Need P.O. Box or equivalent

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

Are there private mailbox services available in Taipei?
(These are similar to Post Office Boxes in the US, but owned by private companies, and able to receive packages from multiple carriers (e.g. UPS, DHL, FED-Ex, as well as regular Post Office Mail).

Or can regular Post Office Boxes here also receive packages from other carriers (they can’t in the US)…

What do I need to obtain either of these (Passport, ARC, ???)

Basically, I need a reliable place to receive packages, mostly from overseas, when I’m out of town, with someone available to sign for them and store them until I return. Nothing illegal, I assure you, simply a matter of convenience I once enjoyed in the US and hope to have here as well…

Any reasonable suggestions appreciated!

2

How does one apply for a postal box?

An application form and two copies of chop identification papers can be obtained at the local post office. Taiwan national applicants should bring the ID card and the completed form and chop identification papers to the post office to apply for a postal box.

Foreign applicants should bring the passport or resident ID card and the completed form and chop identification papers to the post office to apply.

3

Don’t know about any private services, but the P.O. Boxes at the public service will accept packages. I got one about a year ago for just that reason. If you have a package come they leave a number in your box and you take it to the window and sign for it. They are quite inexpensive and only require a small deposit for the key. I got mine at a post office near the train station.

4

DHL do not deliever to PO boxes

5

Because most delivery services will not deliver to PO boxes, some private companies in the US allowed their customers to write it like an apartment number. For example: 111 Address Street #222, San Francisco, California. Packages are received and signed for by one of the employees. But then postal regulations made this illegal, probably due to illegal use of this service. US Postal laws now require that you state PO Box somewhere in the address. I seem to always forget this fact. :wink:

6

Ali,
You’re confusing P.O. boxes at the Post Office with Private Mailboxes (i.e., PMB addresses) in the U.S.

In the U.S. (and, it seems, in Taiwan, also) the Government-financed Postal Service prohibits other carriers, such as UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, etc. from delivering packages, envelopes, etc. to P.O. boxes (which are rented from the Postal Service directly).

However, Private Mail boxes (abbreviated PMB, as opposed to P.O. Box), which are rented from private companies, are different in that you can sign an agreement with the company and the postal service to get not only regular mail, but also packages from ANY carrier delivered there.

There was a USPS regulation promulgated about 1 1/2 years ago which stated that the PMB address had to be EXPLICITLY stated (as in 123 Main Street PMB #321, as opposed to 123 Main Street #321, for example) because of perceived ongoing use of such addresses for illicit purposes. However, the private mailbox industry’s lobbying group protested quite vociferously about this, and said regulation, as far as I know, was withdrawn, although lack of publicity about this led to widespread confusion about the current state of affairs.

Again, I’m trying to find out whether private mailbox services exist in Taiwan, allowing for the delivery of both regular mail AND packages/envelopes from Fed-Ex, DHL, UPS, etc. Does anybody know if they exist here, and where I can get more info???