In summary, refusing certified mail leads to the mail being returned to the sender, and the sender may need to take additional steps to ensure the recipient receives the correspondence.
After 15 business days, if the letter has not been picked up, it will be returned to the sender. However, a second delivery attempt within the 15 days can be scheduled by the sender. To learn more about scheduling a redelivery attempt, visit USPS/Redelivery.
The addressee has 15 calendar days to pick up your registered mail with confirmation of receipt (in the Post Office or Post Point mentioned on the failed delivery notice). If the addressee does not pick up your mail within 15 calendar days, it will be sent back to you.
Once the letter is signed for, the recipient cannot then decide to refuse and returned the letter to the mail carrier. Learn more about Certified Mail refusal.
The registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (LRAR) is of legal importance. First of all, it constitutes indisputable proof of both the sending and the receipt of a document, which is evidenced by the acknowledgement of receipt signed by the addressee, which is crucial in contentious or administrative contexts.
If an attempt is made to deliver Certified Mail to you, and you either don't answer your door or aren't home, another attempt will be made, or you'll have to pick it up at the post office. Even if you don't answer your door, it's considered undeliverable.
If you refuse to sign for it, the chances are that the sender or court will send you the same documentation via regular mail. Once it's sent by regular mail, they'll consider it delivered.
The delivery person can't leave Certified Mail without a signature. If no one is home to receive it, the postal worker will leave a note that a delivery attempt was made. USPS only makes one delivery attempt. After that, the carrier returns the letter or package to the nearest post office.