How to get USPS Form 1583 notarized online

Yes, USPS lets you sign Form 1583 before a notary over live video. Most rejections come from the ID, not the notary: you need one listed photo ID and one listed address ID, and a utility bill doesn't count.

Last checked 2026-10-27 · How we research

The short answer

USPS rules let the applicant sign Form 1583 (Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent) before either the mailbox company's own staff or a US-commissioned notary, in person or over real-time audio and video.¹ The current version is the June 2024 form.² USPS clarified this wording, including that the notary must be "commissioned in a United States state, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia", in a 2024 rule change effective May 1, 2024.⁴⁵

So you have two online routes:

1. Your virtual mailbox provider's own video verification. USPS allows the mailbox company (the "CMRA", commercial mail receiving agency) to witness your signature over video itself, no notary needed.¹ Check your provider's dashboard first.
2. An online notary. Upload the form, show your IDs on camera, sign, and download the notarized PDF for your provider.

Step by step

1. Download the current form from USPS (PS Form 1583, PDF) or use the copy your mailbox provider gives you. A CMRA must not modify the form, and an altered form is invalid.¹
2. Fill in every entry, but don't sign yet. USPS says the applicant must complete all entries.¹ OneNotary's instructions say to sign and date in front of the notary.¹¹
3. Get your two IDs ready (see the next section). The address on your address ID must match the home address on the form; if it doesn't, the CMRA must deny the application.¹²
4. Start the session. If your mailbox provider sent you a link to a notary partner, use that link: on Proof, the provider decides whether the session is a standard acknowledgment or a "Verification of Fact".⁹
5. Show both IDs on camera and sign. On Proof, the photo ID must be a physical card captured live; a non-government address document can be uploaded as a file.⁶
6. Send the notarized form to your mailbox provider. The CMRA records your IDs, uploads the form and ID images to USPS's CMRA Customer Registration Database, and keeps a copy on file.¹

The two IDs USPS requires

The form asks for one photo ID (item 8e) and one address ID (item 9g), and the address ID must contain the address you entered.²

Source: PS Form 1583, June 2024, page 1.²

Rules that trip people up:

• A driver's license counts once. It can be your photo ID or your address ID, not both.²
• No utility bills or bank statements. Neither is on the form's list. USPS says it doesn't accept Social Security cards, birth certificates or credit cards as either ID.²³ Proof's 1583 page also rules out utility bills, bank statements and PO boxes.⁶
• Everything must be current. USPS says the ID presented must be current (not expired).¹
• The platform can be stricter than USPS. USPS lists university and tribal IDs as acceptable for CMRA applications,³ but Proof says it doesn't accept university or tribal IDs, foreign driver's licenses, digital wallet IDs or photocopies for the 1583.⁶ Notarize also warns that the notary's commissioning state may be more restrictive than the platform or the DMM.¹⁰
• I-94: DMM 608.10.4 lists Form I-94 as an acceptable secondary ID,³ but the form's item 9g checklist doesn't include it.² Ask your mailbox provider before relying on one.

What it costs

For a standard 1583 with one signer and one notarial certificate:

Notarize and OneNotary prices come from their Form 1583 pages; the others are their general pricing pages, since we found no separate 1583 price for them. Whether a mailbox provider's built-in verification is free or extra is set by each provider; we haven't checked individual mailbox companies yet, so treat that as unknown until you see your provider's price.

Couples pay twice. For a personal mailbox, each adult needs a separate form,² and spouses must each sign one with their own two IDs.¹ Children can be listed on a parent's form, and the minor's ID isn't required.²

No SSN, or living abroad?

Standard online notarization usually means a knowledge-based quiz built from US credit records. Proof's general requirements are 6 months of credit history and a current or previous US address.⁷

Proof has an exception for the 1583: if your mailbox provider sets the form up as a Verification of Fact instead of a standard acknowledgment, there's no quiz, so no US SSN, credit history or US address is needed.⁷ Proof describes Verification of Fact as a Virginia-only notarial act; you upload a secondary ID instead of taking the quiz.⁸ Proof's terms say the mailbox provider chooses which type to request for each customer, and that in a Verification of Fact your identity isn't confirmed by the notary "to a heightened level" as it is in an acknowledgment.⁹ You can't pick this yourself on a regular upload, so ask your mailbox provider whether it offers it.

Other options: NotaryCam lists a $79 fee if a signer has no US SSN.¹⁴ Proof says its notarizations are for documents used within the US,⁷ which a USPS form is.

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