A customer wants a mailbox at your store. They live four states away — or four blocks away but can’t come in during counter hours. Somewhere in the sign-up, somebody tells them their Form 1583 “needs to be notarized,” they get sent off to find a notary or book an online one, and about half of them never come back.
Here’s the part most stores were never told: the notary is optional. USPS rules give you three compliant ways to witness a 1583 — and two of them are your own staff.
What the rule actually says
The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 508 §1.8.3) requires the applicant to sign — or confirm their signature — in one of three ways:
- In the physical presence of the CMRA owner, manager, or an authorized employee — the classic at-the-counter signing;
- In the virtual presence — real-time audio and video — of the CMRA owner, manager, or an authorized employee; or
- In the physical or virtual presence of a notary public commissioned in a U.S. state, territory, possession, or D.C.
That’s the whole list. Your own trained staff, over a live video call, is exactly as compliant as a notary — the notary is an alternative, not a requirement. (DMM 508.1.8.3.a.3)
What “witnessing” actually requires of you
Whether it happens at the counter or over video, the same duties apply:
- Check both IDs first. One government-issued photo ID, one confirming the address on the form — both current, both matching the application. If the information doesn’t match the ID, you must deny the application. An expired ID isn’t a judgment call — it’s non-compliant. (DMM 508.1.8.3.a.3–5)
- Watch them sign (or confirm the signature) — in person, or live on the call. A recording sent later, an emailed photo of a signed form, or a “sign it and mail it in” doesn’t satisfy the rule: the presence must be real-time.
- Upload everything to the CRD — the completed 1583 plus clear, legible copies of both IDs — and keep at least a digital copy of the form at your location, available whenever USPS asks. (DMM 508.1.8.3.c)
The traps that catch stores
- The video call must be live audio and video — a phone call, a chat thread, or an async video message doesn’t qualify.
- One driver’s license can’t be both IDs. It can serve as the photo ID or the address ID — not both. (Form 1583, footnotes 10/12)
- Business boxes sign differently: one 1583 per firm, signed by an officer with their title — everyone else who’ll receive mail is listed in item 12 of that form, with IDs available on request. (DMM 508.1.8.3.a.2)
- Never alter a signed form. A modified 1583 is invalid, and mail for that customer goes back to sender until a new one is on file. (DMM 508.1.8.3.b)
- Use the current form — PS Form 1583, June 2024 edition, straight from USPS: about.usps.com/forms/ps1583.pdf.
So when would anyone use a notary?
It’s still a legitimate path — some customers simply prefer it, and remote online notarization (RON) services exist for exactly that. Both routes carry a per-signing cost, and RON pricing varies by service — so the real difference isn’t the price tag. It’s whose workflow the signing lives in: a notary adds a third party and a scheduling step outside your sign-up, while your own staff witnesses right inside it — the customer is already on the call with the store they’re joining.
What this means for your store
The distance limit on your mailbox business is regulatory folklore, not regulation. A store that can witness over live video can sign up a compliant customer anywhere — the traveler who winters south, the small business two states over, the expat who needs a real U.S. address. Your market stops being your zip code.
How Postern fits: all three routes are built in — at-the-counter witnessing, your own staff over live video, and remote online notary — and which ones your store offers is a setting, not a project. Enable one, two, or all three; the customer takes whichever path fits them, and either way the ID capture, signature, CRD upload, and audit trail happen in one sitting inside your own sign-up. The remote options are per-use capabilities you switch on when you want them. And every ID you capture is watched for expiry afterward, so the customer stays compliant quarter after quarter. See how compliance works, or book a demo.
Keep the whole compliance surface straight: this guide covers witnessing — the USPS Form 1583 Requirements guide covers the full ID and form rules, the CRD Quarterly Certification guide explains the four deadlines and the consequence chain, and the CMRA Compliance Checklist covers the quarterly picture on one page.
Primary sources: DMM 508 §1.8 · PS Form 1583 (June 2024)
General information, not legal or compliance advice. Checked against DMM 508.1.8 (edition updated July 2026) and PS Form 1583 (June 2024) — USPS rules change; confirm against the current DMM. You remain responsible for your store’s compliance.