Dubai: In the UAE, the postal service is managed by Emirates Post, which is the official postal operator across all emirates. Individuals who wish to get a personal post box can rent one from the Emirates Post Office. The rental charges are levied on a yearly basis, and can vary depending on whether you wish to get a basic service – where the post box is located at an Emirates Post branch – or a home service – where the post box is at your home, with mail delivered weekly by Emirates Post.
Address system in the UAE
The UAE does not have zip or postal codes for areas. Instead, the postal system is organised as per the post office box number or PO Box number, provided by Emirates Post to individuals and companies.
If you are a working professional, the easiest way to receive mail is by providing your company’s postal address. Companies in the UAE have registered postal addresses and an employee from the organisation is often tasked with retrieving all the mail delivered to the post box on a regular basis.
However, if you wish to have a personal post box, you can do that as well by applying to Emirates Post.
This can be done by visiting the Emirates Post branch closest to you and filling out the necessary forms and making the payment at the branch; or online, through the organisation’s website – www.emiratespost.ae
How to rent a post box?
If you wish to rent a post box in the UAE, you would need to follow these steps:
1. Visit emiratespost.ae
2. Select the ‘Personal services’ option from the menu bar.
3. Click on ‘Rent a PO Box’.
4. Click on ‘Go to My PO Box’ and you will receive two options for a personal post box – ‘MyBox’ and ‘MyHome’. The MyBox service – priced at Dh300 per year – will provide a post box at one of the Emirates Post locations of your choice. You would need to visit the postal office to collect your delivered items, and access is provided 24x7. Under the MyHome service – priced at Dh995 per year – the mail will be delivered to your home on a weekly basis.
5. Once you hit ‘Apply’, you will be asked to create an Emirates Post account.
6. Fill out the form by entering your full name, Emirates ID number, mobile number and email address. Set a password.
7. Once you have finished creating your account, you will receive an ‘epbox.ae’ virtual P. O. Box ID, which is similar to an email address for your Emirates Post account.
8. You will be sent a verification email, to your registered email address. Once you click on the verification link, you would need to sign in to the website – emiratespost.ae – using your new credentials.
9. Click on ‘Rent a PO Box’.
10. Select the emirate in which you live and then select the Emirates Post branch closest to you.
11. You will then be given a list of available PO Box numbers, from which you would be required to select one.
12. The next option is to choose the PO Box expiry date. This will essentially allow you to choose the duration for which you wish to rent the post box – one, two or three years. The amount you are charged will vary accordingly.
13. Review your details – You will then be given all the details related to your PO Box, including the owner’s name, the preferred branch and the post box number.
14. At this stage, you can also select an agent (a family member or trusted friend), who you would like to authorise to handle your PO Box, apart from you. You would be allowed to add the agent for free for the first year. For subsequent years, a yearly fee of Dh50 would be applicable. You would be required to provide the individuals’ full name, mobile number, Emirates ID number and upload a copy of their Emirates ID.
15. Confirm the payment.
16. You will then receive an email confirming your payment.
17. To access your PO Box and receive the key, you would need to visit the Emirates Post branch that you have selected. You can also get the key delivered to your home for a fee of Dh30.
Note: This service is for individuals who would like to get a post box. The process and prices vary if you are a small business, as you would need to apply for a corporate account.
Cost of renting a post box in the UAE
MyBox – Dh300 per year
MyHome – Dh995 per year
Locations
Emirates Post has around 88 branches spread across all emirates in the UAE. You can select the branch located closest to you to ensure you can regularly check and retrieve any mail or parcels delivered.
