I would never use the word "always" to describe what USPS does in any specific situation. There's *always* someone who doesn't follow the rules and there's a few who make up their own rules. I once lost a registered mail that they sent back to Germany because the addressee was not here to show her ID. The mailman would not accept that peach-colored card where she had designated me her agent and authorized me to receive that mail. The mail carrier had made some notation on it that an unauthorized person was trying to receive it. When i went to the post office to try again they called the supervisor to the counter and i was told that i'd have to bring in the ID of the addressee if i wanted to pick up her registered mail. And i'd lived at that address for three years ...

If i'm home when a registered mail comes for the first time i've *never* had to show ID. I could scribble anything and it could be addressed to anyone. But if i'm not home and go to the PO i've always had to show ID ... even if i have the peach-colored card with me.

If you miss a registered mail, you don't need the peach-colored card if you have ID and go to the PO. And most of the time they'll just give you a registered mail addressed to someone else if you say it's your husband, roomate, etc. But not *always*.

All it takes to prove a negative is one counterexample.

Trampy