Post Office Visit

• Visit your local post office and advise the post office attendant that you would like to send a piece of certified mail. Before approaching the attendant, be sure that you already have your envelope or package properly addressed. The post office attendant will provide you with a green and white certified mail slip to complete by entering the recipient's name and mailing address.
  
  For an additional fee you can add the options of "Restricted Delivery" and "Return Receipt" to your certified mail. Restricted delivery will guarantee that your mail is only delivered to the person whose name you specify in your instructions. The return receipt option will send you a postcard in the mail as a receipt showing that your mail has been delivered. The receipt will also contain the signature of the person who signed for and accepted the piece of mail. Once you have paid the appropriate fee to the postal attendant to cover your charges, you will be presented with a small certified mail stub that contains a tracking number.
  
  

Track Your Letter Online

• Visit the United States Postal Service website. Enter your tracking number from the stub inside of the box labeled "Track and Confirm." Select the "Go" option. You will be directed to a page that will show you exactly where your piece of mail is. If the mail is still en route to the destination, you will be able to see what post office the mail recently left and what time it left. When your mail is delivered to the recipient, you will be able to see the time and date that the mail was delivered.
  
  

Keep Your Stub

• After tracking your certified letter to ensure that it was delivered, do not throw away your certified mail stub. Instead, you should file the stub away for future reference in case there is a dispute over whether or not you sent the piece of mail to the individual. You can always go back to the website and enter your tracking number to print out your proof of delivery.