Texas Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA)
Texan Registered Agent is a USPS-authorized Commercial Mail Receiving Agency. This allows us to provide secure, convenient digital mail forwarding and virtual office services. Learn more about what a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency does and how we can provide mail solutions for your business.
What Is a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency?
A Commercial Mail Receiving Agency is a private company that is registered with the USPS and able to provide private virtual addresses and mail forwarding to clients. To authorize a CMRA to accept your mail, you must complete Postal Service Form 1583 and submit a photo ID and proof of address.
When you hire Texan Registered Agent as your Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, you’ll be able to complete Form 1583 directly in your client portal.
Why Use a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency for Your Business?
There are many reasons to use a CMRA to handle your business mail, including:
Privacy
If you don’t run your business from a traditional storefront or office, you still need a business address to put on state forms. Many small business owners use their home address for this, but that can make you a target for spammers and scammers.
A CMRA gives you a commercial business address you can use on public forms, your website, social media, and virtually anywhere else.
2
Professional appearance
Businesses operating from a home address or a P.O. box tend to look amateurish, maybe even a little sketchy. When you use a CMRA, you get an address in a legitimate office building, enhancing the professional image of your company.
3
Secure document storage
There’s a lot of paperwork to keep track of as a business owner—bills, receipts, taxes, Secretary of State notices, etc. A good CMRA will scan all of your important business mail to a secure online account, so you can safely view it any time, from anywhere.
When you use our mail forwarding or virtual office service, our vetted local staff open and scan your mail the day it arrives, filtering out any obvious junk mail.
4
No annoying address changes
Changing your business address isn’t easy or cheap. If you use a home address as your business address, you’ll need to update the address with government agencies, your bank, and anywhere else you’ve used it any time you move.
A good CMRA can provide a stable, long-term address you can use for all your business needs, so no matter where you live, your business address can stay consistent.
What Is PS Form 1583?
PS Form 1583 is the Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent. This USPS form must be completed by the customer before they can use CMRA services. When you hire us as your CMRA, you’ll be able to complete Form 1583 in your client account, without needing to print or mail anything yourself.
What’s required on Form 1583?
You’ll need to provide the following when completing Form 1583:
- Full name
- Residential address
- Photo ID
- Proof of address
- Signature (e-signature is okay)
Types of Photo ID accepted:
- U.S. State/Territory/Tribal Drivers or Non-Drivers ID Card
- U.S. Passport
- Foreign Passport
- Matricula Consular
- NEXUS card
- U.S. Access Card
- DOD Common Access Card
- PIV Card
- U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card
- U.S. Uniformed Service ID Card
- U.S. University Card
Types of Proof of Address accepted:
- Lease
- Mortgage
- Deed of trust
- Voter or vehicle registration card
- Home or vehicle insurance policy
Types of ID that are NOT accepted:
- Social security cards
- Credit cards
- Birth certificates
- Concealed carry permit
What CMRA Services Does Texan Registered Agent Offer?
We offer two tiers of mail scanning service, along with a full-service virtual office package, starting at just $49 a year.
| Free Mail Scanning | Basic Mail Scanning | Premium Mail Scanning | Texas Virtual Office | |
| Business Address | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Easy-to-Use Online Account | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Junk Mail Filtering | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Same-Day Mail Scans | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Phone Service | 90 Days Free* | 90 Days Free* | 90 Days Free* | √ |
| Unique Suite Number | √ | √ | √ | |
| Month-to-Month Lease | √ | |||
| Meeting Room Rental Options | √ | |||
| 3 Mail Scans | +10 Mail Scans | +25 Mail Scans | Unlimited Mail Scans | |
| Free with Registered Agent | $49/year | $99/year | $19/month |
Mail Scanning
With both of our mail scanning packages, you get a real Austin business address with a unique suite number, along with Open and Scan digital mail forwarding. We’ll send your mail to your private online account and send an instant notification when you have a new mail item to view. Because we value your security, we NEVER send your mail via email.
If you need a mail document physically mailed to you, such as a check, you can easily request this in your account. Physical forwarding costs $15 + postage.
Want UNLIMITED mail scans, a dedicated business phone number, and the option to rent conference rooms in our Austin building? Check out our Virtual Office package.
Virtual Office
For just $19 a month, Virtual Office provides:
- Unlimited digital mail forwarding
- Phone service (with local area code)
- A real non-binding office lease
- Conference room rental options
As with our other mail scanning services, only our vetted local employees open and scan your mail, the day it arrives. We NEVER forward your mail to third-party processing hubs, unlike many of our competitors.
Commercial Mail Receiving Agency FAQs
Form 1583 does not go on the public record. While the USPS requires this information for customers using CMRA services, they do not share this information publicly.
An owner or officer of the business must submit their personal ID and proof of address with Form 1583.
You can use your driver’s license as your photo ID, but the USPS will not accept this as your proof of address. You must submit two separate documents for your photo ID and proof of address.
International clients can use a US Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, even if they do not have a residential address in the United States. The process for international clients is the same as for domestic clients.
Form 1583 needs to be updated under the following circumstances:
- Your residential address changes
- Your photo ID expires
- The mail recipient changes
No, registered agent clients do not need to complete Form 1583. Only clients using a virtual address with a unique suite number need to file Form 1583 with the USPS.