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PS Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing
What Is PS Form 3817?
PS Form 3817, Certificate of Mailing , is a label providing proof that a mailpiece was presented to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for mailing.
Alternate Name:
- USPS Form 3817;
- USPS Certificate of Mailing.
This form was last revised on April 1, 2007 . As of today, no PS Form 3817 fillable copies are available online. A printable PS Form 3817 can be downloaded below.
What Is a Certificate of Mailing?
The USPS Certificate of Mailing is a USPS special service that provides evidence that mail has been presented to the postal office for mailing. However, it does not show that the mail was delivered to the addressee. This means that the USPS does not track letters or mailpieces to ensure they were received, and does not verify that the addresses on the mailpieces are complete or accurate, either.
The USPS does not keep records or copies of the mailing certificates. The only party in possession of this certificate is the mailer. Moreover, they do not keep records of mailpieces that have been returned to the sender.
How Do You Use a PS Form 3817?
The mailer may obtain the Certificate of Mailing service when presenting an individual eligible item to the post office for mailing. This form may be used for both international and domestic mail.
They can request this form and present it to a USPS employee who will examine it at the time the item is placed in the mail. Once the USPS employee has examined the form and assured that proper fees were paid, the postage for the appropriate fees is affixed to the form. The USPS employee then places an official stamp indicating the location and date the item was mailed and returns the validated receipt to the mailer.
For customers who send and receive mail through a rural carrier service, the procedure is different. The carrier first obtains the PS Form 3817 at the post office, then attaches the stamps and obtains the postmark on the certificate the day of mailing, to finally deliver the certificate to the mailer on the next trip.
USPS Certificate of Mailing Cost
At the post office, in addition to the correct postage, the mailer must pay the certificate fee for each item on the PS Form 3817, which is currently $1.45.
Also, for a separate fee (an additional $1.45), the mailer may request a duplicate copy of the certificate after mailing. In order to obtain this copy, they must present the original form and an additional form called "Duplicate," and the postal service will postmark it to indicate the current date.
PS Form 3817 Related Publications:
- PS Form 3606, Certificate of Bulk Mailing - International. This mailing certificate is used for bulk mailings, to verify how many items a mailer has sent. It is required that all of the items be identical in weight and size;
- PS Form 3606-D, Certificate of Bulk Mailing - Domestic. This service, which is available only at the time of mailing, is used for bulk mailings that are mailed to an address within the United States. It is not proof that a piece was mailed to a particular address;
- PS Form 3665, Instructions for Certificate of Mailing - Firm. This service provides proof that the mailer has presented three or more items for mailing to the USPS;
- PS Form 3665LC, Instructions for Certificate of Mailing - Firm . This form is a LiveCycle PDF document containing the same information as the PS Form 3665, but this format will allow you to modify the document, i.e. fill out the form electronically. The form is available for filing only on the USPS website.
