Everything your team needs to stay audit-ready: CMRA registration, Form 1583 workflows, ID verification, CRD recordkeeping, and PMB addressing standards.
Use this page as your operator playbook. Each section highlights a USPS requirement with practical guidance for CMRAs and mailroom teams.
This knowledge base provides operational guidance only and is not legal advice. Always confirm USPS, state, and local requirements with counsel.
Last updated: February 8, 2026
Complete PS Form 1583-A, keep it on file, and coordinate with your local Post Office before accepting mail.
Each addressee must have a valid PS Form 1583 on file before you deliver mail.
USPS requires primary and secondary identification for CMRA addressees.
Upload Form 1583 data and ID images into the CMRA Customer Registration Database (CRD).
Private Mailbox addresses must include PMB or # and follow USPS formatting rules.
USPS defines a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) as a private business that receives U.S. Mail for multiple customers at a single delivery point. This includes office business centers and reshipping/redelivery services. If you accept mail on behalf of multiple addressees, you are expected to follow CMRA rules.
Before you accept mail for customers, your CMRA must complete PS Form 1583-A and coordinate with your local Post Office. The Postmaster (or designee) verifies the CMRA information, signs the form, and keeps it on file. USPS forms cannot be modified.
Each mailbox customer (addressee) must complete PS Form 1583 before you deliver mail. USPS requires the form to be signed in the physical or virtual real-time audio/video presence of a CMRA representative or commissioned notary.
USPS requires CMRA customers to present one primary and one secondary form of identification. Both IDs must be current and traceable to the applicant. Record the ID type and number in Form 1583.
| Category | Examples (not exhaustive) |
|---|---|
| Primary ID |
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| Secondary ID |
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| Unacceptable ID |
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USPS requires CMRAs to enter Form 1583 data and upload ID images into the CMRA Customer Registration Database (CRD). You must maintain a digital record of Form 1583 and certify quarterly that records are current, closures are recorded, and IDs are unexpired.
All CMRA customer addresses must use the same private mailbox format. USPS requires the CMRA address to include “PMB” or “#”. Do not combine suite/unit designators with PMB formatting.
When a customer ends service, USPS requires CMRAs to record the termination date, retain Form 1583, and remail or return items for six months. USPS does not permit CMRAs to file a change-of-address order on behalf of the customer.
Use this internal checklist to prepare for USPS reviews and maintain consistent compliance across your team.
USPS updates requirements periodically. Use the official USPS references below as the source of truth.
Use these operator-first tools to validate compliance and audit readiness.
Validate Form 1583 completeness with a structured checklist, risk scoring, and audit-ready notes.
Run compliance check →Score your operational readiness across identity verification, audit logs, chain-of-custody, and staff controls.
Get readiness score →Best-practice compliance guidance by state with reminders for notary, ID, and recordkeeping.
Browse states →Innbocks helps you keep customer records organized, audit-ready, and fully white-labeled.