USPS Form 1583 Explained: The Form Behind Every Virtual Mailbox

If you’ve looked at signing up for any virtual mailbox, an LLC address, or even a regular PMB at the UPS Store, you’ve run into the same gate: a notarized Form 1583.

It’s a one-page USPS document. It takes about five minutes to fill out. And roughly a third of them get rejected on first submission because of the same handful of mistakes. Let’s fix that.

What Form 1583 is, in plain English

USPS Form 1583, officially titled Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent, is your written permission for a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) — that’s us, the UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc., PostalAnnex, Anytime Mailbox, iPostal1, and every other private mailbox provider — to accept mail on your behalf.

Without a 1583 on file, the post office will not deliver mail to a CMRA address for you. It’s federal: 39 CFR § 265.6(d). No exceptions.

Who needs to sign one

Everyone who rents a mailbox at a CMRA. Personal account, business account, doesn’t matter. For a business mailbox, the entity’s formation document, EIN, and authorized recipients go on the same Form 1583.

Each person who will receive mail at the address needs their own 1583. A husband-and-wife mailbox? Two forms. An LLC with two members both receiving mail? Two forms, with the company details on each.

What to bring: the two-ID rule

USPS requires two forms of identification in front of the notary. One must be a government-issued photo ID. The second can be a non-photo document that proves your residential address.

• Photo ID (one of these): US driver’s license, state ID card, US passport, military ID, foreign passport with US visa, permanent resident card
• Address proof (one of these): utility bill (electric, gas, water — not a phone bill), current lease or mortgage statement, voter registration card, vehicle registration, current homeowner’s insurance policy, recent IRS notice

How signing works at NOHO

Form 1583 needs a real notarization — and at NOHO that means a notary who physically checks your ID. Two paths:

In-person: walk into our North Hollywood storefront with your two IDs. We have a notary on-site. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes — including filling out the form, signing in front of the notary, and us filing it with the local postmaster. Free on Business and Premium plans. See notary services for pricing.

Not in LA: have the form notarized in person wherever you are — any commissioned notary in your state or country works — and send us the notarized original with copies of your two IDs. We review it, file it with the local postmaster, and confirm by email. No video-call shortcuts: we don’t accept remote online notarization, because your mail deserves the standard of verification a physical ID check provides.

The four mistakes that get forms rejected

• Box 7 (Home Address) is a PO Box. USPS rejects this every time. Use a real residential address, even if it’s not where you receive mail.
• Box 7 matches the CMRA address. You can’t list our address as both your home AND your CMRA. The post office sees that as circular.
• Name on form doesn’t match name on ID. If your driver’s license says ”Michael” and you signed as ”Mike”, the form gets rejected. Use your legal name exactly.
• Business box without business formation docs. If you list an LLC or corporation on the form, you must attach the Articles of Organization / Incorporation and your EIN letter.

How long it takes after notarization

Once we have a complete, notarized form, we file it with the local postmaster. Most approve within 1–3 business days. Mail can be delivered to your box the day they approve.

While you wait, you can still use the address — just know that mail received before the 1583 is approved sometimes gets returned to sender. We hold our customers’ pre-approval mail and re-deliver internally once the form clears.

The short version

Form 1583 is the one piece of paperwork between you and a working CMRA address. Bring two IDs (one photo, one address proof), use your legal name, put a real residential address in Box 7, and don’t list a PO Box anywhere on the form. Do that and you’re live in a couple of days.