Certified Mail Restricted Delivery

Getting Started

This article explains how signatures work for Certified Mail deliveries and clarifies the difference between standard signature collection and Restricted Delivery.

In This Article

How Certified Mail Signatures Work

When a Certified Mail letter is successfully delivered, the USPS requests a signature from a recipient at the delivery address.

All letters sent through OnlineCertifiedMail automatically include an Electronic Return Receipt (ERR), aka signature file. If the USPS was able to successfully capture a signature, it will be available in your account.

Who Can Sign for a Certified Mail Letter

Any individual present at the delivery address may sign for the Certified Mail letter. This means the signature may come from someone other than the named recipient if they are available to accept the delivery.

Using Restricted Delivery

Restricted Delivery is an additional USPS service that ensures only the specific person named on the mail piece can sign for and receive the letter. However, this is not currently available through the OnlineCertifiedMail website.

If you need Restricted Delivery, you can use the parent service, LetterStream, which offers this option upon request. Click here to learn more.

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