IMM Revision: Customs Forms Requirements for Items Containing Goods

Effective June 24, 2012, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM^®) sections 123.61, 123.623, and 264.3, as well as the Country Price Groups and Weight Limits and the Individual Country Listing for Cuba, to remove phrases such as “potentially dutiable contents” (and other similar phrases) and replace them with words such as “goods” (or other similar words and phrases, if necessary).

Under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), certain items may qualify as “goods,” despite the fact that their contents may be “non-dutiable.” When this occurs, such items must bear a completed cus­toms declaration form. In addition, we will make a parallel change in Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) section 703.2.3.7. These updates to the DMM and IMM will provide additional clarity to mailers in determining when an item requires a customs declaration form.

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)

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1 International Mail Services

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120 Preparation for Mailing

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123 Customs Forms and Online Shipping Labels

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123.6 Required Usage

123.61 Conditions

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Exhibit 123.61 Customs Declaration Form Usage by Mail Category

[Revise Exhibit 123.61 to read as follows. Note: In both revised entries below, revised text appears only in the “Type of Item” column.]

 

Type of Item	Declared Value, Weight, or Physical Characteristic	Required PS Form	Comment
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Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes (Maximum weight limit: 4 pounds)
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All Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes containing any goods, regardless of weight.	$400 or less	2976	Merchandise is permitted unless prohibited by the destination country.
	Over $400	Prohibited	Items over $400 must be mailed using Global Express Guaranteed service, Express Mail International service, or Priority Mail International service (other than Flat Rate Envelopes or Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes).
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First-Class Mail International Letters and Large Envelopes (Flats), Including International Priority Airmail (IPA) Items and International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Items (Maximum weight limit: 4 pounds)
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All items containing any goods, regardless of weight.	$400 or less	2976	Merchandise is permitted unless prohibited by the destination country.
	Over $400	Prohibited	Items over $400 must be mailed using Global Express Guaranteed service, Express Mail International service, or Priority Mail International service (other than Flat Rate Envelopes or Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes).
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123.62 Known Mailers

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123.623 Conditions

The following conditions apply to “known mailers”:

[Revise item a to read as follows:]

a. The mailpieces must contain no merchandise or goods.

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2 Conditions for Mailing

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260 Direct Sacks of Printed Matter to One Addressee (M-bags)

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264 Mail Preparation

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264.3 Customs Forms Required

[Revise 264.3 to read as follows:]

M-bags must be accompanied by a fully completed PS Form 2976, which is to be affixed to PS Tag 158, M-bag Addressee Tag. The maximum allowable value is $400.

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Country Price Groups and Weight Limits

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[Revise footnote 4 in its entirety to read as follows:]

4 Cuba: Priority Mail International parcel services to Cuba are not available. Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes (maximum weight: 4 lbs. each) may be used. Articles containing goods may not be mailed to Cuba except for gift parcels and humanitarian donations, which must comply with the requirements and restrictions published in 15 CFR § 740.12 (and which must not exceed 4 lbs.), and consumer communications devices, computers, and software, which must comply with the requirements and restrictions published in 15 CFR § 740.19 (and which must not exceed 4 lbs.). Articles containing goods may be confiscated upon entering Cuba or returned to sender.

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Individual Country Listings

Cuba

Country Conditions for Mailing

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[In the introductory section to Cuba, revise the last sen­tence of the third paragraph to read as follows:]

***Items containing goods may be confiscated upon enter­ing Cuba or returned to sender.

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We will incorporate these revisions into the next update of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer^® at http://pe.usps.com.

— Product Classification,
Pricing, 5-3-12