Inter-Office Mail

Inter-Office mail received from NIH activities will be processed as "PRIORITY" for immediate delivery upon receipt at a Division of Mail Management Services facility .

Inter-Office mail should be placed in a Standard Form (SF) 65, Government Messenger Envelope (also referred to as a "holey Joe" or "shotgun" envelope) or a preprinted Inter-office Communication Envelope which can be purchased from any NIH self-service store.

When addressing inter-office envelopes, use of mail stop codes in lieu of building names/numbers and room numbers. Names and routing information should be legibly printed on the next unused line on the envelope.

Ensure all previous markings on SF-65 have been marked out and clearly enter the addressee's name, building, room number. Enter the mail stop code in the box marked "STOP".

When using the preprinted Inter-Office Communications envelope, place a return address in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope (NAME/BLDG/RM/MSC). Clearly enter the addressee's name, building, room, and/or MSC in a two-line format in the center of the envelope.

Do not place objects such as metal pieces of glass, hazardous materials (such as chemicals, research vials, blood samples, and tissue samples), chain letters, or personal mail into the inter-office mail stream.

When using SF-65 or preprinted Inter-Office Communication envelope for "SPECIALS", use the "SPECIAL" labels and affix to the envelope. These labels can be obtain at any NIH self-service store. If a previous "SPECIAL" label is affixed to SF-65 and this type of service is not required, place a "X" through the label prior to putting it into the mail stream.

Contact the Mail Customer Service Branch for information on addressing, routing, and/or delivery of Inter-Office mail.