Postal union mail, both surface and air, is exchanged under provisions of the Universal Postal Convention or the Convention of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain. The weight and size limits and other general provisions (but not postage rates) for the various classifications of mail exchanged under those conventions are the same from and to the United States. Postal Union mail is divided into two categories, known as "LC mail" and "AO mail," as follows: (a) The term "LC mail" refers to letters, letter packages, post cards, and aerogrammes. See §§ 221.1, 222.2, and 241.5 of this chapter. (b) The term "AO mail" refers to postal union mail other than letter mail, post cards, and aerogrammes. It includes printed matter of all kinds, matter for the blind, samples of merchandise, and small packets. See §§ 222.3 through 222.9 of this chapter. § 212.2 Parcel post. Parcel post is a separate and distinct category from postal union mail. The exchange of parcel post with other countires is governed by the provisions of individual bilateral agreements with various countries and the Parcel Post Agreement of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain. Unless otherwise noted under the country items in the Directory of International Mail, the weight and size limits and other general parcel post provisions (but not postage rates) apply also from those countries to the United States. See the appendix of this Subchapter C-Special Services and the regulations under the Parcel Post headings of the various country items in the appendix. PART 213-OFFICIAL Sec. 213.2 With foreign postal authorities. § 213.1 With the Department. Correspondence relating to all phases of the international postal service, except money order business and investigations handled by the Postal Inspection Service, should be addressed to the International Service Division, Bureau of Transportation and International Services, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. 20260. § 213.2 With foreign postal authorities. Postmasters, regional offices, and other field units of the Postal Establishment (except exchange offices, postal inspectors in charge, and postmasters acting under instructions in Part 271 of this chapter) shall not correspond directly with postal officials in other countries but shall refer inquiries from these officials to the Department for attention. § 213.3 With individuals in other coun tries. § 221.1 Preparing and addressing. (a) Preparing. (1) Senders must prepare articles securely, especially if they are for distant countries. International mail is handled more often and subjected to greater pressure and friction than domestic mail, hence it must be enclosed in strong envelopes or other wrappings. (2) Use envelopes of any light color on which the address and postmark will be legible. Do not use three-cornered envelopes. Window envelopes meeting the conditions in § 122.4 of this chapter with the exception of open-panel envelopes, are acceptable in the international mail. Open-panel envelopes are accepted only in the ordinary (unregistered) mail to Canada. (3) Letters and letter packages (LC mail) may be placed in bags, boxes, envelopes, or containers, and, if unregistered, may be sealed at the option of the sender. Registered letters and letter packages must be sealed. See § 242.2(b) (1) of this chapter. (4) Articles other than letters and letter packages (AO mail) must be prepared in such a way that their contents are sufficiently protected but so as not to hinder quick and easy inspection of the contents. They should be placed under wrapper, on a roller, or between cardboard; in open bags, boxes, envelopes, or containers or in closed, unsealed bags, boxes, envelopes, or containers provided with fasteners that can be easily opened and reclosed without being dangerous; or they may be tied with string or twine in a manner that will permit them to be easily untied. Sealing of postal union other articles is not permitted, even if registered, and they must be prepared in such a way that other articles do not run the risk of being trapped by them. (5) As an exception to subparagraph (4) of this paragraph, items in AO mail articles which would spoil if packed according to the general rules, and samples of merchandise packed in a transparent packing permitting check of their contents, are admitted in hermetically sealed packing. The same applies to samples of industrial and vegetable products in a packing sealed by the manufacturer or by an examining authority in the country of origin. In such cases the sender or the addressee may be required to assist in a check of the contents, either by opening certain of the items or in some other satisfactory manner. (b) Packing requirements for certain articles-(1) Glass. Articles of glass or other fragile materials must be securely packed in boxes of metal, wood, or strong corrugated fiberboard filled with paper, wood shavings, or other protective material that prevent the articles from moving about or coming in contact with each other or with the sides of the box in course of transmission. (2) Liquids, oils, etc. Liquids, oils, and substances which easily liquefy must be enclosed in hermetically sealed receptacles. Each receptacle must be placed in a separate box of metal, strong wood, or strong corrugated fiberboard containing enough sawdust, cotton, or spongy material to absorb the liquid in the event of breakage of the receptacle. The cover of the box must be fastened in such a way that it cannot become easily detached. (3) Fatty substances. Fatty substances which do not easily liquefy, such as ointments, soft soap, resin, etc., as well as silkworm eggs, must be enclosed in an inside cover (box, canvas, or parchment bag, etc.), which must itself be placed in a second box of wood, metal, or stout, thick material. (4) Powders. Dry powdered dyes such as aniline, etc., are not admitted unless enclosed in stout tin boxes placed, in turn, inside wooden boxes, with sawdust between the two packings; dry noncoloring powders must be placed in boxes of metal, wood, or cardboard. These boxes themselves must be enclosed in a canvas or parchment bag. (5) Live organisms. Live bees, leeches silkworm eggs, and parasites and predators of injurious insects intended for the control of such insects and exchanged between officially recognized agencies shall be enclosed in boxes so constructed as to avoid all danger. (6) Perishable biological materials. See 221.3(b) (5) (iii). (7) Radioactive materials. See § 221.3 (b)(6). (c) Addressing. (1) Reserve at least the entire right half of the address side for the address of the addressee, postage stamps or postage-paid impressions, and the service labels and notations (postmarks, etc.). (2) Address mail legibly using roman letters and arabic figures placed lengthwise on one side of the article only. Write the name and address of the addressee precisely and completely so that employees distributing the mail will be able to route mail to its proper destination without difficulty. Show name of post office and country of destination in capital letters. Give house number and street address or box number when mail is addressed to towns or cities. Addressing mail to "boxholder" or "householder" is not permitted. (3) The address of articles sent to General Delivery (in French, Poste Restante) must indicate name of the addressee. The use of initials, figures, simple given names, fictitious names, or conventional marks of any kind is not permitted on these articles. (4) Addresses in Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, or Chinese characters must bear an interlined translation of the names of the post office, province, and country of destination in English. If the English forms are not known, show foreign spellings in roman characters, print or script. (d) Return address. The complete address of the sender must be shown in the upper left corner of the address side so as not to affect either the clarity of the address or the application of service labels or notations. See §§ 222.2(b) (2) and 222.4(b) (5) of this chapter. Ordinary (unregistered) articles bearing a return address in another country are accepted only at risk of senders. § 221.2 Postage. (a) Prepayment. Articles must be fully prepaid to assure dispatch without delay and without penalty against the addressees. If the missing postage cannot be collected from the mailer, the shortpaid articles are either sent to destination and double the shortage collected from the addressees or they are sent to dead letter branches for treatment. See § 223.2 of this chapter. (b) How paid-(1) Stamps. Postage and fees for special services may be paid by means of United States postage stamps or by meter stamps of a bright red color. Precanceled stamps may be used under the same conditions as in the domestic mail. Airmail stamps may be used on airmail articles only, and special delivery stamps may be used only for payment of special delivery fees. See § 141.6 of this chapter for other stamps not valid as postage. (2) Other means. Postage may be paid by permit imprints, subject to the (1) Mail posted aboard ships on the high seas must bear postage stamps of the country whose flag the vessel flies. On arrival at a port, an officer of the ship hands the mail into the post office of the port city, where the stamps are canceled and the mail is dispatched. If the stamps are foreign, the post office uses a special "Paquebot" postmark or applies the word Paquebot to the envelope in ink or with a rubber stamp. (2) Any mail to be forwarded by air must be accompanied by an AV-2 form, prepared by the ship's officer, showing weight of the articles for each destination. When airmail is presented at a post office that is not an international exchange office, the postmaster must transmit the AV-2 form to the International Service Division, Bureau of Transportation and International Services, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. 20260, for accounting purposes. (3) Mail posted aboard a U.S. ship on the high seas, or aboard any ship while in a U.S. port, must bear U.S. stamps and is not entitled to “Paquebot” cancellation at a U.S. post office. (d) Mailings without postage-(1) Diplomatic and consular mail. Mail of foreign diplomatic and consular representatives in the United States is subject to the same postage rates and conditions which apply to mail of other postal patrons, except when mailed by diplomatic and consular representatives of countries belonging to the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain (see § 211.2). lomatic and consular representatives of those countries may send Postal Union mail articles without postage up to the weight and size limits specified in Part 222, under the following conditions: Dip (i) Diplomatic. Free postage and free registration are granted to all surface correspondence (official and personal) of members of the diplomatic corps of PUAS countries when addressed to the PUAS countries. (ii) Consular. Free postage and registration are granted to the official surface correspondence of consuls or vice consuls of PUAS countries when— (a) Addressed for delivery in the country represented by the mailing official; (b) Addressed to the Embassy or Legation of the official's country located in any of those countries; or (c) Addressed to an official of any of those countries located in those countries. (iii) Preparation and marking. Diplomatic and consular mail will be either letters, letter-packages, or printed matter packages. Letters may be sealed, whereas printed matter packages must be unsealed and bear the words "Printed Matter" on the address side of the package. Envelopes, labels, etc., used by members of the PUAS diplomatic corps for postage free mail must show in the upper left corner the name of the Ambassador or Minister or name of Embassy or Legation, with post office address, and in the upper right corner the words "Diplomatic Mail" over the word "Free." For consulates, the name and address of the consul or consulate and the name of the country must appear over the words "Official Correspondence" in the upper left corner. The words "Consular Mail" must be written above "Free" in the upper right corner. (iv) Special services. Diplomatic and consular mail entitled to free postage is also entitled to free registration but without the right to indemnity. If air or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and any special fees must be prepaid. (2) Federal Government official mail. Official mail of the Federal Government is accepted for other countries without postage affixed under the following conditions: (i) Postage and fees paid mail. All official mail of authorized departments and agencies prepared in accordance with the provisions of § 137.2(c) (1) (i), (ii), and (iii) of this chapter, will be given the postal service indicated on its cover. There is no limitation as to the countries to which this mail may be addressed provided the service desired is available. The weight and size limits, postal forms prescribed in part 222 of this chapter and, under the parcel post headings of the various country items, in the Directory of International Mail apply. (ii) Penalty and franked mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail prepared in accordance with the provisions of §§ 137.1 and 137.2 of this chapter is accepted when addressed in PUAS countries except Argentina, Brazil, and Spain and Spanish possessions. (See § 211.2 of this chapter.) This mail must not exceed the domestic weight limit of 4 pounds, except when it is exempt from that limit by regulation (see § 137.2(e) (1) (i) of this chapter), in which case the weight limits prescribed in Part 222 of this chapter apply. The maximum dimensions prescribed in Part 222 of this chapter apply in all cases. If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid. (3) Pan American Union mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail bearing the return address of the Union and weighing not more than 4 pounds (or 11 pounds for packages identified as containing printed matter) is accepted without postage affixed when addressed to PUAS countries except Canada. Such mail must bear the indicia "Free Under Postal Convention" in the upper right If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid. corner. (4) Pan American Sanitary Bureau mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail bearing the return address of the Bureau and weighing not more than 4 pounds is accepted without postage affixed when addressed to PUAS countries except Canada. Such mail must bear the words "Free Under Postal Convention" in the upper right corner. If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid. All Use (5) Postal Service official mail. official mail of the Postal Service may be accepted without postage affixed. penalty envelopes or labels for mail addressed (i) to postal administrations or post offices in any country, (ii) to the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union at Berne, Switzerland, and (iii) to any addressee in the PUAS countries except Argentina, Brazil, and Spain and Spanish possessions. (See § 211.2 of this chapter.) In all other cases use penalty envelopes or labels with the addition of the endorsement "Postage and Fees Paid." Larger post offices having sufficient need may requisition a rubber stamp from the Department on Form 1567. (6) Mail of Mrs. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. All mail bearing the written or facsimile signature of Mrs. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and the words "Postage and Fees Paid" shall be given the service indicated on its cover, subject to the conditions indicated in subparagraph (2) (i) of this paragraph. (e) Reply coupons. (1) Member countries of the Universal Postal Union purchase international reply coupons from the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union and sell them at post offices. The selling price in the United States is 15 cents each. One of these coupons is exchangeable in any other member country for a stamp or stamps representing the international postage on a single-rate surface letter. Upon pres entation of a sufficient number of coupons, the stamp or stamps received in exchange may be used to prepay an international airmail letter. Chart 7 in the Directory of International Mail shows the number of coupons required to be sent to other countries to prepay an airmail letter of the first unit of weight to the United States. (2) International reply coupons (in French, "Coupon-Réponse International") are printed in blue ink on paper having in the watermark the letters UPU in large characters. The name of the country, in French and the native language, and the selling price of the coupon are printed in black. Coupons purchased from the International Bureau prior to January 1, 1966, have the circles for the postmarks of the selling and exchanging post offices on the leftand right-hand sides; those purchased after January 1, 1966, have both these circles on the right-hand side. The issuing office postmarks the left-hand circle of the old style coupons and the upper circle of the new style coupons. The period of exchange of international reply coupons is unlimited. (3) U.S. post offices will requisition international reply coupons from the same sources from which they obtain postage stamps. The coupons should be stocked at offices having a demand for them. Since all U.S. coupons are of the old style, the selling post office will postmark them in the left-hand circle. used U.S. coupons may be redeemed by the original purchaser at a discount of 1 cent on the purchase price. The post office redeeming the unused coupons will postmark them in the right-hand circle. Un (4) Properly postmarked international reply coupons issued in other countries are exchangeable at U.S. post offices for postage stamps, aerogrammes, postcards or envelopes at the rate of 11 cents each, except that Canadian and Mexican coupons are exchanged at the rate of 5 cents each in postage. The post office exchanging a foreign coupon postmarks it in the right-hand circle of the old style coupon or the lower circle of the new style coupon. Foreign coupons not properly postmarked by the foreign post office may be exchanged if there is no apparent reason to doubt their authenticity. Post offices must not accept foreign coupons that already bear a U.S. postmark. (5) Reply coupons formerly issued by the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain are no longer valid. These coupons are printed in green ink and bear the caption "Cupón Respuesta AméricoEspañol." It is suggested that patrons possessing any of these coupons return them to their correspondents in the country of issue for redemption through the selling post office. (6) Postmasters will dispose of exchanged foreign and redeemed U.S. coupons. (f) Foreign reply-paid cards. The reply halves of post cards bearing foreign postage stamps, meter stamps, or imprinted postage and the heading Carte postale réponse (reply post card) are accepted as fully prepaid for ordinary surface transmission only if addressed to the country represented by the foreign postage. If this condition is not met, they are treated as unprepaid post cards. The initial half of the card may be left attached to the reply half, provided the address on the initial half is crossed out and folded on the inside of the card. Registry and special delivery fees can be prepaid only with U.S. stamps. See § 241.3 (c) of this chapter regarding additional U.S. postage required to transmit cards by airmail. (g) Nonpostage stamps. Do not place nonpostage stamps, labels resembling postage stamps, or impressions resembling postage-paid impressions on the address side of mail articles. (h) Remailed articles. New postage is required when remailing an article which has been returned from abroad because of insufficient address. |