A CMRA, or Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, is a private business that accepts United States Postal Service (USPS) mail on behalf of its customers as a business service. Mail centers, pack-and-ship stores and virtual mailbox providers in the United States are CMRAs. Each customer rents a private mailbox (PMB) and files USPS Form 1583.
What does a CMRA do?
A CMRA receives mail for you at its street address. USPS delivers all customer mail to the CMRA in one drop, and the CMRA sorts it into each private mailbox. You then pick it up, or the CMRA remails it to you with new postage.
USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) section 508.1.8 sets the rules. It defines a CMRA as "a business that, in whole or in part, accepts the delivery of U.S. Mail on behalf of another person or entity as a business service". All classes of mail count, from letters to packages.
YogoMailbox is a virtual mailbox platform that gives you a real street address at a local mail center in Canada or the United States, with mail scanning and forwarding.
Which businesses are treated as CMRAs?
The DMM names three groups:
- Businesses that receive mail for customers, such as mail centers and pack-and-ship stores.
- Office business centers, which mainly rent private offices and business support services.
- Reshipping or redelivery businesses, which mainly receive items and send them on.
A virtual mailbox provider with a US address falls in the first group. The mail center holds the CMRA registration, and the virtual mailbox adds scanning and online requests on top. On YogoMailbox, each US mail center uploads its PS Form 1583-A when it joins the platform, and each renter with a US mailbox uploads a signed Form 1583.
Is a CMRA address a real street address?
Yes. Your address is the CMRA's standardized street address plus your box number, written with "PMB" or "#". USPS requires that designation, and mail without it can be returned to the sender. See how to write a PMB address correctly for the exact formats.
| CMRA private mailbox | USPS PO Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | A private business | USPS, at a Post Office |
| Address | Street address + PMB or # number | PO Box + number |
| USPS Form 1583 | Required | Not required |
| Who handles delivery problems | The CMRA | USPS |
What does USPS require from CMRA customers?
Before a CMRA can receive mail for you, you complete PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent. The main rules in DMM 508.1.8.3:
- One form per adult. Spouses each file their own. Parents or guardians can list minor children on their form.
- Two current IDs, one primary and one secondary. The CMRA records them on the form.
- You sign in the physical or virtual presence of the CMRA owner, manager or authorized employee, or in front of a notary.
- If the form does not match your ID, the CMRA must refuse the application.
- If your information changes, you file a new form with current IDs.
Our help page What is USPS Form 1583? explains the form itself, and the USPS Form 1583 guide covers each step.
What does USPS require from the CMRA itself?
A CMRA has its own obligations:
- Register with PS Form 1583-A, filed with the postmaster of its delivery address, with the owner's or manager's IDs.
- Enter every customer's Form 1583 in the USPS CMRA Customer Registration Database and upload clear copies of the IDs.
- Keep at least a digital copy of each Form 1583 on site, available to USPS inspectors.
- Certify every quarter that forms are current and no ID has expired, by 15 January, 15 April, 15 July and 15 October.
If a CMRA breaks these rules, the postmaster sends a written notice. After 30 days without correction, USPS can suspend delivery to the CMRA.
What happens to your mail when you close a CMRA mailbox?
You do not file a USPS change of address. The CMRA records the end date in the USPS database. For at least 6 months after the end date, it must remail your mail to the address on your Form 1583, with new postage, unless you gave other written instructions. After those 6 months, it can return certain mail classes to USPS, endorsed "Undeliverable, Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, No Authorization to Receive Mail for this Addressee."
FAQ
Can USPS forward mail from a CMRA to my new address?
No. The USPS FAQ says mail can be forwarded to a CMRA, but not from a CMRA. The CMRA remails it to you instead.
Can I receive Registered Mail at a CMRA?
You must go to the local Post Office to accept Registered Mail. For Restricted Delivery, you authorize USPS by signing box 5 of Form 1583.
Who do I contact if a letter is missing?
The CMRA, not USPS. USPS delivers to the CMRA, and the CMRA handles the mail from there.
Is there a CMRA in Canada?
CMRA is a category set by USPS rules for mail delivered in the United States. A mail center in Canada gives you a Canadian street address, and USPS Form 1583 is only needed for a mailbox in the United States.
Get a private mailbox at a CMRA
Compare mail centers and plans on the YogoMailbox pricing page. You run a mail center or a shipping store? See how to become a YogoMailbox operator.
Sources
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508, section 1.8: Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies
- USPS FAQ: Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA)
- USPS Postal Bulletin 22624, DMM revision: Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies
- USPS Publication 28, section 285: Private Mailbox Addresses
Last updated: 29/10/2026