What is certified mail? A plain explanation of the USPS service

Certified Mail is a fee-based extra service. It is not a mail class of its own. You attach it to a First-Class Mail or Priority Mail piece, and the piece is then sent and delivered like any other item in that class.

USPS describes the purpose in a few words: it provides proof of mailing and a record of delivery. The fee is charged per piece, on top of the postage. The current amounts are in our guide to what certified mail costs.

Certified Mail produces two separate records. They answer two different questions, so it helps to keep them apart.

If you also want a record of who received the piece and where it was delivered, you can add a Return Receipt when you mail it. Our guide to the Certified Mail return receipt covers that option.

A Certified Mail piece travels as ordinary mail. It does not get a separate vehicle, a faster route or special handling in transit. The only difference is the extra record at each end.

The piece carries the barcoded green portion of PS Form 3800. It goes above the delivery address and to the right of the return address. The barcode holds the article number that you will use to look up delivery later.

For a First-Class Mail letter, USPS lists delivery at 1 to 5 days, and a letter can weigh up to 3.5 ounces. Delivery time does not change because you added Certified Mail, so build a margin into any date that matters. If a deadline matters, the cancellation deadline calculator helps you work out the last safe day to mail.

• It is available with First-Class Mail and Priority Mail.
• You buy it at a Post Office.
• To get the postmarked sender's receipt, hand the piece to a postal employee. Do not drop it in a collection box.
• The recipient may have to show an acceptable primary ID when signing for the piece.

If you cannot get to a Post Office, you can use a service that prints and mails the letter for you. We explain that route in how to send certified mail online.

Every Certified Mail piece has an article number. Under section 1.8 of the Domestic Mail Manual, delivery information is retrieved by that number, either at usps.com or by phone at 1-800-222-1811.

Certified Mail also counts as a trackable extra service. That matters for letters, because a First-Class Mail letter qualifies for USPS Tracking when it carries one. You do not need to buy a separate tracking product to follow the piece.

Write the article number on your copy of whatever you mailed. You need it for every lookup.

Under section 1.10 of the Domestic Mail Manual, USPS keeps no mailing records for extra-service pieces other than Registered Mail and COD. Certified Mail is not one of those two.

In practice, this means your postmarked receipt is the proof of mailing. Keep it somewhere safe, and photograph it on the day you mail. USPS describes proof of mailing and delivery on its own page. Our guide to Certified Mail for cancellations shows how to store each record so it still counts later.

• It includes no insurance. If a piece is lost or damaged, Certified Mail does not pay you for it.
• It does not speed anything up. The piece travels as ordinary mail.
• It records the mailpiece, not the pages inside. Keep a signed copy of what you sent.
• It does not make anyone act on your letter. It shows that the letter was mailed and delivered.

Plenty of mail does not need it. No law says every important letter must go by Certified Mail. But some statutes do name it. Section 7.1.1 of the Domestic Mail Manual notes that some statutes for legal documents require Certified or Registered Mail rather than plain tracking. When you rely on a rule like that, read the rule and use the service it names.

Certified Mail Restricted Delivery limits delivery to the addressee or an authorized agent. It is an extra fee on top of Certified Mail. Most letters do not need it. It is worth considering when the piece must reach one named person, and not just the address. The amount is in the cost guide.

Certified Mail suits any letter where the date matters later, such as a notice, a request or a formal complaint. A cancellation letter is a common example: if a company says it never received your request, the receipt and the delivery record are what you point to. Our guide on writing a cancellation letter covers what to put in the letter itself.