Why your mailbox is stuck on a form
Any commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) — which includes every virtual mailbox service and most mailbox stores — must keep a completed PS Form 1583 on file before it can legally receive your mail. It's a USPS requirement (Domestic Mail Manual 508), and the form is your authorization for the CMRA to accept mail on your behalf.
Because the form delegates control of your mail, USPS requires your identity to be verified. That verification step is the reason your new virtual mailbox says "pending" — and it's usually a ten-minute fix.
The 2023 revision, and what it means for you
USPS overhauled its CMRA rules and the form itself in 2023. Under the current rules, identity can be verified either by the CMRA itself — in person or through an approved remote process — or by a notary. In practice, many virtual mailbox providers still route customers to the notarized path: it's the universally accepted option and the simplest for providers to keep on file.
Follow your provider's instructions. They'll usually pre-fill their own section of the form — the CMRA's name, address, and registration details — and tell you exactly which verification path they accept.
The two-ID rule
Form 1583 requires two forms of identification, and this is where most first attempts fail:
One photo ID
Driver's license, state ID card, passport, or similar government-issued photo identification.
One address ID
A document tying you to your home address: a lease or deed, voter or vehicle registration, or a current insurance policy. The acceptable list is printed on the form itself.
Complete the form, but don't sign
Your section filled in, the CMRA's section from your provider, and the signature saved for the camera — the notary must watch you sign.
The online session and the handoff
The session is quick even by online-notarization standards: identity verification, a short recorded video call with a commissioned notary, sign on camera, sealed PDF immediately. On our price list a PS Form 1583 is $39, itemized like everything else. Online notarization is available to signers in most states — check yours on the state availability grid.
Delivery is the easy part: virtually all mailbox providers accept the sealed PDF uploaded to their portal or sent by email — no printing, no shipping. If yours wants paper, we can print and mail it with tracking.
Opening the box for an LLC or a team? The form covers business applicants too — the business's information plus the people authorized to receive its mail. Your provider will tell you who needs to be listed, and each authorized recipient can verify and sign.