Effective April 5, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 503.9.2.4, 503.10.2.3, 608.2.4, and 703.2.3 to authorize additional deposit options for items that bear a customs declaration when mailed to APO, FPO, DPO destinations, and to U.S. territories, possessions, and Freely Associated States.
Recent enhancements by authorized PC Postage® providers now allow registered end-users to generate a combined shipping, postage, and customs declaration label, which also bears an electronic round date. These enhancements will provide mailers additional options and greater flexibility for depositing mailpieces bearing a customs declaration when mailed to an APO, FPO, DPO destination, or to a U.S. territory, possession, or Freely Associated State.
Additionally, we will revise the tables in DMM 503.9.2.4 and 503.10.2.3 to be consistent with the new table format showing the U.S. territories, possessions, and Freely Associated States in 608.2.4. All three tables now consist of four columns which include the ZIP™ Code destination, the two-letter state abbreviation, the city name, and the full name of the U.S. territory, possession, or Freely Associated State.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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500 Additional Mailing Services
503 Extra Services
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9.0 Delivery Confirmation
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9.2 Basic Information
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9.2.4 Ineligible Matter
Delivery Confirmation is not available for the following:
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g. Mail addressed to ZIP Codes in the following U.S. territories, possessions, or Freely Associated States:
[Revise table in 9.2.4g as follows:]
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10.0 Signature Confirmation
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10.2 Basic Information
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10.2.3 Ineligible Matter
Signature Confirmation is not available for the following:
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f. Mail addressed to ZIP Codes in the following U.S. territories, possessions, or Freely Associated States:
[Revise table in 10.2.3f as follows:]
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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608 Postal Information and Resources
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2.0 Domestic Mail
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2.4 Customs Forms Required
2.4.1 Priority Mail Weighing 16 Ounces or More
[Revise 608.2.4.1 as follows:]
Regardless of contents, all Priority Mail weighing 16 ounces or more sent from the United States to the ZIP Code destinations listed in the table below, and all Priority Mail sent from these ZIP Code destinations to the United States, must bear a properly completed PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note CP 72. If PS Form 2976-A will not fit on the address side of the mailpiece, a PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22, must be used.
[Redesignate current 2.4.2 as new 2.4.4, and insert new 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 as follows:]
2.4.2 Enter and Deposit—Items Requiring a Completed Customs Declaration
Except as provided in 2.4.3, a mailer may not deposit an item that requires a completed customs declaration into a collection box, Postal Service lobby drop, Automated Postal Center (APC) drop, customer mailbox, or at a Postal Service dock or other unattended location. In addition, these mailpieces are precluded from Pickup on Demand service and Carrier Pickup service under 507.6. Customers must present such items to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter. The Postal Service will return improperly presented items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.
2.4.3 Items Bearing a Completed Customs Declaration With an Electronic Round Date
Items under 2.4.1 that have the mailing label, customs declaration (including an electronic round date), and postage prepared and paid online through an authorized PC Postage vendor Web site may be deposited only as follows:
a. At a Postal Service retail counter.
b. Through Pickup on Demand service.
c. Through Carrier Pickup service.
d. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
e. Into an Automated Postal Center (APC) drop.
f. In a U.S. Postal Service collection box.
g. In the mailing customer’s residential or business mailbox.
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700 Special Standards
703 Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility
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2.0 Overseas Military Mail
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2.3 General Restrictions
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[Revise heading and text of 703.2.3.6 and add new 2.3.7 through 2.3.9 as follows:]
2.3.6 Customs Declarations—When Required
Except as provided in 2.3.7, any mailpiece weighing 16 ounces or more that is addressed to an APO, FPO, or DPO destination ZIP Code must bear a customs declaration PS Form 2976 or 2976-A, as shown in the “Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail” section of the Postal Bulletin.
2.3.7 Customs Declarations—Exceptions
The following exceptions to the customs declaration requirement are provided for items addressed to an APO, FPO, or DPO destination ZIP Code:
a. Known mailers are exempt from providing customs documentation on nondutiable letters and printed matter weighing 16 ounces or more. A known mailer is a business mailer who enters volume mailings through a business mail entry unit (BMEU) or other bulk mail acceptance location, pays postage through an advance deposit account, uses a permit imprint for postage payment, and submits a completed postage statement at the time of entry that certifies the mailpieces contain no dangerous materials that are prohibited by postal regulations.
b. All federal, state, and local government agencies whose mailings are regarded as “Official Mail” are exempt from providing customs documentation on mail addressed to an APO, FPO, or DPO except for those APOs/FPO/DPOs to which restriction “B2” applies as required in the Restriction Legend of the “Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail” section of the Postal Bulletin.
c. Prepaid mail from military contractors is exempt, providing the mailpiece is endorsed “Contents for Official Use — Exempt from Customs Requirements.”
2.3.8 Enter and Deposit—Items Requiring a Completed Customs Declaration
Except as provided in 2.3.9, a mailer may not deposit an item that requires a completed customs declaration into a collection box, Postal Service lobby drop, Automated Postal Center (APC) drop, customer mailbox, or at a Postal Service dock or other unattended location. In addition, these mailpieces are precluded from Pickup on Demand service and Carrier Pickup service under 507.6. Customers must present such items to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter. The Postal Service will return improperly presented items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.
2.3.9 Items Bearing a Completed Customs Declaration With an Electronic Round Date
Items sent to APO, FPO, or DPO addresses that have the mailing label, customs declaration (including an electronic round date), and postage prepared and paid online through the an authorized PC Postage vendor Web site may be deposited only as follows:
a. At a Postal Service retail counter.
b. Through Pickup on Demand service.
c. Through Carrier Pickup service.
d. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
e. Into an Automated Postal Center (APC) drop.
f. In a U.S. Postal Service collection box.
g. In the mailing customer’s residential or business mailbox.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 3-25-10
