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. If it's a business mailbox, you also need a 1583-A (the business version) listing the entity's formation document, EIN, and authorized recipients.

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 plus the 1583-A.

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 digital signing works at NOHO

Federal rules now allow remote online notarization for Form 1583 (since the 2020 PS-Form revision). At NOHO we offer 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.

Remote: for customers who can't come in, we partner with an online notary (NotaryCam, Notarize). You video-call them with your IDs, sign electronically, and they email us the signed PDF. Adds about $25 to the setup.

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 (1583-A) without business formation docs. If you list an LLC or corporation, 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.