How to Fill Out the USPS Registered Mail Receipt (PS Form 3806)

PS Form 3806 is the Registered Mail receipt you fill out at the Post Office counter. To complete it, write the sender and recipient names and addresses in the FROM and TO fields, declare the full value of what you’re sending, check the boxes for any add-on services you want, and hand the form to the clerk with your sealed package. The clerk inspects the package, calculates the fees, stamps the form, and gives you back Copy 1 marked “Customer.” That stamped copy is your only proof of mailing.¹

Before You Get to the Counter

Pick up the form at the retail counter. Fill it out in ballpoint pen or type it. No pencil, no felt-tip.¹

Have three things settled before you fill anything in: the mail class you’re using, the value of the contents, and whether you want any signature or return-receipt services. Registered Mail can only be added to Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, USPS Ground Advantage — Commercial, and USPS Ground Advantage — Retail. Nothing else qualifies, so Media Mail and USPS Marketing Mail are out.²

Your package also has to be sealed correctly before you hand it over, and that’s covered further down. Postal employees are not allowed to help you seal or prepare the package, so arrive with it finished.

Filling In the FROM and TO Fields

Write the full name and physical address for both yourself and the recipient. Use the same names and addresses printed on the package itself. If you’re sending on behalf of a business, use the business name in the sender field.

These fields tie the mailing record to specific people or entities. Abbreviations, nicknames, or a partial address can create problems later if you need to file a claim, because the receipt has to match what USPS has on file for that piece.

Declaring the Value

You must declare the full value of the contents at the time of mailing.¹ The dollar figure you write on the form does two things at once: it sets the registry fee you’ll pay, and it sets the ceiling on any insurance payout if something goes wrong. Insurance matching the declared value is automatically included up to $50,000.³

You can write $0 if the contents have no monetary worth but you still want the registry system’s security — for example, legal documents going to a courthouse. A $0 declaration means no insurance coverage, but you still get the locked-container handling and the tracking record.³

Items worth more than $50,000 can still be sent by Registered Mail, but insurance stops at $50,000 no matter what you declare.⁴ Do not understate value to save on the registry fee. If the package is lost or damaged, USPS will not pay you more than the number written on the form.⁵

Checking the Extra-Service Boxes

The form has checkboxes and fee lines for several optional services. Mark the ones you want; the clerk adds the fees to your total.

Return Receipt, hard copy: USPS mails you a signed PS Form 3811 green card proving who accepted delivery. $4.40.⁶
Return Receipt, electronic: you get an electronic image of the recipient’s signature instead of the physical card. $2.82.⁶
Restricted Delivery: only the specific person named on the form can sign for the package. $8.40.⁴
Signature Confirmation and Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery have their own separate fee lines on the form.

For sensitive legal documents where you need proof that a specific named person received the item, Restricted Delivery combined with a Return Receipt is the standard pairing.

Sealing the Package the Clerk Will Accept

Most Registered Mail attempts get rejected at the counter over packaging, so this matters as much as the form itself. Seal the package with glue, or with plain paper or cloth tape. The tape has to visibly damage the wrapper if someone tries to remove it, and it has to absorb ink from a postmark impression. Clear plastic packing tape fails both tests. Use plain brown paper tape, the water-activated kind.⁷

Several packaging materials are prohibited outright:

Padded envelopes and bubble mailers
Tyvek and other spun-bonded olefin envelopes
Plastic envelopes or mailers
Envelopes made of glossy-coated paper

If the contents are currency or securities, tape alone is not enough. Seal the package with glue first, then apply paper tape over the top.⁷ Fragile items need interior packing that meets USPS standards, and you must tell the clerk the contents are fragile. Indemnity can be denied if the item wasn’t properly packaged.

What Happens When You Hand Over the Form

The clerk inspects the package first, checking every seam, testing whether the tape holds ink, and confirming the outer material isn’t on the prohibited list. If anything fails, you’ll be sent to repackage.

Once the package passes, the clerk calculates the total: base postage for the mail class, the registry fee based on your declared value, and any extra-service fees you checked. You pay everything at the counter. The clerk applies a circular date stamp to the form and hands back Copy 1, labeled “Customer.”¹ That copy carries the registered mail number for tracking and the date stamp that establishes when the item entered the mail stream.

Registry Fees by Declared Value

The registry fee is charged on top of the regular postage for your chosen mail class:⁸

$0.00 declared value: $19.70
$0.01 to $100: $20.40
$100.01 to $500: $23.50
$500.01 to $1,000: $26.40
$1,000.01 to $2,000: $29.30
$2,000.01 to $3,000: $32.20
$3,000.01 to $4,000: $35.10
$4,000.01 to $5,000: $38.00
$5,000.01 to $50,000: $38.00 plus $2.90 for each $1,000 or fraction above $5,000
Over $50,000: $168.50 (handling only, no additional insurance above $50,000)

A worked example: a piece of jewelry declared at $8,000 comes to $38.00 plus $2.90 for each of the three full thousands above $5,000, or $46.70 in registry fees on top of postage and any extra-service fees.

International Registered Mail

PS Form 3806 also covers international Registered Mail. The form has fields for international indemnity, but coverage limits for international shipments are set by the Universal Postal Union rather than by USPS. Country-specific restrictions, prohibitions, and maximum coverage amounts appear in the International Mail Manual.¹ Check that manual for the destination country before you fill out the form.

Keeping the Receipt

Your stamped copy is not easily replaced. USPS requires the original mailing receipt as evidence for any insurance claim.⁵ Alternative evidence — outer packaging with sender and recipient information and the insured label, or a printed electronic label record — is typically only accepted for items mailed online with printed labels, not for counter transactions using PS Form 3806.

Photograph or scan the receipt as soon as you leave the Post Office, and keep the physical copy somewhere you’ll find it later.

If You Have to File a Claim

If the item arrives damaged, arrives with contents missing, or never arrives, you can claim up to the declared value, capped at $50,000. Filing windows depend on the situation:

Lost domestic items: no sooner than 15 days after mailing, no later than 60 days.
Damaged domestic items or missing contents: file immediately, no later than 60 days after mailing.
APO, FPO, or DPO items: no sooner than 45 days after mailing, no later than one year.
International items, loss: within six months of mailing.
International items, damage: file immediately, no later than 60 days after mailing.

The fastest route is online through your USPS.com account, though you can also file by mail.⁵ You will need the original PS Form 3806 receipt and proof of the item’s value: a sales receipt or paid invoice, a credit card billing statement, a statement of value or repair estimate from a reputable dealer, a printout of a completed online transaction showing buyer, seller, price, date, and item description, or receipts for reconstruction costs of non-negotiable documents.

If USPS denies the claim, you have 30 days from the denial date to appeal. Online claims are appealed through your USPS.com account under Claim History; mailed claims are appealed by writing to Domestic Claims Appeals, Accounting Services, US Postal Service, PO Box 80141, St. Louis, MO 63180-0141.⁹

1
United States Postal Service. PS Form 3806 – Registered Mail Receipt
2
United States Postal Service. 500 Additional Mailing Services
3
USPS.com. Registered Mail – The Basics
4
United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – Price List
5
United States Postal Service. File a USPS Claim – Domestic
6
United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – Price List
7
United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual S911 – Registered Mail
8
United System Postal Service. Notice 123 – Price List
9
USPS.com. Domestic Claims – The Basics