On July 9, 2023, the United States Postal Service released the new requirements for Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies like Earth Class Mail. In order for you to continue using Earth Class Mail (aka LZ Virtual Mail), we need you to provide information on every mail recipient on your account by filling out the new Form 1583 (learn more about Form 1583) and verifying your identity. We call this process "Recipient re-authorization". This article serves as a step-by-step guide to help you through the process.
This guide explains how to re-authorize recipients if you created an Earth Class Mail account before August 2022. If you created your account after August 2022 please follow this article.
Step-by-Step Instructions
TIP: Before starting the re-authorization process, please remove all recipients and aliases that are no longer used or valid. This will make the re-authorization process easier and faster.
- If you are using the Earth Class Mail web app to access Virtual Mail service, upon logging in to the ECM web app, you will be presented with an orange ribbon at the top of the screen.
- Click the "Re-authorize your recipients" link to be directed to the Recipients tab, where you'll find a list of your mail recipients.
- While in the Recipients tab, click on the "Re-authorize recipients" button.
4. To comply with USPS regulations, please specify the Recipient Type that best describes each recipient on your account.
There are 4 recipient types you can choose from:
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- Personal Recipient - Individual who receives personal mail only (example: John Smith).
- Minor - Individual under 18 years who receives personal mail only (example: Jimmy Smith, age 16).
- Business Recipient - A business or organization that receives business mail (example: Wayne Enterprises).
- Business Member - Member of a business who receives business mail (example: Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises).
Please note: Accounts created before August 2022 had the capability to include company departments as recipients (e.g., "HR," "Finance," "Manager," or similar), but this is not a proper recipient type with the new regulations. Please note that your business will still receive the mail even though listing the department as a separate business member recipient is no longer supported. For example, if Summit Dynamics, Inc. is a business recipient, then mail addressed to "Summit Dynamics, Inc. - Human Resources" would still be delivered to your account.
If you decide to select "Not a recipient, remove it" you will not lose access to the mail already received for this recipient. Mail items associated with this recipient will be placed under “Unassigned” recipient in your mailbox in a folder named after this recipient (e.g. “Manager”) and you will be able to transfer any items from this recipient to another, by clicking on the item and selecting “Transfer To Recipient” from the Actions menu.
If you additionally have aliases associated with “Manager” type of recipient, you will be able to decide what you would like to do with them in the next step.
5. Aliases (this step is only visible if you have aliases on your account).
An alias served as an alternative name to match mail to recipients. For example 'Charles Shaw' (recipient) could also receive mail addressed to 'Chuck Shaw' (alias). However, due to the recent introduction of new USPS regulations, aliases are no longer allowed. This restriction is not a concern as our name matching algorithms route mail accurately even without aliases.
Please note: Removing an alias does not result in a loss of access to the mail received for this recipient.
At this step we ask you to decide what you would like to do with each alias that is assigned to your recipient. You can either remove an alias or create a new recipient with the same name as alias. Please note that if you create multiple personal recipients using aliases, you will only be able to authorize the personal recipient whose name exactly matches the one on your ID. Other personal recipients will need to be authorized by other admin users within your account whose legal name matches the name of the respective personal recipients.
Let’s take the following examples into consideration:
- Recipient ‘Charles Shaw’ has an alias ‘Chuck Shaw'. In this case, we recommend removing the alias ‘Chuck Shaw' because our name matching algorithms will route the mail to Charles Shaw.
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Recipient ‘HR’ has 3 aliases: ‘Charles Shaw', ‘Anna Smith’, ‘Bruce Wayne’. In this case, it is likely that creating business member recipients for ‘Charles Shaw', ‘Anna Smith’, ‘Bruce Wayne’ may be helpful.
- Recipient ‘Charles Shaw’ has 1 alias ‘Anna Shaw'. Charles and Anna Shaw are spouses. In this case, it is likely that creating a personal recipient for ‘Anna Shaw’ may be helpful.
6. Before proceeding to the next step, we ask you to review and validate the arrangement of your updated recipient list. You will not be able to alter recipient types after you proceed to the next step. After your confirmation, you will be presented with an updated list of your recipients.
7. While in the Recipients tab, click on either the "Re-authorize recipients" button or "Re-authorize Now" next to any of your recipients.
8. The re-authorization process requires that you present two valid identification documents to verify your identity (see acceptable IDs for SSN Holders, for non-SSN Holders) and have access to a computer or smartphone with a strong internet connection. Your device must have a video camera and audio capabilities.
9. Recipient Details
Recipient Details page will display distinct forms for personal and business recipients, depending on the type of recipient you intend to re-authorize.
Personal Recipient
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Please enter your legal name, exactly as it appears on your ID. We will expect to see this name on mail addressed to you. If you already provided this information to us previously, we will pre-fill it in the form to make it easier for you, but please make sure it is valid. "Middle Initial" field is optional.
You can only re-authorize one personal recipient with a name exactly as it appears on your ID. If you have multiple personal recipients on your account, you will have to transfer them to other users on your account for re-authorization. Learn how to transfer recipients. - If you are a parent or guardian and would like us to handle mail for a minor, you can enable this by providing the minor's name and date of birth. The minor will then be added as a recipient on the account.
- Mark the checkbox to confirm the data you provided is correct.
- Click Save & Continue to save the recipient's data.
Business Recipient
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Please enter information about:
- Business name
- Your role in the organization
- Business members
- Where your business was registered. You can check the status of any corporation registered by visiting the state's Department of State or Secretary of State's website. If this question does not apply to your business (for example, if your business is a sole proprietorship), you can mark the "Check if not applicable" checkbox.
- Your business address
- Phone number
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Business type
- Click Save & Continue to save the recipient's data.
10. Form 1583 Applicant Details
You will be serving as the Applicant for Form 1583. Information on this page is required to verify your identity before you can sign & submit Form 1583.
Please note: if you already re-authorized at least one personal or business recipient, you will not be required to provide applicant details again.
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Your Full Name
- Please provide your First and Last name (Middle initial is optional). If the full name is pre-filled, it means you have already provided a full name for yourself as the personal recipient. If you need to make any changes, you'll need to go back and edit the personal recipient's name in the previous step.
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Do you have a Social Security Number?
- You won't be required to share your SSN. We request this information only for the purpose of providing guidance on acceptable IDs for SSN Holders and for non-SSN Holders.
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Primary ID
- This ID must include your photograph. It must be valid and not expired, and be in a language that uses the Latin alphabet. You will be required to show this ID on camera.
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Secondary ID
- This ID must include your home address and name exactly as listed on the primary ID. It must be valid and not expired, and in a language that uses the Latin alphabet. You will be required to show this ID on camera.
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Your Home Address
- Please input your address exactly as it appears on your secondary ID. This is only used for identity verification purposes. We will not forward mail to this address unless you request it.
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Your Phone Number
- The USPS requires a telephone number on Form 1583 for regulatory compliance.
11. Identity verification & signature of Form 1583
Before signing Form 1583, we are required to verify your identity:
Verify with a notary
This is a free video session with a notary public through our partner, Notarize. On this video call, we’ll verify your identity and notarize your USPS Form 1583. Make sure you have your primary ID and secondary ID physically present, as you will need to show them on camera.
FAQ
- Can I re-authorize recipients using my mobile device?
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I have several personal recipients that I can't authorize. What should I do?
Related Articles
What is a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 1583 Form, and why do I need to complete one?
How to re-authorize recipients if you created an account after August 2022?