An AD card (acknowledgement due card) is the India Post card attached to a registered post or speed post article that the addressee signs and dates on delivery, after which it is returned to the sender as proof of delivery. RPAD stands for Registered Post Acknowledgement Due (also written Registered Post with AD). The sender writes their own name and address on the card so it can come back, and the addressee's details and article number identify the letter.
How to fill the AD card
The exact layout of the card can differ by print and by service, but it has two parts: one side carries the sender's address so the card can be posted back, and the other carries the details of the article and space for the addressee's signature and the delivering office's stamp.
- Return address side: write your full name or business name and complete postal address with PIN code, clearly. This is where the card will be delivered back.
- Article side: write the addressee's name and address as on the envelope, and the nature of the article (for example, legal notice or letter) where asked.
- Leave the signature, date and delivery stamp boxes blank; they are filled at delivery.
- At the counter, the clerk enters the article number on the card or attaches the article label, links it to the envelope and gives you the booking receipt.
- Write the article number on your copy of the notice and keep the receipt.
Tip: one card per envelope. If you send the same notice to a company and its two directors, that is three envelopes, three AD cards and three receipts.
Why the AD card matters for a legal notice
Many recovery steps run from the date the other side receives your notice. Under Section 138 of the NI Act, the drawer has 15 days from receipt to pay, and you file the complaint within one month after that. A signed AD card shows the date of receipt and who received it, which fixes those deadlines and answers the most common defence, "we never got the notice".
Even without the card, Section 27 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 presumes service of a properly addressed and posted registered letter, and courts have treated "refused" and "unclaimed" returns at the correct address as service for cheque notices. The card simply turns a presumption into direct evidence. See registered post AD and speed post with AD.
What can go wrong
- Return address left blank or illegible, so the card never reaches you
- Card signed by a security guard or receptionist without a name or stamp; still useful, but note it
- Card lost in the post; rely on the tracking record and ask the post office for delivery confirmation
- Notice sent to an old address; check the GST certificate and MCA registered office before posting
If the card is lost, the online tracking printout and the booking receipt usually carry the case. Save the tracking page when delivery is shown.
Keeping the proof file
For each notice keep, stapled together: the signed copy of the notice, the booking receipt, the tracking printout, and the AD card or the returned envelope (unopened if returned). Your advocate will file these as exhibits. FundRaksha Legal sends notices by post and e-notice within 24 hours and keeps this file for you. For notice drafting, see the legal notice format for payment recovery.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-20. Information for Indian businesses; not legal advice.