Virtual Mailbox & Form 1583 Rules in Alabama
A commercial mail receiving agency or private mailbox service in Alabama cannot serve as your LLC's registered agent, even though it may generally be acceptable as a business address. This is a uniform restriction across jurisdictions. When opening a virtual mailbox, the U.S. Postal Service requires a completed Form 1583, and this form typically must be notarized or witnessed by the CMRA owner. Alabama permits remote online notarization under the Permanent Remote Notarization Act (2021-218), meaning an in-state notary can notarize your Form 1583 entirely online, allowing you to complete the entire virtual mailbox setup without visiting an office in person.
Because notarization rules and remote notarization authority can change, verify current requirements on Alabama's official Secretary of State website before proceeding. This overview is informational only and does not constitute legal advice. Confirm with your CMRA provider and the USPS regarding their specific witnessing and notarization standards.
How a virtual mailbox works
A virtual mailbox is a real street address at a commercial mail-receiving agency (CMRA) that scans your mail; opening one means filing USPS PS Form 1583, witnessed by a notary or the provider, with two IDs.
| Detail | As the rule stands |
|---|---|
| Can a virtual mailbox be your registered agent? | No (a PMB cannot be your registered agent) |
| Can it be your LLC business address? | Generally yes — verify |
| Online notarization (RON) for Form 1583 | Online notarization (RON) available |
| Form 1583 witnessing | Notary or CMRA-owner witness (in person or by A/V) |
| PMB designator (address line) | 'PMB <number>' or '# <number>' (USPS DMM 508.1.4) |
| Governing citation | Ala. Code §36-20-90 et seq.; USPS DMM 508.1.8 |
Opening any virtual mailbox means filing USPS PS Form 1583. The form must be witnessed — by a notary or by the mailbox provider (the CMRA owner/manager), in person or by real-time audio-video under the 2024 CMRA Clarification rule — and you supply two acceptable IDs. It is usually notarized, and the notarization can be done online via remote online notarization (RON) wherever the state allows it.
Confirm before you file. This is informational only, not legal advice. The official state Secretary of State / notary page and USPS are the authoritative sources.
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Compiled from the USPS federal baseline (DMM 508 / 39 CFR) and the state notary/RON statute, and verified June 2026. Always confirm the current rule on the official state Secretary of State / notary page before you rely on it — RON law is still moving. This state's RON status is currently medium-confidence (the exact statute section is not yet pinned), so treat the online-notarization detail as a starting point and confirm it on the official page. How we compile this. Informational only, not legal advice.