Effective August 27, 2010, we revised Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 503.9 and 601.11 to permit the mailing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses via Express Mail® Military Service or Priority Mail® service with Delivery Confirmation™ service. This change will be integrated into the online version of the DMM on October 4, 2010.
In response to inquiries from customers, USPS® has identified alternative mailing options for mailpieces containing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco sent as gifts between individual adults to APO/FPO/DPO addresses. These changes to our standards were made to accommodate the needs of military families that ship to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses to which Express Mail service in not offered. With these changes, mailings of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco will be permitted to APO/FPO/DPO addresses when using Priority Mail service with Delivery Confirmation service, when not otherwise restricted in accordance with the requirements of the host country.
In conjunction with these revisions, we are also clarifying the product description for Delivery Confirmation service when used with products sent to APO/FPO/DPO addresses. Specifically, DMM 503.9.2.1 is clarified to specify that for APO/FPO/DPO shipments, Delivery Confirmation service may not always provide the mailer with online information regarding the date and time of an event scan.
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
9.2.1 Description
[Revise 9.2.1 by adding a new last sentence as follows:]
***For mailings to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses, Delivery Confirmation service may not always provide the mailer with online information regarding the date and time of an event scan.
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
601 Mailability
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11.0 Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco
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11.3 Mailability Exceptions
***These exceptions do not apply to the following:
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[Revise text in item c as follows:]
c. Mail presented at APO, FPO, or DPO installations destined to addresses in the United States.
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11.6 Exception for Certain Individuals
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11.6.2 Mailing
***Each mailing under the certain individuals exception must:
[Revise text in item a as follows and delete items e through g in their entirety.]
a. Be entered as Express Mail with Hold for Pickup service (waiver of signature and pickup services not permitted); unless shipped to APO/FPO/DPO addresses under 11.6.4.
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11.6.3 Delivery
Delivery under the certain individuals exception is made under the following conditions:
[Revise text in items a and c as follows:]
a. The recipient receiving or signing for the article must be an adult of at least the minimum age for the legal sale or purchase of tobacco products at the place of delivery.
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c. For Express Mail articles, once age is established, the recipient must sign PS Form 3849 in the appropriate signature block.
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[Add new item 11.6.4 as follows:]
11.6.4 Tobacco Product Shipments to APO/FPO/DPO Destination Addresses
Shipments of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco may not be sent to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses to which the mailing of tobacco is restricted (see 703.2.3.1). To the extent cigarettes or smokeless tobacco are permitted to be mailed to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses, such mailings under the certain individuals exception must comply with all of the requirements of 11.6, with the exception that mailings may be entered as either Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) or Priority Mail service with Delivery Confirmation service. Regardless of the service elected, the mailing must bear the full name and mailing address of the sender and recipient.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 9-9-10