222.4—How does the Secretary determine when an application is timely filed?
(a)
To be timely filed under § 222.3, an application must be received by the Secretary, or mailed, on or before the applicable filing date.
(b)
An applicant must show one of the following as proof of mailing:
(1)
A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2)
A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.
(3)
A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.
(4)
Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.
(c)
If an application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary does not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1)
A private metered postmark.
(2)
A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
Code of Federal Regulations
Note to paragraph
(b)(1): The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check with its local post office.
Code of Federal Regulations
[62 FR 35412, July 1, 1997]