How to Fill Out USPS Form 1583: Every Box, Both IDs, and Who Signs

The two IDs USPS accepts on Form 1583

Footnote 9 sets the rule: “Two types of identification are required for both the Applicant and, if listed, the Authorized Individual. One ID must be a government-issued photo ID.” The second ID must confirm the address you list on the form. The form lists the accepted types as checkboxes in item 8e (photo ID) and item 9g (address ID).

Both IDs must be current. DMM 508.1.8.3 says “The identification presented must be current (not expired).” Footnote 10 adds a limit on driver’s licenses. A state driver’s or nondriver’s ID card appears on both lists, but “it may be used for only one of the IDs (either photo ID or address ID), not for both.”

The address ID list has six choices, and a passport is not one of them. One pairing that fits both lists is a passport as the photo ID and a driver’s license, current lease, or insurance policy as the address ID. If you use your driver’s license as the photo ID instead, the address ID must be a different document, such as a lease or an insurance policy. The home address sections include a Country box (items 4j and 9f). The form does not say which documents from outside the United States count as an address ID, so ask the agency before you sign.

How to sign Form 1583: in person, by video, or before a notary

You do not always need a notary. The note on page 2 of the form says: “The applicant must sign or confirm their signature in the physical or virtual presence (in real-time audio and video) of the Agent or the Agent’s authorized employee or acknowledge their signature in the physical or virtual presence (in real-time audio and video) of a notary public commissioned in a United States state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.”

So you have three ways to sign. First, you can sign in person at the agency. Second, you can sign on a live audio and video call with the agency’s staff. Third, you can sign before a US notary, in person or by a live video session. A notary commissioned in another country does not meet the rule.

USPS wrote this wording into the DMM with a final rule in the Federal Register, effective May 1, 2024. That rule says it was made “to clarify that the notary public must be commissioned in a United States state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.” It also changed the word for the agency’s role from “acknowledge” to “confirm,” because a commenter worried the old word could be read as giving the agency notary powers. USPS says it has no authority to grant those powers.

If a notary is used, the notary fills in the notary block at the bottom of page 2. Footnote 15 says “The agent or an authorized employee may sign item 14a.” Item 14a is the signature line for the agency. Ask your agency which of these ways it accepts before you book a notary.

How to fill out Form 1583, box by box

The form says the agent must complete items 2a through 2e, “and the customer must complete all the other items.” The table below follows the June 2024 edition in order.

Footnote 4 says the home address in item 4f “must match document provided in item 9b.” Footnote 8 explains item 7i: “The place of registration is the county and state (if domestic), or the country (if foreign).” For a company formed outside the United States, you write the country.

Item 6 is only for forwarding. Footnote 7 says “Complete item 6 if the mail addressed to this PMB is to be transferred, mailed, shipped, or emailed to another address.” For business use, footnote 13 says to “List members who will be receiving mail at this PMB” in item 12. It adds: “Each person listed must, upon request, present two forms of valid ID to the Postal Service.”

Which address goes in which box

Form 1583 asks for three different addresses, and mixing them up is easy. Item 2 is the agency’s street address, which is where your mail will be delivered. Item 4f is your home address. Item 7c is the business street address.

The form explains why items 4f and 7c matter. Page 2 says the application “may be subject to verification procedures by the Postal Service to confirm that the applicant resides or conducts business at the home or business address listed in items 4f or 7c.” Because USPS may check that you do business at the item 7c address, use the place the business actually operates. The form already collects the mailbox address in item 2.

After the form is accepted, your mail uses the mailbox address. DMM 508.1.8.3 says “A CMRA must represent its delivery address designation for the intended addressees by the use of ‘PMB’ (private mailbox) or the alternative ‘#’ sign.” The DMM example is “10 MAIN ST PMB 234.” When the agency’s own address already has a suite number, the DMM example is “10 MAIN ST STE 11 PMB 234.” The DMM says the two numbers may not be combined, as in “10 MAIN ST STE 11-234.” To see whether an address is recorded as a CMRA, our guide on how to check if an address is a CMRA walks through it.

Common Form 1583 mistakes and how to avoid them

DMM 508.1.8.3 is strict about matching. It says “If information on the application does not match the identification, the CMRA must deny the application.” Most mistakes below come from that rule or from the form’s footnotes.

1. 1Using one driver’s license as both IDs. Footnote 10 allows it for only one of the two.
2. 2Giving a passport as the address ID. A passport is on the photo ID list only.
3. 3Writing a home address in item 4f that does not match the address ID. Footnote 4 says the two must match.
4. 4Sending an expired ID. The DMM says the ID “must be current (not expired).”
5. 5Leaving out the officer’s title on a business application. Footnote 14 requires it.
6. 6Using a notary commissioned outside the United States. The rule names only US states, territories, possessions, and the District of Columbia.
7. 7Leaving out the PMB number or “#” when you give the address to others. The DMM says USPS may return such mail endorsed “Undeliverable as Addressed, Missing PMB or # Sign.”

What happens after you sign Form 1583

The agency checks your form against your IDs. Page 2 of the form says “The agent uploads the original completed signed PS Form 1583 to the Postal Service’s CMRA Customer Registration Database and retains the completed signed copy at the CMRA business location.” The postmaster and the Postal Inspection Service can examine that copy.

You must keep the form current. DMM 508.1.8.3 says “When any information required on PS Form 1583 changes, the addressee must complete a new application with the CMRA.”

When you close the mailbox, do not file a USPS change of address. The agreement on page 2 says neither you nor the agent may file one when the relationship ends. DMM 508.1.8.4 says the agency “must remail mail intended for the addressee (customer) for at least 6 months after the termination date.” For mail problems while the box is open, the USPS FAQ on mail receiving agencies tells customers to contact the agency directly. Our guide to using a UPS Store mailbox for an LLC covers where a mailbox address can and cannot be used.