USPS lets a Form 1583 applicant acknowledge the signature by live audio-video before a U.S.-commissioned notary. Have the current form, a photo ID, and a separate address ID ready.
Published and reviewed by iRemoteNotary
Last reviewed October 10, 2026
If your commercial mail receiving agency or virtual-mailbox provider requires a notarized PS Form 1583, USPS expressly allows the applicant to acknowledge the signature in the virtual, real-time audio-video presence of a notary commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
The current PS Form 1583 is the June 2024 edition. Before the online session, have the Form 1583 or the provider-approved prefilled copy, your provider instructions, a qualifying photo ID, and a separate address-confirming ID ready. iRemoteNotary can review the document and coordinate an eligible online acknowledgment for domestic or international signers.
Use the official form. Do not redesign it. The notary completes the acknowledgment. Your mailbox provider still reviews the package and controls mailbox activation.
The official PDF reviewed on 10 October 2026 is marked PS Form 1583, June 2024. Use that edition, or the exact provider-approved prefilled copy supplied for the account. Do not rely on old screenshots or old field numbers, and do not redesign or modify the USPS form.
The official form is PS Form 1583 (June 2024) on USPS.com(opens in a new tab). This page is a preparation guide. It is not a USPS form and it is not a fillable replacement.
Send the current form, both IDs, and the provider instructions for review.
The current June 2024 PS Form 1583 uses a notarial acknowledgment. The applicant is acknowledging the signature. The certificate is not a jurat, and the form does not create an oath or affirmation by itself.
A 2024 Postal Bulletin explained why USPS uses acknowledgment language: some state notary laws do not authorize a notary to “attest” a signature, so the standard lets the notary recognize the applicant’s acknowledged signature. The notary must be commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
The June 2024 form already contains a Notary Public certificate at the bottom of page 2. If the mailbox provider also supplies a separate acknowledgment certificate, send that certificate with Form 1583 so the complete package can be reviewed. Do not add a second certificate merely because some providers use one. Provider instructions may include other paperwork. Not every provider uses the embedded page-2 block in the same electronic workflow.
Because the current USPS notarial certificate is an acknowledgment, an applicant who already signed Form 1583 may not need to start over. The applicant must personally appear before the notary and acknowledge the signature, subject to applicable notary law, platform procedures, and the receiving provider’s instructions.
If the form is still unsigned, completing the signing and acknowledgment during the live session is usually the simplest workflow. If the provider specifically says not to sign before the session, follow that instruction.
Field numbers below follow the June 2024 form. Current DMM sentences sometimes still say “block” numbers from an older layout. Use the form in front of you for the field number.
The notary does not sign Item 14a. Item 14a belongs to the CMRA or its authorized employee. The notary completes the Notary Public certificate on page 2, or another provider-supplied certificate when that certificate is actually part of the package.
| June 2024 item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Item 1 | Private mailbox (PMB) information |
| Item 2 | CMRA place-of-business information |
| Item 3 | Business/organization or residential/personal use |
| Item 4 | Applicant information, including home address |
| Item 5 | Authorized Individual, if one is listed |
| Item 6 | Transfer or remail information, if mail will be sent elsewhere |
| Item 7 | Business or organization information, when that use applies |
| Item 8 | Applicant photo ID |
| Item 9 | Applicant address ID |
| Item 10 | Authorized Individual photo ID, if applicable |
| Item 11 | Authorized Individual address ID, if applicable |
| Item 12 | Additional recipients |
| Item 13a | Applicant signature |
| Item 14a | CMRA or authorized employee signature |
| Bottom of page 2 | Notary Public acknowledgment |
Notary path. The applicant acknowledges the signature in the physical or virtual, real-time audio-video presence of a qualifying U.S.-commissioned notary. This is the path iRemoteNotary handles when the provider requires or accepts notarization. Remote online notarization is performed under the law of the online notary’s commissioning state.
CMRA path. The applicant may instead sign or confirm the signature in the physical or virtual, real-time audio-video presence of the CMRA owner, manager, or authorized employee. That confirmation is a USPS procedure. It is not a notarial act. Use it only when the provider is offering that path.
Use USPS rules to understand Form 1583. Follow your own provider’s current instructions for how to return the completed package. Meeting the USPS form rules does not by itself activate the mailbox.
| Who | What they control |
|---|---|
| USPS | The Form 1583 framework, the CMRA and notary signature paths, the core identification rules, and CMRA recordkeeping |
| Mailbox provider | Onboarding steps, whether it directs you to the notary path, any prefilled form, extra acknowledgment paperwork, file format, and how you return the package |
Preparation checklist — not a USPS form. It does not replace PS Form 1583.
CMRA service requires both a primary and a secondary form of identification. They do two different jobs. The photo ID proves identity. The address ID confirms the address entered for the applicant.
Current DMM 608 Exhibit 10.3 marks these primary photo-ID categories for Commercial Mail Receiving Agency use: U.S. government ID, a U.S. or foreign passport, a Matricula Consular card, a NEXUS card, and a U.S. university ID. The same exhibit does not mark a U.S. corporate ID for CMRA service. The June 2024 form’s photo-ID checkboxes include a state, territory, or tribal driver’s or nondriver’s card, uniformed service ID, passport, certificate of naturalization, U.S. access card, Matricula Consular, U.S. permanent resident card, U.S. university ID, and NEXUS card.
The June 2024 address-ID checkboxes are a driver’s or nondriver’s card when it is not already the photo ID, a current lease, a mortgage or deed of trust, a home or vehicle insurance policy, a vehicle registration card, and a voter card. The form says the address ID must contain the address listed for that person.
Current DMM 608 also lists Form I-94 among secondary-identification examples. The June 2024 Form 1583 does not show an I-94 checkbox. If you want to use an address document that is not printed on the form, confirm the provider’s current acceptance procedure before the session.
Acceptable ID for an online notarization session is a separate list from these USPS categories.
Start from the Form 1583 service page with the current form and the two identification documents.
No. The June 2024 form says that although a driver’s or nondriver’s ID is listed for both the photo ID and the address ID, that credential may be used for only one of the two roles. The same limit applies to an Authorized Individual. Bring a second, different address document.
No. USPS removed utility bills from acceptable secondary identification. Postal Bulletin 22613 said the Postal Service no longer accepts utility bills because they cannot be accurately traced to the bearer. The DMM revision was effective January 22, 2023, and the bulletin said the standards were effective immediately. Current DMM 608.10.4 does not list utility bills, and the June 2024 form does not list them among its address-ID checkboxes.
If an older guide tells you to use a utility bill, check that advice against the current June 2024 form and current USPS rules.
The home address on Form 1583 must match the address document. Footnote 4 on the June 2024 form says the address must match the document provided in item 9b. Current DMM 508 says the CMRA must confirm there is no discrepancy between the application and the identification, and must deny the application if they do not match. This is a USPS requirement, not a suggestion. Check it before you schedule, especially if you live outside the United States.
Remote online notarization identity verification is the check the online notary and platform use to identify the person appearing for the acknowledgment under applicable notary law.
USPS and CMRA identification is the photo ID and address ID recorded for Form 1583 and the mailbox onboarding file.
Passing the online notary identity check does not remove the Form 1583 photo-ID and address-ID requirements. Credential analysis, identity proofing, the USPS address ID, and the CMRA database record are different steps.
Yes, an international signer may be able to complete an eligible Form 1583 acknowledgment online with iRemoteNotary. USPS permits virtual real-time audio and video for the notarial path, and it requires the notary to be commissioned in a U.S. jurisdiction. Current CMRA primary-ID rules recognize a U.S. or foreign passport.
For a session performed by a Florida-commissioned online notary, Florida Statutes §§ 117.209 and 117.265 (2026) allow an online notary physically located in Florida to perform an eligible online notarization whether or not the principal is in Florida. A principal outside Florida confirms that the act should be performed by a Florida notary under Florida law. The session uses live audio-video. Remote online notarization is performed under the law of the online notary’s commissioning state. Florida law explains that pathway. It does not make every Form 1583 a Florida document.
The signer still needs a qualifying remote-notarization identity check, a qualifying CMRA photo ID, a separate address ID, a matching address on the form, and the provider’s acceptance of the file. A foreign passport does not replace the address ID. Passing a platform check does not guarantee that every provider accepts every electronic format, and USPS does not guarantee every international session.
See international online notarization and notarizing U.S. documents while abroad.
Current DMM 608 lists a U.S. or foreign passport as an acceptable primary photo-ID category for Commercial Mail Receiving Agency service, and the June 2024 form includes passport among the photo-ID checkboxes. A foreign passport does not replace the separate address-confirming ID.
Outside the U.S.? Contact iRemoteNotary on WhatsApp at WhatsApp +1 (305) 608-4003(opens in a new tab) for international scheduling and time-zone coordination.
USPS says the notary must be commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia. The same rule allows virtual real-time audio and video. That commissioning sentence does not itself say the applicant must be physically inside the United States.
Eligibility for an iRemoteNotary session still depends on the commissioning-state online-notary law, identity verification, whether the provider accepts the result, and whether the platform can support the credential.
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| Applicant | Completes the customer portions, provides the IDs, acknowledges the signature, and returns the package as the provider directs |
| Notary | Identifies the signer under applicable notary law, performs the acknowledgment, and completes the notarial certificate. The notary does not approve the PMB, act as the CMRA, or upload customer records to USPS |
| CMRA or virtual-mailbox provider | Runs onboarding, checks the form and IDs, completes CMRA fields, keeps required records, and decides whether to activate the mailbox |
The applicant is the primary Form 1583 customer. An Authorized Individual, defined on the form, is a person authorized to pick up mail for the PMB holder. If one is listed, the current form has separate photo-ID and address-ID fields for that person (items 10 and 11). An additional recipient is a person listed under item 12, subject to the residential or business instructions. Do not treat those roles as interchangeable.
Yes, when both spouses will receive mail at the same residential or personal PMB. Current DMM 508 says each spouse must complete and sign a separate PS Form 1583 and provide primary and secondary identification. The same section says a separate Form 1583 must be completed for each addressee of a residential or personal PMB. Older pages that put both adults on one form do not match that rule.
The June 2024 form instructions say a parent or guardian may receive a minor’s mail by listing the minor’s name, and that the minor’s ID is not required. On the current form, additional recipients are item 12. Current DMM 508 still says to list the minor in “block 11.” That block number is the older layout. Follow item 12 on the June 2024 form for the minor’s name.
This is a form-completion distinction. It is not business-formation advice.
| Use | What the current materials say |
|---|---|
| Residential or personal | A separate form for each adult addressee. A parent or guardian may list a minor without the minor’s ID |
| Business or organization | Complete the business information. An officer signs and provides a title. Members who will receive mail are listed, and each listed person must, upon request, present two forms of valid ID to the Postal Service |
PS Form 1583 is the mailbox customer’s application for delivery of mail through an agent. PS Form 1583-A is the application the CMRA owner or manager files with the postmaster to act as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency. A customer completing a virtual-mailbox onboarding packet is usually working with Form 1583, not 1583-A.
A USPS PO Box is a separate Postal Service box service with its own application. Form 1583 is for mail delivered through a CMRA or private mailbox.
Current DMM 508 says a CMRA must not modify or alter Form 1583 or Form 1583-A, and that modified or altered forms are invalid. Do not use a redrawn or branded copy of the USPS form. Link to the official PDF, and keep any preparation checklist separate from the form itself.
Receive the completed notarized Form 1583. Follow the mailbox provider’s current submission instructions. Include the ID copies or images the provider asks for. The return method may be a portal, an upload, mail, or another method the provider documents. The provider reviews the package. The CMRA handles its USPS Customer Registration Database entries. The provider controls approval and activation.
Do not assume every customer must mail a paper original, and do not assume every customer must use a portal. The notary does not submit Form 1583 to USPS. The notary performs the acknowledgment. The customer returns the package as the provider instructs, and the CMRA is responsible for the database and onboarding duties in DMM 508.
The June 2024 form does not show a simple annual expiration date. When required information changes or becomes obsolete, the applicant must complete a new application. Current DMM 508 says that when any information required on PS Form 1583 changes, the addressee must complete a new application with the CMRA, and that identification must be current. The CMRA must keep customer information current in the Customer Registration Database and certify each quarter that the submitted forms are current.
This is a preparation check. It is not legal advice and it does not approve the mailbox.
Have the current form, photo ID, address ID, and provider instructions together.
Common problems include an old form, incomplete applicant information, an address that does not match, an expired or unsupported ID, using the same driver’s license for both ID roles, relying on a utility bill, missing Authorized Individual ID, putting two adults on one residential form, signing the CMRA line instead of the notary certificate, omitting a provider-supplied certificate, altering the form, or ignoring the provider’s return instructions.
Not every provider rejects a package for the same reason. The list is a readiness aid. See also how a remote session works and which documents can be notarized online.
Yes, when the provider is using the notary path. USPS allows the applicant to acknowledge the signature by real-time audio and video before a notary commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia. The provider still decides whether it accepts that file.
USPS also allows the applicant to sign or confirm the signature before the CMRA owner, manager, or authorized employee. That path is not a notarial act. If the provider told you to get the form notarized, use the notary path.
An acknowledgment. The applicant acknowledges the signature. The June 2024 certificate is not a jurat and does not itself create an oath.
It can, because the certificate is an acknowledgment. The applicant still appears and acknowledges the signature. If the form is unsigned, signing during the session is usually simpler. Follow a provider instruction that says not to sign early.
On the June 2024 form, the applicant signs item 13a. The CMRA or its authorized employee signs item 14a. The notary completes the Notary Public certificate at the bottom of page 2, or a separate certificate the provider actually supplied. The notary does not sign item 14a.
The June 2024 PS Form 1583, or the current prefilled copy your provider approved for the account. Do not use an old screenshot or a redesigned form.
A primary photo ID and a separate secondary ID that confirms the address on the form. Current CMRA primary categories include U.S. government ID, a U.S. or foreign passport, Matricula Consular, NEXUS, and a U.S. university ID. Use the checkboxes on the current form for the address ID.
Yes as a primary photo ID. Current DMM 608 recognizes a foreign passport for CMRA service. You still need a separate address-confirming ID.
No. The June 2024 form says the same driver’s or nondriver’s ID may be used for only one of the two roles. The same rule applies to an Authorized Individual.
No. USPS stopped accepting utility bills as secondary identification. The change was announced in Postal Bulletin 22613 and is reflected in the current DMM and the June 2024 form.
Correct the form or the document before the session. Current DMM 508 requires the CMRA to deny the application when the application and the identification do not match.
Yes for a residential or personal PMB. Each adult addressee completes a separate Form 1583. Spouses who will both receive mail at the same PMB each complete and sign their own form and provide their own IDs.
The June 2024 instructions say a parent or guardian may list the minor and that the minor’s ID is not required. List the minor in item 12 on the current form.
An Authorized Individual is a person authorized to pick up mail for the PMB holder. If one is listed, the current form has separate photo-ID and address-ID fields, and the same credential cannot fill both of those fields.
You may be able to. USPS allows a virtual appearance before a U.S.-commissioned notary. An eligible online acknowledgment still depends on identity verification, a qualifying photo ID, a separate address ID, a matching address, and the provider’s acceptance.
The USPS sentence requires the notary’s commission to be in a U.S. jurisdiction. It does not itself require the applicant to be physically in the United States. Session eligibility still depends on notary law, identity verification, and the provider.
No. The notary performs the acknowledgment. You return the package as the provider instructs. The CMRA enters the information and uploads identification into the USPS Customer Registration Database.
PS Form 1583-A is the CMRA owner or manager’s application to act as a commercial mail receiving agency. PS Form 1583 is the customer’s application for delivery of mail through that agent.
It does not show a simple annual expiration date. When required information changes, the applicant must complete a new application, identification must be current, and the CMRA must keep its customer records current.
The June 2024 form asks whether the applicant is a court-ordered protected individual. If the answer is yes, the form says to attach a copy of the court order. This page does not give legal advice. Send that order only if the provider’s workflow or the document review actually needs it.
The following primary sources support the legal and procedural information in this guide. Requirements can change, so confirm current rules with the receiving organization before relying on a notarized document.
PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent (June 2024)(opens in a new tab)
United States Postal Service
Accessed October 10, 2026
Domestic Mail Manual 508.1.8 — Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies(opens in a new tab)
United States Postal Service — Postal Explorer
Accessed October 10, 2026
Domestic Mail Manual 608.10 — Forms of Identification(opens in a new tab)
United States Postal Service — Postal Explorer
Accessed October 10, 2026
Postal Bulletin 22648: DMM 508.1.8.3 clarification (acknowledged signature)(opens in a new tab)
United States Postal Service
Accessed October 10, 2026
Postal Bulletin 22613: DMM revision, forms of identification(opens in a new tab)
United States Postal Service
Accessed October 10, 2026
Florida Statutes § 117.265 (2026) — Online notarization procedures(opens in a new tab)
Florida Legislature
Accessed October 10, 2026
Florida Statutes § 117.209 (2026) — Authority to perform online notarizations(opens in a new tab)
Florida Legislature
Accessed October 10, 2026
Send the Form 1583 package for review. The notary completes the acknowledgment. The mailbox provider still decides whether to accept the package and activate the mailbox.