Postal Explorer > International Mail Manual - Issue 32 > 3 Special Services

3 Special Services

310 Certificate of Mailing

311 Description

Certificates of mailing furnish evidence of mailing only. A receipt is not obtained on delivery of the mail to the addressee. The fee paid for certificates of mailing does not insure the item against loss or damage.

312 Availability

Customers can purchase a certificate of mailing when they send unregistered letter-post postcards and postal cards matter for the blind and uninsured parcel post or require a duplicate of an original certificate that pertained to a previously mailed item. A certificate of mailing cannot be obtained in combination with registered mail insured parcel post recorded delivery or bulk mailings of 200 pieces or more that bear a permit imprint.

313 Fees

313.1 Individual Pieces

The fee for certificates of mailing for ordinary letter-post and ordinary parcel post is $0.95 per piece whether the item is listed individually on PS Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing or on firm mailing bills. Additional copies of PS Form 3817 or firm mailing bills are available for $0.95 per page. PS Form 3877 Firm Mailing Book for Accountable Mail or forms printed at the mailer's expense may be used for certificates of three or more pieces of mail of any class presented at one time. If mailer-printed forms are used instead of PS Form 3877 these forms must contain at a minimum the same information as PS Form 3877. The fee is $0.30 per article.

313.2 Bulk Pieces

PS Form 3606 Certificate of Bulk Mailing is used to specify the total number of identical pieces of ordinary letter-post mail that are paid for with regular postage stamps precanceled stamps or meter stamps. The following certificate of mailing fees apply:

314 Processing Requests

314.1 Forms

314.11 Postal Service Forms

The forms used for domestic mail are also used for international mail (see DMM 503).

314.12 Treasury Department Forms

a. The sender may receive a certificate of mailing on Treasury Department (Internal Revenue) Forms P.T. 26, 27-A, or 550 certifying that the sender has waived the right to withdraw the item from the mail. The certificate of mailing fees apply to these forms.

b. Post Office facilities may also certify on Customs Form 4455 Certificate of Registration the exportation by mail of items sent abroad for alteration repair or replacement (see 713.43). The certificate of mailing fees apply to each completed form.

314.13 Agriculture Department Forms

Certain certificates or permits are required for the exportation of dried whole eggs and for tobacco seeds and plants. For procedures and fees see 550 and 560 respectively.

314.2 Preparation

314.21 Sender's Responsibility

Sender must:

a. Prepare certificate as prescribed in DMM 503.

b. Use a typewriter ink or ballpoint pen.

c. Affix postage stamps or postage meter stamps to the certificate to cover fees or purchase a postage validation imprinter (PVI) label to be affixed by the accepting clerk.

d. If certificate is an additional one for the same item endorse it "DUPLICATE" or "COPY."

e. Return certificate to the accepting clerk.

314.22 Accepting Clerk's Responsibility

Accepting clerk must:

a. Make sure that the form has been properly completed and that the correct amount of postage has been affixed.

b. Cancel the stamps with a postmark showing the current date.

c. Sign the Treasury Department forms described in 314.12.

Note: This is the only instance in which certification requires signatures or initials of Postal Service employees.

d. Return the form to the sender.

Exception: Permits for mailing tobacco seeds and tobacco plants are retained by the Post Office facility and forwarded to the Agriculture Department (see 560).