Effective January 4, 2010, the Postal Service™ is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) sections 122.2, 292.41, and 293.41 to codify that mailpieces prepared as a bulk mailing must bear a U.S. return address.
We are making this change to be consistent with amended regulation Article RL 123.10 of the Universal Postal Union’s Letter Post Regulations. This amendment requires that mailpieces prepared as a commercial bulk mailing must bear a return address located in the mailing’s country of origin and that the return address must be visible on the outside of the mailpiece. For Postal Service purposes, an international “bulk mailing” is any International Priority Airmail™ (IPA®) or International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®) mailing, or any other mailing paid with an advance deposit account and presented to the Postal Service for acceptance.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
1 International Mail Services
* * * * *
120 Preparation for Mailing
* * * * *
122 Addressing
* * * * *
122.2 Return Address
[Revise 122.2 as follows:]
122.21 General
Due to heightened security, many foreign postal administrations require complete sender and addressee information in roman letters and Arabic numerals on postal items. All outbound international mail should bear a complete return address of the sender. Only one return address may be used, and it must be located so that it does not affect either the clarity of the address of destination or the application of service labels and notations (postmarks, etc.).
122.22 Required Use of Return Address
In the case of bulk mailings, all mailpieces must bear a U.S.-origin return address visible on the outside of the mailpiece. For the purpose of this section, a “bulk mailing” is any IPA or ISAL mailing, or any other mailing paid with an advance deposit account and presented to the U.S. Postal Service for acceptance.
122.23 Return Address Elements and Placement
For U.S.-origin mailpieces, minimum elements must include a complete street number and name (or Post Office box number), city name, state name (or authorized two-letter state abbreviation), and the correct 5-digit ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code. The return address should appear in the upper left corner of the address side of the envelope, card, flat, or package. It is also recommended that U.S.-origin mailpieces include “United States” on the last line of the return address.
Unregistered items bearing a return address in another country are accepted only at the sender’s risk. Items authorized to bear a return address in another country must include the proper return address elements (including the country name) to ensure the proper return of the mailpiece. The return address should appear in the upper left corner of the address side of the envelope, card, flat, or package.
* * * * *
2 Conditions for Mailing
* * * * *
290 Commercial Services
* * * * *
292 International Priority Airmail (IPA) Service
* * * * *
292.4 Mail Preparation
[Revise the title and first sentence of 292.41 to read as follows:]
292.41 Addressing and Return Address
IPA mailpieces are subject to the addressing requirements contained in 122, including the requirement of a U.S.-origin return address as defined in 122.2.
* * * * *
293 International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Service
* * * * *
293.4 Mail Preparation
[Revise the title and first sentence of 293.41 to read as follows:]
293.41 Addressing and Return Address
ISAL mailpieces are subject to the addressing requirements contained in 122, including the requirement of a U.S.-origin return address as defined in 122.2.
* * * * *
We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the IMM and into the monthly update of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 9-10-09
