PS Form 3801, the USPS Standing Delivery Order, lets you authorize one or more named people to receive mail delivered to your address on your behalf. You fill it out, decide whether each agent can also accept Restricted Delivery items, and submit it in person at the post office that serves your address with valid identification. The authorization stays in force until you cancel it in writing.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order
What the Form Authorizes by Default
Signing PS Form 3801 gives your named agent broader authority than most people assume. Without checking any extra boxes, the agent can accept all mail addressed to you, including Adult Signature Required items, Certified Mail, Insured Mail, C.O.D. shipments, Priority Mail Express, Signature Confirmation packages, and unrestricted Registered Mail.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order
What the default authorization does not cover is Restricted Delivery and Adult Signature Restricted Delivery. Those are add-on services the sender pays for specifically to limit who can sign, so USPS treats them separately on the form.
Adding Restricted Delivery Authority
The form contains a table labeled “Authorized Agent(s) — Restricted Mail Inclusion” with a row for each agent and columns for the restricted services. To let a particular agent pick up Restricted Delivery or Adult Signature Restricted Delivery items, put a check mark in the matching column on that agent’s row.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order Leave the boxes blank and the carrier will hold those pieces for you personally.
The first time an agent shows up to collect restricted mail, the postal employee checks the agent’s valid government-issued or employer-issued photo ID against the name on the form, then marks the “ID Verified” box and initials and dates it. That verification happens once per agent, not on every pickup.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order
Information You Fill In
For yourself, enter your full name (or the business name) and complete delivery address, including apartment or suite number. For each agent, print the name and have the agent sign. The form does not ask for the agent’s address or phone number.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order
If you are signing for a business, add your title within the organization along with your signature. The form itself does not require a corporate resolution or authorization letter, but the post office may ask you to show that you have authority to act for the business, so bring photo ID that matches the name you sign under.1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order
Identification You Need To Bring
Standard USPS identification rules apply when you file the form. You need one primary photo ID and one secondary document that ties you to the address.
Acceptable primary photo IDs include:
- State-issued driver’s license or non-driver’s ID card
- U.S. passport or passport card
- U.S. military Common Access Card (CAC) or Uniformed Service ID
- Permanent resident card or other USCIS-issued ID
- Federally or state-recognized tribal ID
- Corporate ID card from a U.S.-organized corporation (accepted for some services)
For the secondary document, USPS accepts items traceable to you that verify your address: a lease, mortgage, or deed of trust; a voter or vehicle registration card; a home or vehicle insurance policy; or a Form I-94 Arrival and Departure Record. A second primary photo ID also works. Utility bills are not on the official list, even though people commonly assume they are.2United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 608 – Postal Information and Resources
Where and How To Submit It
You can download PS Form 3801 as a PDF from the USPS website, but you have to file it in person at the post office that serves your delivery address. Bring the completed form and your identification. The clerk will confirm your IDs match the form and enter the authorization into the internal USPS system so your carrier sees it.
No fee is listed on the form or in the standard USPS fee schedule for a Standing Delivery Order. The form does not state a processing timeline, so if you need the authorization active by a specific date, file it a few days ahead.
How Long It Lasts and How To Cancel
The Standing Delivery Order has no expiration date. The form’s own language reads: “I understand that this Standing Delivery Order will remain in effect until I cancel it in writing.”1United States Postal Service. PS Form 3801 – Standing Delivery Order Nothing needs to be renewed on any schedule.
To revoke an agent’s authority, send a written cancellation to the post office where the order is on file. Do this promptly when a relationship ends, because the carrier will keep releasing your mail to anyone still listed. To add an agent, change who can accept restricted mail, or update your address, submit a fresh PS Form 3801.
What You Give Up on Claims Once an Agent Signs
Once USPS hands a piece of mail to your authorized agent, the Postal Service treats it as delivered. If the item is later lost or damaged, an indemnity claim will not be paid. USPS Publication 122 lists “loss after items signed for by the addressee, the addressee’s agent, or delivery employee if authorized under the applicable standards” among nonpayable claims.3United States Postal Service. Publication 122 – Domestic Claims Customer Reference Guide For insured or high-value items, the USPS liability shield ends at the agent’s signature, and any recovery for a problem after that point runs against the agent, not the Postal Service.
Practical Cautions
Because the order does not expire, a former employee, ex-roommate, or past business partner can keep receiving your mail until you cancel their authorization in writing. Review who is listed at least once a year.
Be deliberate with the restricted-delivery checkboxes. If an agent has no reason to accept those items, leave the boxes blank; the whole point of Restricted Delivery is that only you sign. If a business office manager routinely signs for everything, checking the boxes keeps items from bouncing back to the post office when you are out.
Keep your own copy of the submitted form. The post office has its copy on file, but carriers rotate, and a substitute carrier who cannot quickly confirm the authorization may hesitate to release mail to your agent.