Quick answer
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free register of people in the UK who do not want to receive unsolicited, personally addressed advertising mail at home. It was founded in 1983 and is run by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA). Screening against MPS is not a legal requirement, but the ICO says you should check it before sending direct marketing, it is a condition of the DMA Code of Practice, and Royal Mail requires it for Advertising Mail sent to data that is not consent-based. MPS does not stop mail from companies you are already a customer of, mail addressed to 'The Occupier', or unaddressed leaflets.
Key takeaways
- MPS covers unsolicited, personally addressed advertising mail to UK residential addresses. Business addresses are not covered.
- It is voluntary in law but expected in practice: the ICO recommends it, the DMA Code requires it and Royal Mail's Advertising Mail terms require it for non-consented data.
- The MPS file is updated daily. Royal Mail's Advertising Mail rules require suppression within 30 days of posting.
- MPS does not stop mail from organisations a person already deals with, 'Occupier' mail, or unaddressed door drops. Separate schemes cover unaddressed mail.
- Registration has no expiry, but the MPS says it can take up to three months to take full effect because campaigns are planned well in advance.
What is the Mailing Preference Service?
MPS is the industry's suppression file for addressed marketing mail. Consumers register their name and home address, and mailers remove those records from prospect lists before they post. The DMA describes it as covering unsolicited, personally addressed advertising mail to residential addresses. It is funded by the direct mail industry, and the ICO recognises and supports it.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who runs it? | The Data & Marketing Association (DMA), which founded it in 1983 |
| What does it cover? | Unsolicited, personally addressed advertising mail to UK residential addresses |
| Is it a legal requirement? | No. It is part of the industry's self-regulatory framework |
| Who must use it? | DMA members (a condition of the DMA Code); Advertising Mail users with non-consented data (a Royal Mail condition) |
| How often is it updated? | Daily |
| How long does registration last? | Indefinitely, until the person asks to be removed |
General guidance, not legal advice
This guide summarises ICO, DMA and MPS guidance as at October 2026. It is not legal advice. Check your own obligations with your data protection officer or adviser.
Do you have to screen against MPS?
Not by law. Unlike the Telephone Preference Service, which PECR makes compulsory for marketing calls, MPS is not a statutory register. In practice, though, most legitimate mailers screen against it, for three reasons:
- The ICO recommends it. Its direct marketing guidance says you should check names and addresses against MPS before sending direct marketing, and that it is a requirement under some industry codes.
- The DMA Code requires it. Using MPS is a condition of the DMA Code of Practice, so DMA members and their suppliers are expected to screen.
- Royal Mail requires it for Advertising Mail. If your data is not consent-based, Royal Mail's terms require suppression against MPS (including MPS deceased) and your own opt-out file within 30 days of posting. See Royal Mail Advertising Mail explained.
There is also a practical reason. Someone who has registered with MPS has said they do not want marketing mail. Mailing them anyway wastes print and postage on a likely complaint, and it weakens the balancing test behind any legitimate interests assessment. Our GDPR and direct mail guide covers that in detail.
Customers vs prospects
MPS is aimed at non-customer mailings. The MPS says registration will not stop mail from companies a person is already a customer of. For your own customers, what matters is your privacy notice, your lawful basis and your own suppression list of people who have opted out.
How MPS screening works for businesses
The DMA makes the MPS file available to licensed users, either by download or over SFTP, and updates it daily. Most organisations do not handle the file themselves. Their mailing house or data bureau screens the list as part of preparing a mailing.
- 1
Clean the addresses first
Records are validated against Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF) and standardised, so they match reliably against the MPS file.
- 2
De-duplicate
Duplicate records are merged so the same household is not mailed twice.
- 3
Screen against MPS and your own opt-outs
Matches against MPS and against your internal suppression file are flagged and removed from the mailing file.
- 4
Report the results
You receive counts of records removed at each stage, so you can see the final mailing volume and keep a record of when screening took place.
- 5
Post within the window
Mail the cleaned file promptly. Royal Mail's Advertising Mail rules need suppression within 30 days of posting, and the MPS file changes every day.
PAF, de-duplication and MPS suppression in one pass
Our data team validates, de-duplicates and screens your file in our ISO 27001-certified environment before anything is printed.
Explore the serviceWhat MPS does not stop (and how to stop junk mail)
If you are a householder trying to cut down on unwanted mail, it helps to know where MPS stops. The MPS itself says it cannot reduce:
| Type of mail | Covered by MPS? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Unsolicited addressed advertising mail | Yes | Register with MPS (free) |
| Mail from companies you are a customer of | No | Contact the company and ask it to stop. It must, under UK GDPR |
| Mail addressed to 'The Occupier' or 'The Homeowner' | No | Royal Mail delivers all addressed mail, including Occupier items. Contact the sender |
| Unaddressed leaflets delivered by Royal Mail | No | Royal Mail's Door to Door opt-out (optout@royalmail.com or 0345 266 0858) |
| Unaddressed leaflets from other distributors | No | The DMA's 'Your Choice' preference service for unaddressed mail |
| Business addresses | No | MPS covers residential addresses only |
The MPS says registration takes effect straight away but can take two to three months to be fully felt, because mailings are planned and screened months before they arrive. The DMA's 'Your Choice' service says requests can take up to 12 weeks to be acted on, and that it cannot stop distributors who are not DMA members.
For marketers, this explains why partially addressed mail and door drops have their own suppression rules, separate from MPS.
