Sailors sort mail aboard USS Bonhomme Richard.
U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class James Mitchell.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of men and women in the nation’s diplomatic corps and in the military will be serving abroad during the holidays and the mail is a great way to stay connected with them by sending them cards, letters, presents and care packages for the festive season.

The Postal Service offers a reduced price of $17.40 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate Box for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office) destinations worldwide — a $1.50 discount from the regular price.

Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are available at no cost at local Post Offices and also can be ordered online. Postage, labels and customs forms also can be printed online anytime using Click-N-Ship. All mailing products can be found at store.usps.com/store/home.

To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by Dec. 25, the Postal Service recommends that cards and packages be sent to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed below.

¹ PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.

² PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. PAL is available for Standard Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

³ SAM parcels are paid at Standard Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

Use Military Care Kits to Send Presents, Care Packages

The Postal Service has created a free Military Care Kit based on the items most frequently requested by military families. The kit contains:

• Two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate Boxes
• Four Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes
• Priority Mail tape
• Priority Mail address labels
• Appropriate customs forms

To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. Guidelines for packing, addressing and shipping items to U.S. troops can be found at store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/military-care-kit-P_MILITARYKIT. To order Flat-Rate Boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes.

Package Address

• Write the service member’s full name
• Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned). For example:

  Army/Air Post Office (APO)
  PFC JANE DOE
  PSC 3 BOX 4120
  APO AE 09021

  Fleet Post Office (FPO)
  SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
  UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
  FPO AP 96691

  Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
  MELANIE ADAMS
  UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
  DPO AE 09498-0048

• Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address
• Include a return address
• Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

###

For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and Santa mail, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.