Mail forwarding will not save your parcels, and it starts up to five business days after you buy it. Those are the two facts Canada Post’s checkout page does not put in bold, and they are exactly where a cheque, a replacement bank card or a government letter slips through to your old Montreal address. The service is still worth buying for most moves. It is just worth buying with a clear picture of what $66.50 actually covers.
What does Canada Post mail forwarding cost in 2026?
Prices took a small increase on March 23, 2026. For a residential move, the current rates are:
| Term | Within Quebec | To another province |
|---|---|---|
| 4 months | $66.50 | $82.75 |
| 12 months | $100.75 | $126.25 |
Up to four names at the same address are included, so a family or roommates pay once. Each additional name costs $5. You can buy online with a credit card, which doubles as the identity check, or at a post office with government photo ID. Before a 4-month term runs out you can extend it, but do it before expiry: the day the service lapses, mail delivery to your old address simply resumes.
What gets forwarded and what does not?
Forwarded: regular letter mail, Registered Mail within Canada, and magazines addressed to you. Not forwarded: every parcel class Canada Post sells, prepaid envelopes, flyers, mail addressed to “occupant”, and anything a sender stamped “do not forward”, which is returned to the sender instead. That last category can include government-issued items like PR cards. And forwarding adds transit time: Canada Post’s own standard is the normal delivery time, plus the trip from the old address to the new one, plus a day, with no guarantee attached.
When should you set it up?
About 30 days before the move, which is Canada Post’s own recommendation. The floor is harder: bought online, forwarding can only start 5 business days after purchase, and 3 business days if you buy at a post office. Order it the week of your move and there is a window where mail lands at an apartment you no longer control. Until the start date you can change the dates and destination address for free, so ordering early costs nothing.
Is mail forwarding worth it?
Yes, as a safety net. No, as a strategy. The service does not tell a single sender that you moved, and when it expires your mail goes right back to the old address, so every forwarded envelope should trigger an address update at the source. The 4-month term covers the gap while you work through the real changes: the SAAQ, which carries a 30-day legal deadline, the RAMQ, and Hydro-Québec, which the government’s one-stop service skips entirely. If critical mail is still arriving at your old address ten months after moving, the problem is not the postal service.
Quick answers
How much does Canada Post mail forwarding cost in 2026?
For a move within Quebec, $66.50 for 4 months or $100.75 for 12 months, at prices effective March 23, 2026. Moving to another province costs $82.75 for 4 months or $126.25 for 12 months. Up to four names at the same address are included, and each additional name costs $5.
Does Canada Post forward parcels?
No. No parcel class is forwarded, not Priority, not Xpresspost, not Regular Parcel. Canada Post’s own wording is that if you are expecting parcel deliveries you must advise the senders of your new address, even with mail forwarding in place. Letters, Registered Mail within Canada and magazines are what actually get forwarded.
How long before mail forwarding starts working?
Bought online, the service can start as early as 5 business days after purchase. Bought at a post office, as early as 3 business days. Canada Post recommends placing the order about 30 days before you move, and anything mailed before the start date still goes to the old address.
Forwarding buys you time, not a solution. Our 30-day moving checklist sequences the address changes that make it unnecessary, and the 2026 Montreal moving cost guide covers what the move itself should run you.
