Updated September 2026 · June 2024 USPS form
USPS Form 1583: Step-by-Step Guide
PS Form 1583 authorizes a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA), such as a virtual mailbox provider, to receive mail for you. The current form requires identity verification and real-time signature witnessing, but a notary is not automatically required.
Need a Form 1583 tool instead of a guide?
Use our free USPS Form 1583 Interactive Checklist. It turns the current requirements into a step-by-step checklist and adjusts for personal vs. business use, additional adults, authorized pickup, forwarding, and protected-person status.
Quick answer
You generally need the mailbox/CMRA information from your provider, your personal information and permanent home address, one accepted government-issued photo ID, and one accepted address-verification document.
For residential/personal use, USPS requires a separate Form 1583 for each adult using the PMB.
What you need before you start
- Your provider's CMRA street address and PMB number.
- Your legal name, phone, email, and permanent home address.
- One current government-issued photo ID accepted by USPS.
- One current address-verification document showing the same home address entered on the form.
- Copies/images of both ID documents for the provider's verification process.
- Business details if the mailbox will receive business or organization mail.
A driver's or nondriver's ID may be used for either the photo-ID role or the address-ID role, but the same ID cannot satisfy both.
Accepted IDs on the current form
Photo ID
- U.S. state/territory/tribal driver's or nondriver's ID
- Uniformed Service ID
- Passport
- Certificate of Naturalization
- U.S. Access Card
- Matricula Consular
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card
- U.S. University ID Card
- NEXUS Card
Address verification
- U.S. state/territory/tribal driver's or nondriver's ID
- Current lease
- Mortgage or deed of trust
- Home or vehicle insurance policy
- Vehicle registration card
- Voter card
The address document must contain the address you enter on Form 1583.
How to complete Form 1583
- Get the CMRA information from your provider. The mailbox service supplies its delivery address and your PMB details.
- Select business/organization or residential/personal use. Business users also complete the business section.
- Enter your applicant information. Your home address should match the document you use for address verification.
- Add an authorized individual only if applicable. An authorized person who can pick up mail has their own ID requirements.
- Complete the transfer-address section if mail will be forwarded elsewhere.
- Enter the required photo-ID and address-ID information.
- Do not complete the final signature step until you are following your provider's witnessing workflow.
Do you need a notary for Form 1583?
Not necessarily. Under the current USPS rule, the applicant may sign or confirm the signature in the physical or virtual, real-time audio/video presence of the CMRA owner, manager, or authorized employee.
The alternative is to acknowledge the signature in the physical or virtual, real-time audio/video presence of a notary public commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
Follow your mailbox provider's workflow. A provider may route customers through its own live identity-verification process or may ask customers to use the notary option. Do not assume you need notarization before checking its instructions.
Provider asking for a notary? Remote online notarization availability and rules vary by state and platform. Check online notarization options and state requirements at OnlineNotaryCheck.com →
Business / organization use
Business users complete the business/organization section, including the business name, type, street address, phone, and place of registration. An officer signs the application and provides their title.
The form also provides space to list members who will receive business mail at the PMB. USPS states those listed members must present two valid IDs upon request.
Residential / personal use
USPS requires a separate Form 1583 for each adult using the PMB. A parent or guardian may list a minor who will receive mail; the minor's ID is not required.
Common Form 1583 mistakes
- Using an outdated form or outdated instructions.
- Assuming notarization is always mandatory.
- Using one driver's license as both required IDs.
- Providing an address-verification document that does not match the address on the form.
- Forgetting a separate form for another adult receiving personal mail.
- Signing before your provider tells you how the signature will be witnessed.
- Leaving the transfer-address section blank when the PMB mail will be sent elsewhere.
Use the interactive checklist
Our free checklist adjusts for personal vs. business use, additional adults, authorized pickup, forwarding, and protected-person status.
Sources & update note
This guide is based on the USPS PS Form 1583, June 2024 edition, and USPS's CMRA signature clarification. Requirements can change, so use the current USPS form and your provider's instructions when submitting.