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Ive been told that DPS says not to send in your CHL paperwork via registered mail. I feel that there is alot of important info in the packet and I want to make sure they get it. Will they get bent if I send registered? Any thoughts/experiences on this?

If it makes you feel any better, I sent both my husband's and mine by regular, unregistered mail, and we were both under 40 days for plastic in hand. It'll get there.

I sent mine registered mail. I'm currently in the review process. Haven't heard a negative thing about it.

Thanks!

ffemt300 wrote:Ive been told that DPS says not to send in your CHL paperwork via registered mail. I feel that there is alot of important info in the packet and I want to make sure they get it. Will they get bent if I send registered? Any thoughts/experiences on this?

Who told you that? It's news to me.
I wouldn't use registered mail, though. My understanding is that's for mailing valuable items. The value of the paperwork is zero.
If you're concerned, I'd use certified mail, return receipt. Cheaper, too, I believe.

What you want to do is have an assurance that your envelope was received and when. Registered mail is overkill for this purpose and usually is used for sending valuable items, such as diamonds, gold, etc. Things with substantial cash value. Certified mail is a better option, costs much less, and will get you what you want--a signature. Use Certified Mail.

gdanaher wrote:What you want to do is have an assurance that your envelope was received and when. Registered mail is overkill for this purpose and usually is used for sending valuable items, such as diamonds, gold, etc. Things with substantial cash value. Certified mail is a better option, costs much less, and will get you what you want--a signature. Use Certified Mail.

yeah, I guess thats what I meant. I didnt know the difference in "registered" and "certified". Thanks!

Personally: With turnaround times as quick as they are right now, I wouldn't worry about it. Make copies of everything just in case it gets lost. With the modern fingerprinting process and changes in requirements for the photos, there's nothing "irreplacable" in the packet.

Back in 2009 when I sent mine in, we were using certified mail just to have proof of delivery date, and antecdotally, I'd say those of us who had proof of delivery got our plastic somewhat faster than those who didn't...but that's just a gut feeling, based on the tracking times we were posting. We were also still using signed photos and paper fingerprints, which would have been a pain to reproduce if things got lost.

cbunt1 wrote:Personally: With turnaround times as quick as they are right now, I wouldn't worry about it. Make copies of everything just in case it gets lost. With the modern fingerprinting process and changes in requirements for the photos, there's nothing "irreplacable" in the packet.

Back in 2009 when I sent mine in, we were using certified mail just to have proof of delivery date, and antecdotally, I'd say those of us who had proof of delivery got our plastic somewhat faster than those who didn't...but that's just a gut feeling, based on the tracking times we were posting. We were also still using signed photos and paper fingerprints, which would have been a pain to reproduce if things got lost.

Good call on the copies. Thanks for the advice.

I sent my package with 'delivery confirmation', but not certified/registered. Sent from downtown Houston to Austin and it took a day to get there...

Sent mine certified mail in '09. Of course, it was early 2009 and there were a ton of people getting CHLs. I think I had a 90 something day wait before I got my CHL....

You young guns and your speedy turn around times don't know how good you've got it!

If someone at DPS has to sign for the letter, it seems to take longer than if it's delivered automatically.

I sent mine in early April, via regular mail, and had plastic in my hand in almost 5 weeks exactly. To be honest, I thought about sending certified, but the only thing really at risk of loss were the photos, and I thought it would have been easier to get new photos done at Walgreen's than it would be to stand in line at the post office to send it certified.