what is certified mail?

What Is Certified Mail? A Complete Overview

Certified Mail® is a great way to ensure the safety and validity of the mail you're sending, but what is Certified Mail, exactly? Click here to learn everything you need to know.

Since it was first set up in 1775, businesses of all sizes have relied on the US mail service to keep their operations running smoothly and to send and receive secure payments.

With this in mind, the Postal Service first offered Registered Mail in 1855. The aim was to ensure certain added security measures when sending specific items.

However, it wasn't until 1955 that the US mail service offered Certified Mail as an alternative mailing option.

But what is certified mail? Here we explain everything you need to know about certified mail, including all the options available to you when using this service.

What Does Certified Mail Mean?

Certified mail is a domestic mail service. Certified mail provides added security by allotting a unique tracking number to each article mailed.

With the Certified Mail service, the sender receives a mailing receipt as legally-recognized proof of sending. The recipient must also sign for certified mail as a way to prove that the mailed item has been delivered.

You can purchase the Certified Mail service for First-Class Mail, First-Class Package Service or Priority Mail. These different services determine how soon your mailed article will arrive.

Unlike with the Registered Mail service, you cannot purchase insurance for items sent via certified mail.

How Does Certified Mail Work?

Each Certified Mail article is scanned and tracked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) tracking system.

The mail item is first scanned when it is accepted into the mail stream at the post office. It is then tracked as it makes its way through the various USPS mail sorting and automated processing centers.

Finally, the postal worker responsible for delivering your item must scan and track the recipient's signature, as required upon delivery.

Once the recipient receives and signs for the item, the recipient's signature is kept on file for two years as proof of delivery.

Do You Have to Sign for Certified Mail?

In a word, yes. If no one is at home to accept or sign for an item delivered by certified mail then the postal worker responsible cannot deliver it.

If you are the recipient and refuse to sign for the item then the postal worker cannot give it to you.

Even if the sender has not requested a Return Receipt Signature, certified mail requires signed proof that the mail item has been delivered.

If the item is not delivered and no one picks the letter up from the local post office, USPS will return the mail item to the sender.

Certified Mail Delivery Options

As the sender, you can receive a copy of the recipient's signature when you send the item by purchasing an added receipt service. Here are the different options when it comes to choosing your certified mail service:

Certified Mail

This provides a unique tracking number which you can then check online to confirm that your item arrived at its destination.

The postal worker can deliver your certified mail item to anyone who receives mail at the given address. This can mean that the confirmation signature is not necessarily that of the intended recipient.

Certified Mail with Return Receipt

For an extra fee, a return receipt, or 'green card', is attached to the mail item. The recipient must sign and date the green card when they receive the mail item. As the sender, you will then receive the green card via mail.

Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt

For an extra fee, the postal worker responsible for delivery can create an electronic version of the Return Receipt green card as a PDF document. This receipt includes an image of the recipient's signature or an approved hand-stamp.

Certified Mail with Return Receipt and Restricted Delivery

This is the strictest of the certified mail options. Adding the restricted delivery service to the return receipt ensures that the postal worker must deliver it directly to the recipient, or an authorized agent.

Return Receipt After Mailing Service

If you don't purchase a Return Receipt at the point of sending you can purchase the Return Receipt After Mailing service up to two years after sending your item.

Who Uses Certified Mail?

Because of the added security of certified mail, law firms and government agencies often use this service.

It is particularly useful when they need a legally-recognized proof of delivery. This could be when sending court papers, important contracts, or tax audit notifications.

In the case of using the restricted delivery service, this guarantees that the addressee has received the mail item in their hands.

And, the signature operates as a type of receipt which the sender can access up to two years later. This is often useful in cases where the recipient denies receiving the mail item.

An Easier Way to Use Certified Mail

Although certified mail is a great service, there is a way to take advantage of the added security it offers while skipping the line at the post office.

You can do this by printing certified mail labels to apply to the envelope you wish to send by certified mail. Then you can send it by placing it in any one of the thousands of post boxes across the US.

Or, you can buy approved USPS certified mail envelopes and print the recipient's details straight onto them, ready for postage.

All certified mail services are available through this easier method, and you can save money on them too. By purchasing online and using automation to replace green cards, you can save as much as $2.35 per mailing.

Your Guide to Certified Mail

Any company that has even mail a single letter has probably heard of certified mail. But there is a lot more that goes into Certified Mail than it appears on the surface. We put together a quick guide to help you get the most out of Certified Mail. USPS Certified Mail is one of the USPS’s useful tools. We are going to define certified mail, explain who uses certified mail, explain the difference between Certified Mail and Registered Mail, and the benefits of certified mail.

Certified Mail is exclusive to The United States Postal Service. It refers to important, time-sensitive, documents and materials requiring tracking and secure delivery. Certified Mail provides proof of mailing and a record of delivery. Only First-Class Mail or Priority Mail can be sent as Certified Mail. Additionally, the service is only available for delivery within the United States. There are many certified mail benefits. But let’s start with who uses this USPS service.

Any person can send Certified Mail. However, due to business and regulatory reasons, mainly companies send Certified Mailings. Certified mail offers companies proof of mailing, secure delivery, as well as archival proof of delivery.

When the recipient has to physically sign for Certified Mail, it creates a sense of urgency to open and read the documents. Another advantage of Certified Mail is that it also makes documents look more official and less likely to be found in the junk pile.

Tracking abilities keep the sender more informed. USPS’s in-route delivery scans a record of the acceptance date and time the Certified Mail was sent.  Next, the mail receives another scan in route, to record when it enters and leaves each Post Office and sorting facility. The USPS updates this tracking information every hour.

USPS Certified Mail is sent to a P.O. box. After that, the delivery notification is found inside the P.O. box.  This instructs the recipient to present the delivery slip to the USPS window clerk.  After signing the delivery receipt, the Certified Mail is given to the recipient.

While many individuals can benefit from the archival ability of Certified Mail it is particularly beneficial for most companies. Many companies use Certified Mail services for important communication. Each Certified Label creates a record of when the sender generates a postal label. This information is especially helpful for companies who need a record of sending important documents on time. Return Receipts and proof of delivery provide companies with archival proof of important document delivery statuses. In some cases, legal requirements specify the use of Certified Mail.

When sending Certified Mail, the sender must fill out a Certificate Mail Form. The form has a perforated receipt, which acts as a legally recognized proof of mailing receipt. USPS assigns a unique tracking number to each Certified Mail piece and provides a signed record of delivery. The USPS collects and stores signatures electronically for two years. This is one of the major benefits of certified mail.

In many cases, senders can purchase a Return Receipt for an additional fee. A Return Receipt, also known as a Certificate of Mailing, is a hard copy that shows the recipient’s signature as well as the date and time of each mail-piece delivery. If the sender does not initially purchase the Return Receipt service, you can request a Duplicate Return Receipt for up to two years.

Return Receipt Signatures are now also available in electronic format. Electronic PDF files are quickly replacing hard copies. This is because electronic PDF files are easier to administer, cost less to mail, and are easier to store. Ultimately, this makes them much harder to lose. The PDF format can also easily be emailed or shared. Copies of each Certified Mail transaction including the Electronic Delivery confirmations and Electronic Return Receipt PDF files are stored for 10 years at no additional charge.

Certified mail offers added assurance and security for sensitive documents. It’s also a great postage solution for time-sensitive documents that require both proof-of-mailing and delivery. Certified mail can be costly, but worth it for important documents where mistakes could cost even more. We put together this guide to show you how USPS Certified Mail works so you don’t make any costly postage mistakes.

We put together a massive glossary of terms used in the mailing industry. We define USPS postal terms and acronyms; we explain postal service levels and more. Check out the Glossary of USPS Mailing Terms here.

Take advantage of the Benefits of Certified Mail. We’ve made the process simpler with eCertify. This certified mail tool is an electronic method developed by FSSI for current and prospective clients. A challenge concerning the traditional method for Certified Mail is receiving hard copies of important documents. This includes the Proof of Mailing and Return Receipts.

Hard copies can be difficult to manage and oftentimes difficult to find. FSSI simplifies the mailing process by creating and printing the required labels from client print files in line with the document to be mailed. We insert the document and labels into specially marked certified envelopes. They then move on to USPS delivery. We post Electronic Delivery Confirmation and Return Receipt Signature online within hours of receiving a signing for a document. We can also transmit this same information for upload into clients’ in-house archival systems.

Through workStreamOne™, FSSI’s Online Job Tracking and Reporting tool, proof of delivery information and USPS mailpiece tracking and reporting are accessible online by authorized users, 24/7. Comprehensive eCertify reports detail the name and address of each recipient. Reports also include the USPS tracking information and Tracking Number, and the final delivery date.

Contact us to learn how FSSI can help automate and simplify your company’s Certified Mail processes. Take advantage of the benefits of certified mail. Contact a Certified Mail Specialist today at 714.436.3300.