Effective July 6, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 507.9.3.2 and 507.9.5.2 to eliminate the option to obtain a Business Reply Mail® (BRM) permit online. Additionally, the electronic version of PS Form 6805, Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) Application, will also be removed.
Currently, customers can apply for BRM permits and QBRM authorization online or in person at any Post Office™ facility. The ability to obtain a BRM permit online has been available since 2004 but has not sustained the volume of users to support maintaining the system.
Published as a Federal Register final rule on May 28, 2010 (75 FR 29893–29894), the ability to obtain a BRM permit online was eliminated, and customers are now required to visit a Post Office™ facility to submit a completed hardcopy PS Form 3615, Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile, to obtain a BRM permit. In addition, customers requesting authorization for QBRM will also be required to visit a Post Office to complete a printed PS Form 6805.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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507 Mailer Services
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9.0 Business Reply Mail (BRM)
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9.3 Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) Basic Standards
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9.3.2 Authorization
[Delete item 9.3.2b in its entirety and incorporate item 9.3.2a into the introductory paragraph as follows:]
To participate in QBRM, a mailer must have a valid BRM permit, must pay the annual account maintenance fee, and must submit Form 6805 to the postmaster or manager, Business Mail Entry at the Post Office to which the QBRM pieces are to be returned. The USPS reviews Form 6805 and preproduction samples provided by the mailer for compliance with relevant standards. If the mailer’s request is approved, the USPS issues the mailer an authorization via the approved Form 6805.
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9.5 Permits
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9.5.2 Application Process
[Delete item 9.5.2b in its entirety and incorporate item 9.5.2a into the introductory paragraph as follows:]
The mailer may apply for a BRM permit by submitting a completed Form 3615 to the Post Office issuing the permit and paying the annual permit fee. If a completed Form 3615 is already on file for the mailer for other permits at that office, then the mailer must submit the annual BRM permit fee and the USPS amends Form 3615 by adding the BRM authorization.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 6-17-10
