page_title: Post office box
section_title: Mounting of boxes
hierarchical_section_title: Post office box / Mounting of boxes
caption_attribution_description: English: Post office boxes in a US post office lobby.
context_page_description: A post office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station.
  In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery of mail; for example, in Kenya. Consequently, renting a PO box has traditionally been the only way to receive mail in such countries.
  Generally, post office boxes are rented from the post office either by individuals or by businesses on a basis ranging from monthly to annual, and the cost of rent varies depending on the box size. Central business district PO boxes are usually more expensive than rural PO boxes.
  In the United States, the rental rate used to be uniform across the country. Now, however, a postal facility can be in any of seven fee groups by location; in addition, certain customers qualify for free box rental, usually because the Postal Service does not offer carrier-route delivery to their physical addresses.
  In the United Kingdom, Royal Mail PO boxes are often little more than pigeon-holes in the secure section of a sorting office and are accessible only by staff.
context_section_description: Post office boxes are usually mounted in a wall of the post office, either an external wall or a wall in a lobby, so that staff on the inside may deposit mail in a box, while a key holder (some older post office boxes use a combination dial instead of a key) in the lobby or on the outside of the building may open his or her box to retrieve the mail.
caption: PO boxes in the lobby of a U.S. post office
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