On December 4, 2008, the Postal Service™ published two articles in Postal Bulletin 22247, revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®), and Publication 51, International Postal Prices and Fees, authorizing shipments of small packets to Cuba. (The articles are “IMM Revision: Mailability of Small Packets to Cuba” on page 6, and “Publication 51 Revision: Mailability of Small Packets to Cuba” on page 9.) The revisions align Postal Service mailing standards with U.S. Department of Commerce regulations concerning items mailed to Cuba.
Our goal is to provide consistency in the handling of items mailed to Cuba. If customers mail goods to Cuba, they must follow the requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 15 CFR § 740.12. In addition, customers must file electronic export information with the U.S. Census Bureau before mailing any goods to Cuba, in accordance with 15 CFR Part 30. For customer convenience, the main points of these regulations are outlined in this article.
Other than letters or printed matter, only gift packages and humanitarian donations, as defined in 15 CFR § 740.12, may be mailed to Cuba. Available USPS® services are as follows:
n First-Class Mail International™ (letters, letters for the blind, postcards, printed matter, and small packets).
n Priority Mail International™ flat-rate envelope.
n Priority Mail International small flat-rate box.
n International Priority Airmail™ (IPA®).
n International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®).
Priority Mail International parcels may not be mailed to Cuba.
Note: Items that are mailed to Cuba must weigh 4 pounds or less.
The following is the list of “Commerce Controlled Categories.” Goods that are included in these categories are specifically prohibited to be mailed to Cuba:
n 0 = Nuclear materials, facilities, and equipment (and miscellaneous items).
n 1 = Materials, chemicals, microorganisms, and toxins.
n 2 = Materials processing.
n 3 = Electronics.
n 4 = Computers.
n 5 = Telecommunications and information security (see “Allowable Items” below).
n 6 = Sensors and lasers.
n 7 = Navigation and avionics.
n 8 = Marine.
n 9 = Propulsion systems, space vehicles, and related equipment.
Note: Some of the prohibited goods that customers frequently attempt to mail to Cuba are electronics and computers (see categories 3 and 4).
The following are the only commodities and software eligible for mailing to Cuba:
n Food (including vitamins).
n Medicines and medical supplies and devices (including hospital supplies and equipment and equipment for the handicapped).
n Receive-only radio equipment for reception of commercial/civil AM/FM and shortwave publicly available frequency bands, and batteries for such equipment.
n Mobile telephones covered by Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) 5A991 or 5A992, software for such telephones covered by ECCN 5D992, and batteries, memory cards, chargers, and other accessories for such telephones.
Note: Any such commodities and software contained in a gift package must be of the type ordinarily given as a gift, and may not be in exchange for payment by the donee (addressee). Other qualifications may apply to items sent as humanitarian donations.
Per calendar month, one gift package may be sent from the same donor (sender) to the same household (addressee).
Exception: There is no frequency limit on gift packages of food to Cuba.
The combined total domestic retail value of all commodities and software included in a gift package may not exceed $400.
Exception: There is no dollar value limit on food contained in a gift package to Cuba.
1. A gift item may be sent only to a grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, child, or grandchild of the donor.
2. Gift items may not be sent to certain officials of the Cuban government or the Communist Party, as listed in 15 CFR § 740.12.
1. The name and address of the donor (sender), as well as the name and address of the donee (addressee), must be on the outside of each package.
2. Each item must be endorsed with the notation “GIFT — Export License Not Required.” The marking must be written on the addressee side of the package, and the symbol “GFT” must be written on the applicable required customs declaration.
3. Before mailing, the sender or an authorized agent must submit certain information to the U.S. Census Bureau via its Automated Export System (AES) or AESDirect website at www.aesdirect.gov. As confirmation of the filing, the sender will receive an Internal Transaction Number (ITN), which the sender must write on the applicable customs form. If AES or AESDirect is unavailable, the sender must instead write the appropriate AES Downtime Citation on the applicable customs form, in accordance with U.S. Census Bureau instructions. For further assistance with AES filing requirements, contact the U.S. Census Bureau on its toll-free hotline at 800-549-0595 and select from the following options:
Option 1 — AES Assistance.
Option 2 — Commodity Classification Assistance.
Option 3 — Regulatory Assistance.
For more information, contact the U.S. Department of Commerce:
Office of Export Enforcement
Bureau of Industry and Security
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230-0002
Telephone: 202-482-1208
www.bis.doc.gov
— Global Business Development,
Global Business, 1-29-09
