Effective June 23, 2019, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), in various sections to include a more flexible option for package addressees to provide an electronic signature indicating delivery of a package.
The Postal Service is adding an electronic option for deliveries. Customers have the option to sign up through Informed Delivery® and provide a signature electronically. This will enable the customer to apply the previously provided signature to future Commercial package deliveries sent to the customer‘s address using Priority Mail Express®, Signature Confirmation™ service, or Insurance for more than $500, which eliminates the need for a signature at the time of delivery. When the shipper does not reject the use of the previously provided signature, the customer who previously provided an electronic signature will be given the option for each delivery whether to sign at the time of delivery, or use the previously provided electronic signature.
For Priority Mail Express, the shipper already must request a signature in order for it to be collected. This will make the previously provided electronic signature available for such deliveries, unless the shipper indicates on the shipping manifest that the signature needs to be collected from the recipient at the time of delivery.
Application to all shipments using Priority Mail Express, Signature Confirmation service, and Insurance for more than $500, rather than just Commercial shipments, may be phased in later.
Changes to the DMM language include a more general reference to the signature for the affected services, while adding a description of “signature” which distinguishes between the traditional signature and the electronic signature.
Additionally, the Postal Service will remove outdated text referring to Priority Mail Express labels printed before January 2012.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until June 23, 2019, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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100 Retail Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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110 Priority Mail Express
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115 Mail Preparation
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2.0 Priority Mail Express 1-Day and 2-Day
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[Delete 2.2, “Waiver of Signature,” in its entirety and renumber current 2.3 and 2.4 as new 2.2 and 2.3.]
2.2 Signature Required
[Revise the first sentence of renumbered 2.2 to read as follows:]
For editions of Priority Mail Express Label 11-B or Label 11–F printed on or after January 2012, a mailer sending a Priority Mail Express item, and requiring a signature, must instruct USPS to provide a signature by checking the “signature required” box on Label 11-B or Label 11-F or indicating a signature is requested on a single-ply commercial label.***
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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210 Priority Mail Express
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215 Mail Preparation
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2.0 Priority Mail Express 1-Day and 2-Day
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[Delete 2.2, “Waiver of Signature,” in its entirety and renumber current 2.3 and 2.4 as new 2.2 and 2.3.]
2.2 Signature Required
[Revise the first sentence of renumbered 2.2 to read as follows:]
For editions of Priority Mail Express Label 11-B or Label 11–F printed on or after January 2012, a mailer sending a Priority Mail Express item, and requiring a signature, must instruct USPS to provide a signature by checking the “signature required” box on Label 11-B or Label 11-F or indicating a signature is requested on a single-ply commercial label.***
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500 Additional Mailing Services
503 Extra Services
1.0 Basic Standards for All Extra Services
1.1 Description
[Revise the first sentence of 1.1 to read as follows:]
Extra services described in 2.0 through 11.0 provide optional services, such as insurance coverage, restricted delivery, and evidence of mailing, or a record of delivery (which includes a signature).***
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1.8 Obtaining Delivery Information and Delivery Records
[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. Information by article number can be retrieved at usps.com or by calling 1-800-222-1811. A proof of delivery letter (including a signature, when available) may be provided by email. When a proof of delivery letter includes a signature, the signature provided may be a signature that was obtained from the recipient at the time of delivery, or, for certain services, an electronic signature that was previously provided by the addressee (or representative) and is maintained on file with the Postal Service. Eligible mailers may require at the time of mailing that a signature be obtained from the recipient at the time of delivery.
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4.0 Insured Mail
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4.3 Basic Standards
4.3.1 Description
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[Revise the fourth and fifth sentences of item c. to read as follows:]
c. ***An item insured for more than $500.00 receives a delivery scan (includes returns products meeting the applicable standards in 505) and USPS provides a signature as the delivery record to the mailer electronically (excludes returns products). Customers may optionally obtain a delivery record by purchasing a printed return receipt (PS Form 3811; also see 6.0; excludes returns products).***
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8.0 USPS Signature Services
8.1 Basic Standards
8.1.1 Description
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[Revise the second sentence of item a. to read as follows:]
a. ***A delivery record (including a signature) is maintained by USPS and is available electronically or by email upon request.***
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508 Recipient Services
1.0 Recipient Options
1.1 Basic Recipient Concerns
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1.1.7 Priority Mail Express and Accountable Mail
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[Revise the text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. Unless an electronic signature is used as described in 503.1.8a, a mailpiece may not be opened or given to the recipient before the recipient signs and legibly prints his or her name on the applicable form or label and returns the form or label to the USPS employee.
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 5-9-19
