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Summary
S912 describes information and procedures for certified
mail, including eligibility requirements, fees and postage, and mailing
locations.
[9-9-04] Certified mail service provides the sender with
a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an
article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Customers
can retrieve the delivery status in three ways: (1) over the Internet
at www.usps.com by entering the article number shown on the mailing
receipt; (2) by telephone at 1-800-222-1811; or (3) by bulk electronic
file transfer for mailers who provide an electronic manifest to the
Postal Service. Certified mail is dispatched and handled in transit
as ordinary mail. Delivery of certified mail is subject to
href="D042.htmhttp://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/s912.htm#Rbj15220">D042. No insurance coverage is provided.
The Postal Service maintains a record of delivery (which includes the
recipient’s signature) for a specified period of time. Customers
may obtain a delivery record by purchasing return receipt service. See
href="S915.htmhttp://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/s912.htm#Rgn12181">S915 for details.
Only mailable matter on which postage is paid at a First-Class
Mail rate (including Priority Mail) may be accepted as certified mail.
The certified mail fee must be paid in addition to the
correct postage. The fee and postage may be paid with ordinary postage
stamps, meter stamps, or permit imprints. The fee and postage on official
mail of federal government agencies and departments are collected under
the applicable reimbursement procedures.
Purchasing certified mail service allows customers to then
purchase restricted delivery service or a return receipt.
Mailers may request a delivery record after mailing under
href="S915.htmhttp://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/s912.htm#Rgn12181">S915.
A mailer may mail certified mail at a post office, branch,
or station or give it to a rural carrier. Certified mail may also be
deposited in a post office maildrop, a street letterbox, a nonpersonnel
unit, or any other receptacle for First-Class Mail, subject to
href="http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/s912.htm#Rgk10335">2.5.
Certified mail may be addressed for delivery only in the
United States and its territories and possessions, through APOs and
FPOs, or through the United Nations Post Office, New York.
Certified mail must bear a barcoded green Form 3800
(see
href="http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/s912.htm#Rgk14777">Exhibit 2.3). The label part of the form must
be placed above the delivery address and to the right of the return
address, or to the left of the delivery address on parcels.
If authorized, a mailer may use a privately printed Form
3800. The privately printed form must be nearly identical in design,
color, and fluorescent properties to the USPS form with a barcode and
human readable numbers that meet the USPS specifications in Publication
109. A minimum of three preproduction samples must be submitted
to the business mail entry manager serving the mailer’s location
for review by the mailpiece design analyst. Once approved, the mailer
must print sample labels with barcodes to be certified under the technical
requirements in Publication 109.
Exhibit 2.3
A mailer of certified mail must:
a. Enter on Form 3800 the name and complete address
of the person or firm to whom the mail is addressed.
b. If a return receipt is requested, check the block
on the mailing receipt to show the fee. Near the certified mail endorsement
on the address side, add the endorsement “Return Receipt Requested.”
Enter the certified mail number on the return receipt card, address
it to himself or herself, and attach it to the back of a small envelope
or on the front of a package or large envelope, if the card does not
cover the address. Enter the name and delivery address on the reverse
of the return receipt to show where the receipt is to be sent. When
a return receipt is requested, a complete return address (sender’s
name and delivery address) is required on the mailpiece. The name and
delivery address entered on the reverse of the return receipt do not
have to match the sender’s name and return address on the mailpiece.
c. Affix to the envelope enough postage to pay for the
certified mail fee and First-Class Mail rate and, if requested, the
return receipt fee.
d. If a postmarked sender’s receipt is requested,
attach the certified mail sticker to the address side of the article
and present the article and the completed receipt to the USPS employee,
who then round-dates the receipt to show when the article was accepted.
If asked to do so, the USPS employee also shows on the receipt the time
the article was accepted. Otherwise, attach the “certified mail”
sticker to the address side of the article, detach the receipt, and
mail the article. Mark the receipt to show the date.
e. If restricted delivery of certified mail to the addressee
or someone named by the addressee in writing is requested, endorse the
mail “Restricted Delivery.” This service is available only
for articles addressed to individuals by name.
If three or more certified articles are presented for mailing
at one time, the mailer may use Form 3877 (firm sheet) or privately
printed firm sheets. Privately printed or computer-generated sheets
that contain the same information as Form 3877 may be approved by the
local postmaster. The mailer may omit columns from Form 3877 that are
not applicable to certified mail. If the mailer wants the firm sheets
receipted by the USPS, the mailer must present the books with the articles
to be mailed at a post office. The sheets of the books become the mailer’s
receipts. All entries made in firm sheets must be made by typewriter,
ink, or ballpoint pen. Alterations must be initialed by the mailer and
accepting employee. All unused portions of the addressee column must
be obliterated with a diagonal line.
DMM Issue 58 Updated 01-06-05