbox.com/pricing and choose the Basic plan and an available address. The page currently shows $15/month, 40 incoming envelopes, 35 scanned pages, three recipients and unlimited cloud storage; the provider can complete Form 1583 verification by notary or video call. Forwarding is available worldwide for postage plus $2 per shipment.
Requirements
One current government-issued photo ID, such as a passport
A second current document confirming your New Zealand address, such as a current lease, vehicle registration card, or home or vehicle insurance policy
Completed PS Form 1583 identity verification
Within 10 days of an F-1 address change
Report the place where you actually live
If you enter in F-1 status, give your DSO the actual physical location where you live within 10 days. Keep the virtual mailbox only as a mailing address, and give a bank your residential or business street address when its customer-identification process asks for one.
Requirements
Your U.S. residential address
Your school’s DSO contact or reporting process
Others who faced this
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
Legal sources
These facts come from the IRS’s current ITIN pages and Form W-7 instructions, USPS Form 1583 guidance, the current federal regulations, and the mailbox provider’s published terms.
IRS, How to apply for an ITIN
The IRS’s current public page sets the ordinary overseas ITIN estimate at 9–11 weeks.
IRS, How to apply for an ITIN
Processing time
Allow 7 weeks for us to notify you about your ITIN application status. It can take 9-11 weeks if it’s tax season (January 15 to April 30) or if you applied from overseas.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
After the overseas window ends, an applicant outside the United States can call the IRS’s international number for status.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
Processing times; Telephone help
If you haven’t received your ITIN or correspondence at the end of that time, you can call the IRS to find out the status of your application (see Telephone help, earlier). If you’re outside of the United States, call 267-941-1000 (not a toll-free number) for assistance.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
The W-7 mailing address receives the status notice, and the instructions prohibit a private-company post-office box.
Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024)
Specific Instructions, Line 2
Line 2. Enter your complete mailing address on line 2. This is the address the IRS will use to return your original documents and send written notification of your ITIN application status. Don’t use a post office box owned and operated by a private firm or company.
IRS, How to apply for an ITIN
A CAA can help resolve an application issue and may receive a copy of the client’s ITIN notice.
IRS, How to apply for an ITIN
Apply with an acceptance agent
A Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) can: Complete and review your Form W-7 Authenticate most supporting documents * Return authenticated documents at the end of the appointment Mail your ITIN application package for processing Work with the IRS to resolve any issues with ITIN applications Receive copies of client ITIN notices
USPS CMRA guidance / PS Form 1583
USPS requires Form 1583 and two IDs to open a private mailbox through a commercial mail-receiving agency.
USPS CMRA guidance / PS Form 1583
Customers apply for a PMB at a CMRA and will be required to fill out PS Form 1583. Two forms of ID (one with a photo) are required when applying for a Private Mail Box.
Traveling Mailbox Basic Plan
Traveling Mailbox publishes a transparent basic price and usage allowances suitable for light pre-arrival mail.
Traveling Mailbox Basic Plan
Basic Plan
$ 15 /month 40 Incoming Envelopes / Month 35 Page Scans / Month 3 Mailbox Recipients Unlimited Cloud Storage
Traveling Mailbox forwarding terms
The recommended service supports forwarding to New Zealand or a later U.S. address and publishes its per-shipment service fee.
Traveling Mailbox forwarding terms
Mail Forwarding
Traveling Mailbox can forward your postal mail anywhere in the world. Fee: Postage + $2 per shipment (not per piece).
8 CFR 214.2(f)(17)
An F-1 student generally reports address changes through the DSO and must provide the actual residence rather than a mailbox.
8 CFR 214.2(f)(17)
(f)(17)
A student must inform DHS and the DSO of any legal changes to the student's name or of any change of address, within 10 days of the change, in a manner prescribed by the school. Except in the case of a student who cannot receive mail where the student resides, the address provided by the student must be the actual physical location where the student resides rather than a mailing address.
31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2)(i)(A)(3)
Federal bank customer-identification rules generally require an individual’s street address, with a narrow alternative for someone who has none.
31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2)(i)(A)(3)
(a)(2)(i)(A)(3)
Address, which shall be: (i) For an individual, a residential or business street address; (ii) For an individual who does not have a residential or business street address, an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) box number, or the residential or business street address of next of kin or of another contact individual; or
IRS ITIN guidance
The IRS limits an ITIN to tax use; it is not immigration status, work permission, or general identification.
IRS ITIN guidance
What an ITIN doesn’t do
An ITIN doesn't: Qualify you for Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit Provide or change immigration status Authorize you to work legally in the U.S. Serve as identification outside the federal tax system
These are the official rules and published service terms as available on the cited dates; rules, prices and terms can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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