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How to Track a Missing USPS Letter and File a Search Request

A USPS Missing Mail search can be filed starting seven days after mailing. Check tracking first if you have a number, then submit the item details online.
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First, check whether the letter has a USPS tracking number. If it does, look up its latest scan with USPS Tracking. If it remains missing, USPS accepts a Missing Mail search request starting seven days after mailing. Many ordinary First-Class Mail letters have no tracking, but you can still request a search if you can provide identifying details.

Check whether the letter has tracking

Look for a tracking number on the mailing receipt, online postage record, or an email from the sender. If you are the recipient, ask the sender to check their records. USPS says it cannot recover a lost tracking number for you; its guidance states, “Care Center agents and local Post Offices do not have a way to recover lost tracking numbers.” See the USPS Missing Mail page for this guidance.

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Many postcards and ordinary First-Class Mail letters and flats do not include tracking. Some eligible mail can be made trackable by using an extra service when it is mailed, but that does not add tracking to a letter already sent without it. If you have a number, enter it in USPS Tracking and review the latest scan before starting a search.

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Submit a USPS Missing Mail search request

USPS says you can submit a search request beginning seven days after the mailing date. Its FAQ describes a filing window of 7 to 365 days after mailing and recommends submitting as soon as possible within that period. Start at Find Missing Mail, then open the Missing Mail application at MissingMail.USPS.com. You must sign in or register, complete the form, and submit it. USPS sends a confirmation email; Customer Care representatives cannot file the request for you.

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Gather the details before you start

  • The mailer’s and recipient’s addresses.
  • The mailing date and tracking number, if one exists.
  • The envelope or container’s type, size, color, and other identifying features.
  • A specific description of the contents, such as a title, color, size, brand, make, or model where applicable.
  • Photos that could help identify the contents or packaging, if available.

You can describe multiple items that were inside one mailpiece in a single request. Each separate mailpiece needs its own request. A saved draft expires after seven days. USPS says you can edit the contents description after submission; to correct other submitted information, cancel the request and file again.

Check the status of a Missing Mail request

Use Missing Mail Search History in the application to view the request status. The contact named on the request also receives email updates and a final resolution email.

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  • Accepted: USPS received the request and the mailpiece is in the inventory search process.
  • Mailpiece Found: USPS identified and retrieved it and is preparing it for return.
  • Expired: The search retention period ended without a match. USPS says it will email you if it could not find the item.
  • Draft, rejected, or canceled: The request is not progressing as an active search; check the application or email for its status and next step.

If USPS finds the mailpiece, it says it will rewrap it and send it to the address on your request. A search is not a promise of recovery: USPS says it will attempt to find and return the item, but “submitting a search does not guarantee a successful outcome.”

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Check whether a claim or refund is available

A Missing Mail search and a claim or refund are separate matters. Eligibility depends on the service used and any insurance or guarantee attached to that mailing; an ordinary letter is not automatically insured or refundable. USPS’s missing-mail guidance says insured mail may qualify for an insurance claim and identifies money-back services such as Priority Mail Express as possible refund cases. It advises filing claims promptly for missing or damaged contents and gives 60 days from mailing as the outer limit in that guidance. Check the current requirements for the actual service and keep the postage or purchase record.

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