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I rented a house in state A but am currently visiting relatives in state B for quite a long time. I know that there is Deutsche Post's Nachsendeservice mail forwarding service. I have a few questions and I hope someone with experience can help:

  1. My name is not on the mailbox at my relative's house. When I register for the Nachsenden service, I can add it to the Addresszusatz section like below, then Briefträger will put my mail in my relative's mailbox? e.g. last name of relative is XXX in apartment number 32, then I will add to Addresszusatz on the Deutsche Post web like:
c/o XXX - #32

enter image description here

  1. If I return to state A in the future and stay there for a short time and the mail forwarding service is still active, how can my relatives in state B send me letters? If they write "nicht Nachsenden" in the envelope then I will receive letters in state A from my relatives in state B?

  2. If my letter cannot be delivered to state B, will it be returned to the sender without being forwarded to state A?

  3. If I choose to sign up for a mail forwarding service, can I cancel after a period of time and how can I cancel so that they will send my mail to state A?

Thanks,

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  1. Yes, as far as I know a care of address is sufficient. Note, the address needs to be formatted like this:

    Fr. Bằng Rikimaru
c/o Hr. Brother XXX
Hauptstraße 99 // App. 32
Someville 12345

    Appartement 32 is the Adresszusatz. The apartment number is separated by a double-slash and part of the street name and house number line.

  2. The nicht nachsenden note instructs the mailhub computer systems to

    • print the encoded (Zielcode) inside address as is (thus perform no translation)
    • and not print (and attach) a corrected human‑readable removable self‑adhesive label to the envelope.

    Therefore your mail should be (attempted to be) delivered to your “old” address.

  3. Undelivered mail is kept for seven working days at the local post office (or one of the many “service points” e. g. at the gas station). If it is not picked up, it is returned to the sender (if a domestic address is specified). There is no attempt made at delivering mail to your address in State A, that would be uneconomical.

  4. You book the forwarding service for a limited amount of time. Should you need to cancel or amend the contract before it expires, you are supposed to contact customer support specifying the order number. There are no refunds if the forwarding period already started.

  5. If it is feasible simply inform any potential senders of your whereabouts. Some senders will always mail important letters with a do not forward note, e. g. the broadcasting fees collectors GEZ, so you need to check (or let someone check) your mailbox anyway. For that purpose, there is also a mail announcement service so you can learn about imminent deliveries during the night mail is processed for you (and esp. who is sending mail if a return address is printed on the front).

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  • many thanks for you comment with detailed answers. Regarding to my first question, when I access shop.deutschepost.de/nachsendeservice-beauftragen and I select reason as "Vorübergehende Abwesenheit", then it has the fields like below: imgur.com/a/vEE4tnw and I filled it like this: i.imgur.com/IKwmj2u.jpeg. I hope that Deutsche Post will add "c/o" from the "Adresszusatz" on the letters which will be sent to me on state A. Because the first filed "Adresszusatz" has the description with possibility to add "c/o", but not in the second "Adresszusatz" field .
    – Bằng Rikimaru
    Commented Jul 14 at 9:39
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    @BằngRikimaru What you write in the 'Adresszusatz' is up to you (they will not add anything). It is what the person delivering the letter will read. So some form of 'c/o' (or 'Bei' or both) to make it clear by whome the letter should be deposited.
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Jul 14 at 10:41
  • @MarkJohnson thanks! So what I wrote in the second "Adresszusatz" field seem to be correct in this image: imgur.com/IKwmj2u. In this case, the Postman will throw my letters in my relative's mail box with last name 'XXX', because I added 'c/o XXX - # Apartment 32' instead of resending my letters to the senders.
    – Bằng Rikimaru
    Commented Jul 14 at 13:16
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    @BằngRikimaru I would strongly recommend putting your last name on the mailbox at your relatives house. If the address is specified as in this answer it should work without your name on the mailbox but the mailman might still mess up. If your name is just somewhere in the address, as you propose with the Adresszusatz, a competent mailman will figure it out but there is no guarantee and I wouldn't rely on it.
    – quarague
    Commented Jul 15 at 6:43
  • @quarague thanks for your suggestion. I'd love to put my last name on the relative's mailbox. But I worried the Hausmeister will know that I'm living with my relative for a long times (for months, technically I'm living without their consent). I'm worried, this can harm my relative's contract with the renting company. BTW, it is not my last name (e.g. Rikimaru) on the Adresszusatz, but my relative's name (XXX) on the Adresszusatz in the filled form imgur.com/IKwmj2u.
    – Bằng Rikimaru
    Commented Jul 15 at 6:57

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