Effective July 9, 2023, the Postal Service will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 508.1.8, to reflect updates in regulations concerning Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (CMRAs).
Current sections 1.8.1 through 1.8.3 will be renumbered as sections 1.8.2 through 1.8.4, and current section 1.8.4 (renumbered 1.8.5) will be deleted in its entirety. New section 508.1.8.1, “Commercial Mail Receiving Agency,” will define the type of business considered a CMRA and, therefore, which must comply with requirements in this section. The definitions are based on the type of service the business entity receives from the Postal Service.
An entity that receives U.S. Mail® for multiple customers and single-point mail delivery from the Postal Service is considered a CMRA for purposes of complying with these requirements. Three specifically defined entities must register as a CMRA and comply with these requirements:
1. A CMRA that provides private mailboxes and accepts delivery of mail on behalf of another;
2. An office business center (OBC) that provides private office facilities for others and receives single-point mail delivery from the Postal Service; and
3. A reshipping or redelivery service that accepts delivery of mail on behalf of another for the purpose of reshipping or redelivering that mail physically or electronically.
Renumbered section 1.8.2, “Procedures,” will be revised to include the requirement that a CMRA owner apply to operate a CMRA by submitting a completed PS Form 1583-A, Application to Act as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, and presenting acceptable, and not expired, forms of identification to the Post Office for review. If any information on PS Form 1583-A changes over time or expires, the CMRA owner must submit an updated form to the Postal Service. The Postal Service will scan and upload this form to the Postal Service’s Facilities Database (FDB).
The Postal Service will add a new item 1.8.2e as notice that CMRAs that do not comply with these regulations may be suspended and that CMRAs must comply in 30 days or less, or else the Postal Service may terminate the CMRA’s authorization to accept mail on behalf of others. Additionally, the Postal Service will add new item 1.8.2f to state that private mailboxes (PMBs) may not be used for unlawful activity.
Renumbered section 1.8.3, “Delivery to CMRA,” will be revised to specify requirements related to PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent, that are necessary with the implementation of the new CMRA Customer Registration Database.
Item a. of renumbered 1.8.3 will be revised to specify that CMRA owners or managers must complete and submit a PS Form 1583 regarding themselves and that spouses must each complete a separate PS Form 1583 to both receive mail at the same PMB address. The Postal Service is also specifying that the name and address information submitted on PS Form 1583 must match the photo and address verification documents provided with the application, or the application will be rejected. Identification documents must be current (not expired). Any changes to the information on a PS Form 1583 will require submitting a new PS Form 1583.
Item c. of renumbered 1.8.3 will be revised to specify that CMRA owners or managers will be required to enter the data from PS Form 1583 and upload copies of the supporting documents into the Postal Service’s electronic CMRA Customer Registration Database rather than provide paper copies to their local Post Office™.
The Postal Service is adding new Item h. in renumbered 1.8.3 to specify that CMRA owners or managers must enter the date PMBs close into the CMRA Customer Registration Database, and that any expired, illegible, or unclear documents are not acceptable and will not be considered in compliance.
New Item i. of renumbered 1.8.3 will specify that each quarter CMRA owners or managers must certify that the information they submitted in the CMRA Customer Registration Database is current, with certifications due 15 days after the end of each quarter.
Renumbered item j. (current item i.) of renumbered 1.8.3 will be revised to specify that CMRAs must comply in no more than 30 days by correcting all deficiencies that the Postal Service identifies.
The Postal Service is adding a new item 1.8.3l to specify that the Chief Postal Inspector may direct the CMRA to withhold mail from delivery to an individual PMB and return that mail to the Postal Service.
Renumbered section 1.8.4, “Addressee and CMRA Agreement,” will be updated to describe procedures when the relationship between a CMRA and PMB holder end.
Item a. of renumbered 1.8.4 will be revised to specify that CMRA owners or managers must record when a PMB closes, enter that date in the CMRA Customer Registration Database, and maintain their records for a minimum of 6 months after the PMB closes.
Item b. of renumbered 1.8.4 will be revised to specify that if a CMRA reships, or otherwise remails the mail addressed to a PMB, whether physically or electronically, the CMRA must record on PS Form 1583 and in the CMRA Customer Registration Database the address where the CMRA reships, remails, or transmits the customer’s mail.
Additionally, if the mail is physically collected during the period that the PMB is active, but remailed during the 6-month period immediately after the PMB is closed, the remail address must be entered into the CMRA Customer Registration Database.
Item d. of renumbered 1.8.4 will be deleted in its entirety because the information in it is addressed in the revisions described above. Current items e. through g. of renumbered 1.8.4 will be renumbered as d. through f.
The Postal Service is deleting current section 1.8.4, “Office Business Center Acting as a CMRA,” in its entirety since office business centers (OBCs) are defined as CMRAs for purposes of this regulation as specified in new section 1.8.1.
The Postal Service believes these revisions will provide customers with a more efficient process for establishing a CMRA.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until July 9, 2023, the standards are effective July 1, 2023.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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508 Recipient Services
1.0 Recipient Options
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1.8 Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies
[Add new 1.8.1 to read as follows and renumber current 1.8.1 through 1.8.4 as 1.8.2 through 1.8.5:]
1.8.1 Commercial Mail Receiving Agency
The definition of a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency is as follows:
a. A Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) is defined as a business that, in whole or in part, accepts the delivery of U.S. Mail on behalf of another person or entity as a business service. U.S. Mail is inclusive of all classes of mail.
b. An office business center (OBC) is a business that operates primarily to provide private office facilities and other business support services to individuals or firms (customers). OBCs receive single-point delivery. OBCs are considered CMRAs for Postal Service purposes and must comply with the requirements in 508.1.8.
c. A business or individual that operates primarily to provide reshipping or redelivery services to individuals or firms (customers) is considered a CMRA for Postal Service purposes and must comply with requirements in 508.1.8.
1.8.2 Procedures
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[Revise the second paragraph of item b. of renumbered item 1.8.2 to read as follows:]
The CMRA owner or manager must present acceptable primary and secondary forms of identification as specified under 608.10.0. The forms of identification presented must be current (not expired). These forms of identification must contain sufficient information to confirm that the applicant is who he or she claims to be and is traceable to the bearer. The postmaster (or designee) must list and record on PS Form 1583-A (block 10) sufficient information to identify the two acceptable forms of identification.
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[Revise the second sentence of the third paragraph of item b. of renumbered item 1.8.2 to read as follows:]
***If any information required on PS Form 1583-A changes, the CMRA owner or manager must file a new application with the postmaster.
[Revise the text of item c. of renumbered 1.8.2 to read as follows:]
c. The postmaster (or designee) must verify the documentation to confirm that the CMRA owner or manager resides at the permanent home address shown on Form 1583-A; witness the signature of the CMRA owner or manager; and sign Form 1583-A. The postmaster must provide the CMRA owner or manager with a copy of the DMM regulations relevant to operating a CMRA under 1.8. The CMRA owner or manager must sign the Form 1583-A acknowledging receipt of the regulations. The postmaster must file the original of the completed Form 1583-A at the Post Office, scan and upload a copy into the Facilities Database (FDB), and provide the CMRA with a duplicate copy.
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[Revise the text of renumbered 1.8.2 by adding new items e. and f. to read as follows:]
e. CMRAs that do not operate within Postal Service regulations will be suspended from authorization to act as a CMRA until the CMRA complies with regulations. If the CMRA does not comply in 30 days or less, the Postal Service may terminate the CMRA’s authorization to accept mail on behalf of others.
f. A Private Mail Box (PMB) must not be used for, or in connection with, a scheme or enterprise that violates any federal, state, or local law; breaches an agreement with a federal, state, or local agency whereby the box customer has agreed to discontinue a specified activity; or violates or attempts to evade any order of a court or administrative body.
1.8.3 Delivery to CMRA
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[Revise the text of item a. of renumbered 1.8.3 to read as follows:]
a. The following applies:
1. Mail delivery to a CMRA requires that CMRA owners or managers complete and sign PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent, regarding themselves. A separate PS Form 1583 must be completed for each addressee of a Private Mail Box (PMB) for residential or personal use. Spouses must each complete and sign a separate PS Form 1583 to both receive mail at the same PMB. Each spouse must provide acceptable primary and secondary forms of identification as specified under 608.10.0.
2. A parent or guardian may receive delivery of a minor’s mail by listing the name(s) of each minor on PS Form 1583 (block 11).
3. The CMRA owner or manager, authorized employee, or a notary public must witness the signature of the addressee. The addressee must complete all entries on PS Form 1583. The CMRA owner or manager must verify the documentation to confirm that the addressee resides or conducts business at the permanent address shown on PS Form 1583. The address is verified if there is no discrepancy between information on the application and the identification presented.
4. If information on the application does not match the identification, the CMRA must deny the application. Furnishing false information on the application or refusing to provide required information is reason for withholding the addressee’s mail from delivery to the agent and returning it to the sender.
5. When any information required on PS Form 1583 changes, the addressee must complete a new application with the CMRA. The addressee must provide acceptable primary and secondary forms of identification as specified under 608.10.0. The identification presented must be current (not expired). It must contain sufficient information to confirm that the applicant is who he or she claims to be and is traceable to the bearer.
6. The CMRA owner or manager must list and record on PS Form 1583 (block 10) sufficient information to identify the acceptable primary and secondary forms of identification presented and write on PS Form 1583 (block 4) the complete CMRA delivery address used to deliver mail to the addressee.
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[Revise the text of item c. of renumbered 1.8.3 to read as follows:]
c. The CMRA must enter the information provided on each PS Form 1583 and upload a clear and legible copy of each identification document into the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database (CRD). The following also applies:
1. The CMRA must maintain, at a minimum, a digital copy of a completed PS Form 1583 at the CMRA business location. The PS Form 1583 must be available at all times for examination by Postal Service representatives and Postal Service inspectors.
2. Images of the primary and secondary forms of identification are not required to be retained at the CMRA after they are uploaded into the CMRA Customer Registration Database. If, upon review by the Postal Service, the image uploaded is not clear and legible, the CMRA will be notified to promptly collect and upload a replacement image.
[Delete item d. of renumbered item 1.8.3 in its entirety and renumber current items e. through h. as items d. through g.]
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[Add new items h. and i. to read as follows and renumber current items i. and j. as items j. and k:]
h. The CMRA must ensure that all its addressees (customers) have a current PS Form 1583 on file and that information for each addressee is up to date in the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database. Updates must include termination dates for any PMBs closed in the previous quarter. Any expired, illegible, or unclear identification or address documents uploaded into the CMRA Customer Registration Database will be considered not in compliance.
i. The CMRA must certify in the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database each quarter (certification due on January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15), that every PS Form 1583 it submitted is current, all termination dates have been updated, and no identification documents are expired.
[Revise the last sentence of renumbered item j. to read as follows:]
j. ***The proper notification must be in writing outlining the specific violation(s), with a 30-day period to comply.
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[Add new item l. to read as follows:]
l. The Chief Postal Inspector or designee may issue an emergency mail-withholding order to withhold mail to any PMB holder who is suspected of utilizing a CMRA or PMB for any activity that violates United States Code Title 18 or Title 39, and that the mail be returned to sender, forwarded to the mail recovery center, or otherwise handled in accordance with a court order. The CMRA must give the mail addressed to the withheld PMB to the letter carrier or return it to the Post Office responsible for delivery to the CMRA the next business day after receipt.
1.8.4 Addressee and CMRA Agreement
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[Revise the text of item a. of renumbered 1.8.4 by adding new second through fifth sentences to read as follows:]
a. ***The CMRA must write the date of termination on its copy of PS Form 1583. The CMRA must enter the date of termination in the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database as soon as practical. The CMRA must retain the endorsed copies of PS Forms 1583 for a minimum of 6 months after the termination date. PS Forms 1583 filed at the CMRA business location must be available at all times for examination by Postal Service representatives and Postal Service inspectors.
[Revise the text of item b. of renumbered 1.8.4 by adding new second through sixth sentences to read as follows:]
b. ***The remail of mail intended for the addressee (customer) is the responsibility of the CMRA. This includes at least a 6-month period immediately after the termination date of the agency relationship between the CMRA and the addressee. The addressee (customer) must provide the remail address (or email if correspondence is scanned for digital delivery) on PS Form 1583. The remail address must be entered into the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database. If the addressee collects his or her mail in person at the CMRA, but elects to have his or her mail remailed for the 6-month post-termination period, the CMRA must record this remail address on the CMRA’s copy of PS Form 1583 and enter this remail address in the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database with the date of termination.***
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[Delete item d. of renumbered 1.8.4 in its entirety and renumber current items e. through g. as items d. through f.]
[Revise the text of renumbered item d. by deleting the second and third sentences.]
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[Delete renumbered 1.8.5, “Office Business Center Acting as a CMRA,” in its entirety.]
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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,
Product Solutions, 5-18-23
