Effective June 7, 2007, we are revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) as follows:
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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1 International Mail Services
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120 Preparation for Mailing
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[Revise the heading of 123 to read as follows:]
123 Customs Forms and Online Shipping Labels
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123.7 Completing Customs Forms
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123.72 PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72
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123.722 Postal Service Employee’s Acceptance of PS Form 2976-A
[Revise 123.722 item c as follows:]
c. If the sender wishes to insure the contents, the retail associate will record the insured amount in U.S. dollars and SDR value on PS Form 2976-A in the space provided. (See Exhibit 324.12 for conversion to SDRs.)
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[Add new 123.8 as follows:]
123.8 Online Shipping Labels
Express Mail International and Priority Mail International items that have been prepared and paid online through Click-N-Ship on usps.com, through the eBay/PayPal integrated shipping solution, or through an authorized PC Postage vendor web site contain all necessary mailing label and customs form information. Customers must hand the item to a Postal Service employee in a Post Office, hand the item to their carrier at the time of mail delivery, or schedule pickup service (see 222.24 or 234.4).
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150 Postage
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152 Payment Methods
[Renumber 153 through 155 as 152.1 through 154, as noted below (the text remains the same — only the numbering is changed).]
152.1 Prepayment
Each item must be fully prepaid to ensure prompt dispatch and to avoid assessment of charges against the addressee. For the treatment of shortpaid and unpaid mail, see 420.
152.2 Stamps
a. Postage and fees for extra services (see chapter 3) may be paid by means of U.S. postage stamps, postage meter stamps, or postage validation imprinter (PVI) labels. PVIs are acceptable for all international mail transactions.
b. Mailer precanceled stamps may be used with international mail under the same conditions as are applicable to domestic mail. See DMM 604.
c. Nondenominated postage stamps (except for those that bear unique domestic markings, such as First-Class Presort, Nonprofit Org.) may be affixed to postal items that are sent to foreign countries. The value of such stamps is linked to either a current or a former domestic rate (e.g., the “Lady Liberty and U.S. Flag” stamp has a postage value of 39 cents). The postage value of the Forever Stamp, as well as the nondenominated Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp, is always the domestic First-Class Mail single-piece 1-ounce letter rate that is in effect on the day of use (mailing). Since international postage rates are always higher than the comparable domestic postage rates, mailers who affix a single nondenominated postage stamp to their outbound mailpieces must add additional postage to comply with the international rate schedule.
Note: See DMM 604 for stamps not valid as postage.
152.3 Permit Imprint
152.31 Conditions of Use
Postage may be paid by permit imprint, subject to the general conditions stated in DMM 124, 604, and 705. Postage charges are computed on PS Form 3700. This postage payment method may be used for postage and extra service fees for First-Class Mail International and Priority Mail International.
152.32 Place of Mailing
Mail must be deposited and accepted at the Post Office that issued the permit, at a time and place designated by the postmaster, except as otherwise provided for drop shipments.
152.33 Usage Criteria
To use a permit imprint for international mailing purposes, a mailer must enter a minimum of 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail matter that is identical in size and weight and addressed to recipients in foreign countries. All of the mailpieces bearing a permit imprint do not have to be addressed to the same destination country. See 292.13 and 293.2 for the minimum quantity requirements that govern the entry of International Priority Airmail (IPA) items and International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) items, respectively.
Note: The 200-piece or 50-pound minimum requirement does not apply to M-Bags.
152.34 Required Format
Each mailpiece sent under this payment method must bear a permit imprint indicia showing that postage is paid. Permit imprint indicias for international mail must be prepared in one of the formats shown in Exhibit 152.34. No variations or additions, such as Bulk Rate, Media Mail, Presorted Standard, Enhanced Carrier Route Sort, Automation Rate, Nonprofit Organization, or Bound Printed Matter, are allowed.
Exhibit 152.34
Indicia Formats
153 Placement of Postage
a. Postage stamps and postage-paid impressions must be applied to the address side of mail in the upper-right corner. The postage meter stamp, postage validation imprinter (PVI) label, or permit may be affixed directly on the mailpiece or on the wrapper when plastic wrap is used.
b. Nonpostage stamps, labels resembling postage stamps, or impressions resembling postage-paid impressions must not be placed on the address side of international mailpieces.
154 Remailed Items
New postage is required when mailpieces are reentered after having been returned to the sender by a foreign postal administration.
2 Conditions for Mailing
210 Global Express Guaranteed
211 Description
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211.3 Global Express Guaranteed Service
[Revise 211.3 by removing the fourth and fifth sentences so that it reads in its entirety as follows:]
Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service may be used for shipments that contain documents and general correspondence for which no duty is assessed by the customs authority of the destinating country, or for shipments that contain non-documents, or other merchandise for which duty may be assessed by the customs authority of the destinating country. Document packages are sealed against inspection by the Postal Service or other U.S. agencies and authorities. Shipments that contain non-documents or other merchandise for which duty may be assessed by the customs authority of the destinating country are not sealed against inspection under 39 U.S.C. 3623(d). See the listing of destinating countries in 213 for specific availability.
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240 First-Class Mail International
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243 Physical Characteristics
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243.2 Dimensions
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243.24 Nonmachinable Surcharge
[Revise the introductory sentence of 243.24 as follows:]
A $0.17 per-piece surcharge is applied to a First-Class Mail International item that weighs 1 ounce or less if it has one or more of the following characteristics:
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270 Free Matter for the Blind or Other Physically Handicapped Persons
271 Description
271.1 General
[Revise 271.1 to read as follows:]
Subject to the standards below and DMM 703, matter may be entered free of postage if mailed by or for the use of blind or other persons who cannot read or use conventionally printed materials due to a physical handicap. Matter for the blind in international mail is limited to the following:
a. Books, periodicals, and other matter (including unsealed letters) impressed in Braille or other special type for the use of the blind or other physically handicapped persons.
b. Plates for embossing literature for the blind or other physically handicapped persons.
c. Discs, tapes, or wires bearing voice recordings and special paper intended solely for the use of the blind, provided they are sent by or addressed to an officially recognized institution for the blind.
d. Sound recordings or tapes that are mailed by a blind person.
e. Items listed in DMM 703.
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290 Commercial Services
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293 International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Service
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293.9 Mail Preparation
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293.93 Makeup Requirement for ISAL
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293.932 Sacking
Once packages of ISAL mail are prepared, the packages are then placed into one of three types of designated sacks:
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b. Mixed Country Package Sack.***
[Revise 293.932 item b by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 — AMC San Francisco 941
c. Residual Sack.***
[Revise 293.932 item c by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 — AMC San Francisco 941
293.933 Sack Labeling
Depending on the type of sack, labels are prepared as follows:
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b. Mixed Country Package Sack.***
[Revise 293.933 item b by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 – AMC San Francisco 941
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In addition, use PS Tag 155 to label each sack with the appropriate Drop Shipment ISAL service center. Mailers must complete four blocks on PS Tag 155:
(1) To (Pour) Block:***
[Revise 293.933 item b(1) by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 — AMC San Francisco 941
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c. Residual Sack.***
[Revise 293.933 item c by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 — AMC San Francisco 941
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In addition, use PS Tag 155 to label each sack with the appropriate Drop Shipment ISAL service center. Mailers must complete three blocks on PS Tag 155:
(1) To (Pour) Block:***
[Revise 293.933 item c(1) by adding rate group 9 to read as follows:]
Rate group 9 — AMC San Francisco 941
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Individual Country Listings
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Canada
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Priority Mail International
[In the last row of the Priority Mail International rate table, remove the reference to the minimum 1-pound weight limit so that the last row reads in its entirety as follows:]
Weight Limit: 66 lbs. except 22 lbs. to Canadian Forces (CFPOs). See Observation 4.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the IMM and also into the online version of the IMM, which can be accessed via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 6-7-07
