Labs and offices occasionally receive mail that isn’t tied directly to NIH activities or was intended for an employee who previously held a position and has since left NIH. An example of this “non-positional” mail is a personal cell phone bill. This mail has no value except to the person to whom the mail was addressed.

To forward First-Class mail to persons no longer assigned to or employed by NIH, a forwarding address is needed to avoid it from being returned to sender. Using a black or blue pen, draw a single diagonal line through the address and write/type the following statement, along with the forwarding address directly above the top address line, then place the mail piece back into the mail stream via your outgoing mail.

FORWARD TO: (write the desired forwarding address here)

Jane Doe

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD 20892

First-Class mail addressed to persons no longer assigned to or employed by NIH and who have not left a forwarding address should be returned to the sender. Using a black or blue pen, draw a single diagonal line through the address and write/type the following statement, directly above the top address line, then place the mail piece back into the mail stream via your outgoing mail.

RETURN TO SENDER: No longer at NIH/address unknown

For questions or concerns regarding mail services, please contact the Division of Mail Management Services at (301) 496-3586 or mcsbcs@mail.nih.gov.