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Inter-Office Communications

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.

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

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