Redirection and Holding
The Postal Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network will forward mail to a new address within the Velocity Interoperability Network, or hold it at a post office while you are away. Both services are arranged at any of the six full post offices and are available to staff of member organisations, to citizens of the Network and to organisations that do not hold a business account.
Redirection is intended for the period after a move, while correspondents are being told of the new address. Holding is intended for an absence, when there is no one at the address to receive mail and it is not wanted at another. Only one of the two services may be in force for an address at any time.
Apply five working days before a redirection begins
Redirection prices. The price covers all the mail of up to six named persons at one address for the period chosen.
| Period | Price | Length | Intended for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One month | 12.00 | Up to 31 days from the day the service begins | A short absence, or the interval between two addresses |
| Three months | 28.00 | Up to 92 days from the day the service begins | A move within the Network, or a temporary posting to another site |
| Twelve months | 80.00 | Up to 366 days from the day the service begins | A permanent move, allowing correspondents a full year to be told of the change |
Applying for a redirection. The steps below apply to every application.
Step 1: Apply at any full post office
Applications for redirection are made at one of the six full post offices. Counters cannot accept them. Apply at least five working days before the service is to begin, so that the delivery rounds concerned can be instructed.
Step 2: Bring identification and proof of both addresses
Bring your staff or citizen identification and a document showing your name at the address the mail is leaving, together with the postcode of the address to which it is to go. Both addresses must be within the Network.
Step 3: Name everyone whose mail is to be redirected
One application covers up to six named persons at one address, at no additional charge. Mail addressed to a person who is not named is delivered to the old address as before. Organisations should apply through their account rather than by this means.
Step 4: Choose the period
Redirection is sold for one, three or twelve months. A twelve-month redirection may be renewed once, at the same price, and thereafter correspondents are expected to have been told of the new address.
Step 5: Receive the confirmation
The Service confirms the application by email within two working days and states the date on which the redirection begins. Keep the confirmation: it carries the reference by which the redirection may be cancelled or amended.
Step 6: Tell your correspondents
Redirection is a means of catching what has been missed, not a substitute for giving a new address. Redirected mail arrives one working day later than the standard for its rate, and the redirection ends on the date shown in the confirmation.
Holding prices. Holding is charged by the week and is limited to eight weeks, after which mail is delivered to the address as before.
| Service | Price | Length | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holding at a post office | 5.00 a week | One to eight weeks | Mail is held at the post office named in the application and may be collected at any time during counter hours |
| Extension of a holding | 5.00 a week | To a maximum of eight weeks in all | Applied for at the same office before the holding ends |
| Redelivery of held mail at the end of a holding | No charge | The first working day after the holding ends | Mail is delivered in one batch on the day the holding ends, or held for collection for a further five working days |
Applying for a holding. The steps below apply to every application.
Step 1: Choose the post office
Mail may be held at any of the six full post offices, whether or not it is the office that serves your address. Choose the office at which it will be convenient to collect it.
Step 2: Apply at least three working days before the holding begins
Applications are made at a full post office and take effect from the working day named, provided three working days' notice is given. Bring identification and the postcode of the address concerned.
Step 3: Pay for the number of weeks required
Holding is charged at 5.00 credits a week, for a minimum of one week and a maximum of eight. A part week is charged as a full week.
Step 4: Collect the mail, or let it be delivered
Held mail may be collected at any time during counter hours on presentation of identification, or left until the holding ends, when it is delivered in one batch on the first working day after the last day of the holding.
Step 5: Extend or end the holding
A holding may be extended, up to the maximum of eight weeks in all, by applying at the same office before it ends. It may be ended early by writing to the Service, and any unused weeks are refunded at the counter.
Conditions. The conditions below apply to both services.
- What is redirected
- Letters, large letters and parcels addressed to a named person at the old address are redirected. The Service applies a label bearing the new address; the original address remains visible, so that the sender can be told of the change by the recipient.
- What is not redirected
- Items addressed to a post office box, items addressed to an occupier or a room rather than to a person, bulk mail posted under a business account, and items already marked for return to the sender are not redirected. Such items are delivered to the old address or returned as they are addressed.
- Items requiring a signature
- Registered, insured and signed-for items are redirected, but a signature is taken at the new address. Where the recipient is not there, a card is left and the item is held at the post office serving the new address for fifteen working days.
- Held mail that cannot be kept
- Perishable items, and items whose packaging is damaged or leaking, are not held. They are delivered on the day they arrive, or returned to the sender where delivery is not possible.
- Cancelling and amending
- A redirection or a holding may be cancelled at any time by writing to the Service and quoting the reference in the confirmation. Fees for a redirection are not refunded once the service has begun; unused weeks of a holding are refunded.
- Accuracy of the application
- The Service acts on the addresses given in the application. It is not responsible for mail redirected to an address given wrongly, and an application may be amended only by the person who made it, on production of identification.
Organisations. A member organisation that is moving a whole office, or that wishes mail for a site to be forwarded, should arrange the change through its business account rather than by an application at the counter, so that account posting, franking and bulk mail move with it. See Business Services.
The offices at which applications may be made are listed on the Finding a Post Office page, and the prices of these services appear with the rest of the tariff on the Services and Prices page. Enquiries about an application in force may be sent to contact@postal.gov.vin, quoting its reference.