What is USPS Certified Mail? USPS Certified Mail Guide
If you’re sending sensitive documents or just want to make sure recipients receive your letter, Certified Mail is a great option that USPS offers at every post office. Sending certified mail allows you to track it through the U.S. Postal Service for a few dollars more on top of your stamp costs…but in our experience when you want to include a letter in the mail, it’s Worth every step to reach the recipient.
content
What is USPS Certified Mail?
Certified Mail is a special service provided by the USPS that assigns a tracking number to regular First-Class Mail mail. USPS provides you with a tracking number on your receipt when you purchase registered postage. You can then track the tracking status of your letter by entering your full tracking number in the tracking portal on the USPS website.
Similar to all packages they accept into their network, USPS provides real-time updates to Certified Mail, including when it was initially scanned, when it arrived at various sorting centers, and when it was finally delivered to your recipient by USPS.
Read more about how to track mail with the US Postal Service.
Registered mail is the same as registered mail
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Is a certified letter different from a certified mail?” You’re in luck and the answer is Do not. Certified mail and certified letter refer to the exact same thing. In this context, the terms “letter” and “mail” are used interchangeably; both refer to mail that has a unique USPS tracking number assigned to it.
Frequently Asked Questions: USPS Verified Mail
Below are the three most common questions we receive about Certified Mail.
How much does a registered letter cost?
Certified Mail fees as of this writing $3.35, in addition to postage, you will also be charged for shipping the letter. If you plan to send a 1 oz letter, you will pay 58 cents for your Forever stamp.Plus certified emails, this brings your total for this email to $3.93.
Is certified mail faster than regular mail?
Certified Mail is no faster than regular First-Class Mail; delivery takes 1-4 business days, depending on how far your certification letter needs to travel. The only difference is that USPS assigns a tracking number to certified letters, allowing the sender to track the letter just like a package on the USPS website. USPS provides real-time updates of tracking information for each piece of Certified Mail, including when each scan entered the sorting and distribution center, left the destination post office, and was delivered to the recipient.
How to send verification email?
You can buy Certified Mail at any post office; just look for the little square receipt with the green section “Certified Mail Receipt” at the top. Once done, fill in all the necessary recipient information and give it to the postal worker behind the counter. You can also purchase Certified Mail through various shipping software services that sell letter postage, not just package labels. Stamps.com is an example of shipping software that sells mail postage and package postage, although you need to be aware of the difference between mailing and shipping before signing up.
