Effective June 7, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) to include current information regarding jewelry items mailed to Australia.
Currently, the Individual Country Listing for Australia stipulates that jewelry, including jewelry items containing platinum, gold, silver, and precious stones, are prohibited. However, after mutual discussions, the United States Postal Service® and Australia Post will, as of June 7, 2010, accept reciprocal liability for jewelry up to a maximum insured value of $3,644 only when the items are sent as an insured parcel via Priority Mail International® service. Mailers may send jewelry items valued greater than $3,644; however, the maximum limit for indemnity for any mailable Priority Mail International item sent to Australia is $3,644. In addition, Australian Customs regulations prohibit importation of jewelry that is made with ivory or from endangered species, such as snake, elephant, or crocodile, that does not have an accompanying Import/Export Permit in relation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Consequently, we are revising the IMM as follows.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
* * * * *
Individual Country Listings
* * * * *
Australia
Country Conditions for Mailing
Prohibitions (130)
[Revise the first prohibition to read as follows:]
Coins; bank notes; currency notes (paper money); securities of any kind payable to bearer; traveler’s checks; platinum, gold, and silver (except for jewelry items meeting the requirement in “Restrictions” below); precious stones (except when contained in jewelry items meeting the requirement in “Restrictions” below); and other valuable articles are prohibited.
* * * * *
Restrictions
[Insert the following text as the first restriction (moving the current first and second restrictions to be the second and third restrictions):]
Jewelry is permitted only when sent as an insured parcel using Priority Mail International service. In addition, Australian Customs regulations prohibit importation of jewelry that is made with ivory or from endangered species, such as snake, elephant or crocodile, that does not have an accompanying Import/Export Permit in relation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
* * * * *
We will incorporate this revision 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, 5-6-10
