While you search for a virtual mailbox in Illinois to handle your mail, it appears that they are all the same. It may seem that way, but they are NOT. I’ve been using virtual addresses for more than a decade, and what I’ve learned will help you choose the best location and company for your needs.
You’re going to find an explanation of the features to look for in an Illinois virtual address, but if you’d like, you can skip down to our recommendations, curated from more than 10 of the top virtual mailbox companies in the USA.
Recommended Illinois Addresses
While you can find a full list of virtual addresses in Illinois below, these are the four addresses we recommend based on company reputation and available features:
**Note: The links in this article may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated if you choose to use one of these virtual addresses in Illinois.
To learn more about choosing and setting up a virtual mailbox, use the following table of contents to navigate throughout this resource.
- How to Choose an Illinois Virtual Mailbox
- How to Set Up a Virtual Mailbox in Illinois
- Top Virtual Mailbox Providers in Chicago, IL
- Full List of Virtual Addresses in Illinois
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Choose an Illinois Virtual Mailbox
Illinois has one of the most diverse economies – from the global reach of Chicago, to many industrial and agricultural hubs, to its richness in natural resources such as coal, timber and petroleum. It is ranked the fifth-largest in gross domestic product (GDP) of any U.S. state. Some of the other metropolitan areas include Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield, it’s capital, all of which could also be great options for a virtual address.
There are two primary questions to ask when choosing an Illinois virtual address:
- What features do I need?
- Is this for business or personal use?
Let’s explore both of these questions.
Features to Look For
An Illinois virtual mailbox provides individuals and businesses with a real, physical mailing address in the state, but that’s not the only benefit. There are numerous advantages to using this kind of mailbox instead of a PO box because of features like scanning, mail forwarding, local pickup and mail shredding.
The below list outlines some of the most valuable features of a virtual mailbox company:
- Scans/Opens: Your plan comes with an allowed amount of scans/opens per month. Carefully review each provider’s plan to see how many pieces of mail you can receive per month as well as how many pages can be scanned per month without incurring additional fees. Those fees add up quickly!
- Mail Forwarding: One awesome advantage of a virtual mailbox is the ability to consolidate your mail and forward it anywhere you want. Now, if you want international forwarding, you need to check if your plan allows that (not all of them do). Also check to see which providers they use. For instance, PostScan Mail has contracts with multiple shipping providers, which usually means you pay less for shipping (see our PostScan Mail review here)
- Local Pickup: This feature is not allowed by every virtual address, so if you will want to pick up your mail occasionally, you need to check for this. Some of them may also charge a fee for pickup (usually $1-$3).
- Check Deposit: Currently, most providers offer check deposit as a feature, but it’s worth double-checking.
- Primary Hub Address: Virtual mailbox companies primarily contract with independent mail centers to provide address locations. This model has it’s downside – their lack of control over quality or security. For this reason, it’s worth considering a virtual mailbox primary hub, particularly if you’re a small business.
You can take into account many features besides these, but it often this boils down to your use case: are you using this address in Illinois for a business or for personal use?
Virtual Business Address in Illinois
There may be plenty of virtual mailbox services providing locations in Illinois, but it’s essential to choose one that really fits the needs of a business your size. Do you receive large volumes of mail or want ensure the security of your mail? Make sure you find a virtual address located in a business park instead of an independent mail center in a strip mall.
It’s also gives your business a more professional look.
If you plan to use a virtual address for an LLC in Illinois (yes, you can do this), it’s crucial that you choose a company that’s been in business for a number of years. It’s would be a huge hassle to have to change your business address if your virtual mailbox company went out of business!
Digitizing your mail could save you a lot of time, money, and headache, and Illinois has plenty of great cities to choose from to get you started with a virtual address for businesses.
Virtual Address for Individuals in IL
Virtual mailbox services are not just reserved for business use. There a plenty of useful reasons to choose a personal virtual addresses for your and your family. For about ten dollars per month, you can enjoy the benefits of a virtual mailbox, especially a greater level of privacy.
You won’t need to give out your personal home address anymore – you can provide your virtual address instead!
Popular providers like iPostal1, Anytime Mailbox, PostScan Mail, and Traveling Mailbox cater to the needs of individuals and families, making it easy to find a service that suits your personal requirements.
How to Set Up Your Illinois Virtual Mailbox
Setting up a virtual mailbox in Illinois requires a few steps but overall is a very straight-forward process. This includes:
- Choose Your Address: Obviously, you will first need to choose the Illinois address you want to use and sign up for the plan that meets your needs.
- USPS Form 1583: In order to allow a company to receive and open your mail for you, the US government must have a signed and notarized USPS Form 1583 consent on file. Most of the time, virtual mailbox providers make this form submission a part of your sign up process.
- Set Up Authorized Recipients: Mailbox providers often allow at least two authorized recipients (i.e. you and your spouse or your name and your business name). Each recipient will need to have a notarized Form 1583 on file with the company.
- Start Receiving Mail: It takes only about an hour to get all set up, after which you can start giving out your new Illinois virtual address.
- Manage Your Digital Mailbox: As you begin to receive mail, your mailbox dashboard will provide you with scans of any incoming mail and give you options for what you can do with that mail. Learn more about how a virtual mailbox works.
Make sure to apply for a change of address (temporary or permanent) online or at your local US post office. Your chosen provider will then scan your mails and packages and upload them to your virtual mailbox for easy access.
Top Virtual Mailbox Providers in Chicago, IL
Do you want your specific virtual mailbox address to be located in Chicago? You can look into Traveling Mailbox, iPostal1, PostScan Mail, and Anytime Mailbox – all of which are excellent options due to their range of features and services. They offer secure mail and package services from USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL, as well as a professional business address and email notification when mail arrives.
The cost of these top virtual mailbox providers in Chicago starts at just $9.99 a month depending on your volume of mail and number of scans. Below is our choices for the best virtual addresses in Chicago, IL.
*This is a primary hub address
For a full list of available virtual addresses in Chicago , sort the full list of Illinois addresses below.
Full List of Illinois Virtual Addresses
We’ve done the hard work of researching the best virtual address companies and collecting a full list of every available Illinois address.
Use the sort and search functions on the table below to find what you’re looking for. Because of the amount of information, it’s often better to view this table from a desktop computer as opposed to your mobile device.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve compiled the most common questions we receive about using a virtual mailbox (in Illinois or anywhere), but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have a ton of great resources to learn about virtual addresses that you can browse.
Yes, you can use a virtual address for your LLC in Illinois. You need to register your business with the Illinois Secretary of State and provide a physical address, rather than a P.O. box, as your registered address.
Virtual address works by allowing you to choose an actual physical address that is owned by a virtual address service. Mail sent to this address is received and scanned by the company before being uploaded to the cloud, giving you access to view and interact with the mail remotely. Learn more about how a virtual address works here.
Illinois is a popular state to register a business because they offer favorable tax incentives, particularly for corporations who do not do business in the state. For this reasons, you’ll see many international businesses set up their US base in Illinois.