Third party verification of the content and delivery of an electronic message such as an e-snail, is provided using a server that receives an e-mail sent or forwarded to a specified addressee, and “tags” the message to indicate that it is “registered” with the service provider. The server establishes a direct connection with the addressee's Mail User Agent (MUA), and transmits the tagged email to the addressee's MUA, as well as to the MUA's of any other addressees. After receiving responses from the receiving MUA's that the message was successfully received, the server creates and forwards an electronic receipt to the message originator. The system operators can provide independent third party verification that the receipt is a genuine product of their system and that the information pertaining to content and delivery of the message is accurate, without the need to archive either the original message or the receipt.