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Restricted delivery means only the person named on the envelope can sign for the piece, not a spouse, roommate, or coworker. You add it to certified or registered mail, and the carrier must check ID and hand it directly to that addressee. It costs extra and can slow delivery if the addressee is away.
Restricted delivery is an add-on, not a standalone service. You start with certified mail or registered mail, which already gives you tracking and proof of delivery, and then you ask for delivery to be restricted to the addressee. At the door, the carrier is supposed to verify that the person signing matches the name on the piece. If that person is not there, the carrier does not hand it to someone else in the household. The piece goes back for a pickup attempt or a later delivery try, depending on the carrier's normal practice.
That strictness is the whole point, and also the main drawback. A letter that would have been signed for by a partner on a normal day can sit unclaimed while the addressee travels. If timing matters more than strict control, plain certified mail with a signature is often the better choice. Restricted delivery suits the narrower case where you need to show that one specific person, and no one else, received the letter.
| Service | Who can sign | What you get | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular mail | No signature at all | Delivery, no proof | Routine letters where proof does not matter |
| Certified mail | Anyone at the address who can sign | Tracking and proof of delivery | You need a record that it arrived |
| Certified with restricted delivery | Only the named addressee | Tracking and proof that this person signed | Only the addressee should see it |
| Registered mail | Signature required, chain of custody | The highest level of handling and security | The contents are valuable or irreplaceable |
| Registered with restricted delivery | Only the named addressee | Full custody chain plus addressee-only signature | Valuables plus strict control over who signs |
People often mix these three up, because they are sold together at the counter. Certified mail proves mailing and delivery. It does not control who signs. A family member, an office receptionist, or a building manager can sign for a certified piece in many cases, and the delivery record will still show a signature. Registered mail adds a documented chain of custody: every handoff is recorded, and the piece gets extra security handling from acceptance to delivery. It still does not, on its own, limit signing to one person.
Restricted delivery is the only piece of the set that answers the question "who signed?" with a single name. That is why lawyers, landlords, and employers use it for notices where later proof matters: a termination notice, a lease notice, or a formal demand. If the recipient later claims they never saw the letter, the signature record names them directly. The trade-off is real, though. Restricted delivery adds a fee on top of the base service, and a missed addressee can turn a quick delivery into a week of pickup slips.
It matters when the identity of the signer is the evidence. Think of a notice to one co-owner of a property, a warning to one employee rather than a whole office, or a legal letter to a named individual at a shared address. In those cases, a signature from "someone at the address" leaves room for argument. A signature from the named person does not.
It matters less than people expect in ordinary disputes. If you only need to show that a letter reached an address, certified mail alone does the job for less money and with fewer failed attempts. And restricted delivery does not prove the recipient read the letter, understood it, or agreed with it. It proves the named person signed for the envelope. Keep your own copy of what you sent, and keep the mailing receipt, because the signature card alone does not show the contents.
First, the name on the envelope must match the person you want to sign, exactly enough for a carrier to make the call at the door. A nickname, a first name only, or a company name in place of a person will cause trouble. Second, a business address complicates things: if the addressee works at a large office, the carrier may still deliver to a mailroom that cannot hand it to one person, or the piece may bounce between desks. Third, in Canada the parallel service is registered mail with a signature option, and the exact wording at the counter differs, so ask for addressee-only signature by name rather than assuming the US term travels.
One more practical point: restricted delivery does not stop the addressee from refusing the piece. A refusal is still recorded, and in many legal settings a recorded refusal counts as delivery for notice purposes, but that is a question for the rules that govern your specific notice, not something the postal service decides. If refusal is likely, talk to a lawyer before you mail anything, and keep the refusal notice with your records.
LetterAgent's registered option covers US Certified Mail and Canada Registered Mail, which add tracking and proof of delivery. If you need addressee-only signing, describe that need to your AI assistant when you ask for the letter, so the request is clear before anything is printed. You approve the exact quoted price before payment, and the letter is printed and mailed once you approve. For letters where only one named person should sign, say so up front: it changes how the piece must be prepared, and it is much harder to fix after mailing.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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