What is a Maildrop?

There are a lot of absolutely legitimate reasons to use a maildrop. And there are some not so legitimate. We will not go into this deeper; if you are reading this you will know why you are interested in the matter. Basically there are four reasons why anyone would use a mail drop:

• to receive mail in your own name in a discreet fashion;
• to have a permanent address while permanent traveling;
• to receive mail in another name, like a "pen name";
• to put distance between yourself and the sender of a mail;
• to incorporate a company without renting a real office;
• to take advantage of opportunities offered by foreign jurisdictions, like liberal investment regulations or less miserable privacy protection laws;
• to enjoy a higher degree of privacy and to become independent of big brother.
• to avoid being victim of a mail cover.

You will find maildrops in the Yellow Pages under "Business Services", "Office Services", "Mail forwarding", "Domiciliation Service" or "Secretarial Service". In Germany you will find them under "Büroservice" or "Geschäftsadresse", in France under "Domiciliation" or "Centre d'affair".

Companies advertising as "Business Centers" or "Serviced Offices", are offering maildrop services, too, but concentrate more on the corporate user renting short or long term office space. Prices for maildrop services in business centers are substantiial higher, private persons often are not easily accepted as clients, anonymity is normally not possible.

The rules for postal services to deliver a letter are quite different in various countries. While in the UK any letter addressed to a street address or a mailbox will be delivered, regardless of the name on the envelope, in other countries the name on the envelope needs to meet the name at the door. All maildrop operators refuse mail for names not registered with them. Some countries require the maildrop operator to get your identity, other don't.

Maildrop companies are doing a perfectly legal job. It is a profession like any other. They pay taxes and must comply with all requirements of the country in which they operate. That requires them in most countries to know the identity of their clients and to log the flow of money.

Please always keep in mind that their own safety is more important to any maildrop provider than your privacy. Therefore, to enhance the safety, W.G. Hill suggested to chain several maildrops in his classic PT-Books.