What is Free Matter for the Blind and Other Physically Handicapped Persons?
Matter may be sent free of charge if mailed by or for the use of blind or other persons who cannot read or use conventionally printed materials due to a physical handicap.
When such matter is mailed domestically, it is not considered any specific class of mail, such as Priority Mail®, Priority Mail Express®, etc. However, the standards for processing, delivering, and handling if undeliverable are the same used for First-Class Mail®.
Domestic “Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped” must be mailed by or for blind or other persons who cannot read or use conventionally printed materials due to a physical handicap. That person must also be either an American citizen domiciled abroad or a resident of the United States. That includes territories, insular possessions, and the District of Columbia. The steps to register for the free matter privilege are below.
Other mailers and shippers that are eligible for mailing and shipping Free Matter include:
- Commercial producers of those eligible items when mailed to an eligible person as described above.
- Individuals, libraries, and other noncommercial organizations eligible to participate in the U.S. Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) when mailed to persons and other organizations serving people meeting the eligibility requirement. These libraries and other noncommercial organizations can also mail and ship among themselves.
How do I become eligible for Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped?
The Postal Service® requires individuals claiming use of the free matter privilege to provide evidence of eligibility to the Post Office that you're mailing from. Certification or evidence of being considered to be blind or having a physical handicap that causes a person to be unable to read or use conventionally printed material is provided by a certifying authority, which includes doctors of medicine, ophthalmologists, professional staff of hospitals and public or private welfare agencies, and professional librarians. Eligibility is also met by being a certified participant in the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
An alternative is that the local postmaster may extend the free matter privilege to a customer based on their personal knowledge of the customer's eligibility.
What Items Can Be Mailed as Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped?
The following can be mailed domestic Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped can include:
- Reading matter in braille or 14-point or larger sightsaving type and musical scores
- Sound reproductions
- Paper, records, tapes, and other material for the production of reading matter, musical scores, or sound reproductions
- Reproducers or parts of them for sound reproductions
- Braille writers, typewriters, educational or other materials or devices, or parts
- Must be used for writing by, or designed or adapted for use of, a blind person or a person who has a physical impairment as described above.
Free matter must also be mailed under certain conditions. These conditions include:
- The matter may be opened and inspected by the USPS.
- Letters sent by blind or other physically handicapped persons must be in Braille, in 14-point or larger type, or in the form of sound recordings.
What Items Cannot Be Mailed Using "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" Service?
Domestic Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped cannot include:
- Advertising
- Letters prepared by sighted individuals to be sent to a blind or other physically handicapped person or empty shipping materials for mailing potential free matter
- Hand written letters, or letters printed or typed in font smaller than 14-point, may not be sent free
- Any item with a charge, rental, subscription, or other fee that exceeds the actual price of the item
How Should “Free Matter for the Blind” Be Packaged and Submitted to USPS®?
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Items should be packaged in wrappers, in rolls, between cardboard, or in bags, boxes, unsealed envelopes with the flaps tucked in, or containers. Dangerous fasteners may not be used. The articles may also be tied with string or twine in a manner that will permit them to be easily untied.
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Free matter is not protected against postal inspection. Packages should be sealed for processing with the understanding that it can be opened and inspected to ensure it meets the eligibility standards. Only envelopes should remain unsealed with the flaps tucked in.
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Free matter must be marked "Free Matter for the Blind" in the upper right corner of the address side of the mailpiece.
USPS recommends that your item bear a “Free Matter for the Blind” label on the address side of the package.
Post Offices do not provide this label. You can click on the image to the right to open the image in a new window by itself and print it out. If that produces a label that’s too large for your purpose, try copying the image and pasting it into a word processing or image editing program where you can resize and print it.
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