Effective June 6, 2011, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 608.2.4 to require mailpieces containing goods that enter the Customs Territory of the United States (CTUS), from outside the CTUS, to bear a customs declaration label. In addition, this standard would apply to items weighing 16 ounces or more when sent to, from, between, and, in some circumstances, within certain U.S. territories, possessions, and Freely Associated States.
On February 17, 2011, the Postal Service published a final rule Federal Register article (76 FR 9231–9233) to implement the specific requirements consistent with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19, Part 145 — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, which requires that all mailpieces containing goods that enter the CTUS, from outside the CTUS, to bear a customs declaration label.
In addition, to ensure compliance with safety and security requirements of the United States Postal Inspection Service® and other federal agencies, we are updating our standards for items weighing 16 ounces or more (regardless of contents) when sent to, from, between, and, in some circumstances, within American Samoa, Guam, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The final rule may be read in its entirety at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-02-17/html/
2011-3446.htm.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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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
[Revise the title and text of 2.4.1 as follows:]
2.4.1 Items Weighing 16 Ounces or More
Except for items sent via Express Mail, or Priority Mail combined with Registered Mail service, any mailpiece (regardless of contents) weighing 16 ounces or more must bear a properly completed PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22, or, if the customer prefers, a PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, when the item is:
a. Sent from the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to the ZIP Code destinations listed in the table below.
b. Sent from the ZIP Code destinations listed in the table below to the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
c. Sent between two different destinations listed in the “Territory, Possession, or Freely Associated States” column in the table below.
d. Sent within American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This standard does not apply to items sent within Guam or Palau.
[Renumber current items 2.4.2 through 2.4.4 as 2.4.5 through 2.4.7 and insert new 2.4.2 through 2.4.4 as follows:]
2.4.2 Items Containing Goods
Regardless of mail class or weight, items containing goods (i.e., contents other than documents; see IMM 123.63 for “document” eligibility) must bear a properly completed PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22, or, if the customer prefers, a PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, when the items are sent to the United States or Puerto Rico from the ZIP Code destinations listed in the table in 2.4.1, or from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
2.4.3 Improperly Prepared Items
Mailpieces deposited without a properly completed customs form under 2.4.1 and 2.4.2 will be returned to the sender.
2.4.4 Overseas Military Mail
For determining customs declarations’ required usage when mailing to or from APO, FPO, or DPO addresses, see 703.2.3.6 through 703.2.3.8.
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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, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 4-21-11
