Data / Federal rules / 2025-20740
Postmarks and Postal Possession
The Postal Service published this final rule in the Federal Register on November 24, 2025. It took effect on December 24, 2025.
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What the agency says
The Postal Service is adding section 608.11, "Postmarks and Postal Possession," to the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). This new section defines postmarks, identifies the types of Postal Service markings that qualify as postmarks, and describes the circumstances under which those markings are applied. It also advises customers of how to obtain evidence of the date on which the Postal Service accepts possession of their mailings. This new language in the DMM does not change any existing postal operations or postmarking practices, but is instead intended to improve public understanding of postmarks and their relationship to the date of mailing.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2025-20740
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Postal Service
- Published
- November 24, 2025
- Takes effect
- December 24, 2025
- Dates
- Effective December 24, 2025.
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 39 CFR 111
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure
- Pages
- 10
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Everything from the Postal Service · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Published in November 2025
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.