Effective October 7, 2013, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) to reflect changes in the Individual Country Listings (ICLs) for China, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Please note the following ICL changes, resulting from notices forwarded by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) via International Bureau Circulars (IBCs), or from formal requests made by the destination country:
n China: As indicated in UPU IBC 128, dated July 15, 2013, and IBC 134, dated July 22, 2013, China updated its policy regarding customs and additionally advised that items containing powders, liquids, and lithium batteries that are transported via air into China will be forwarded to the final destination via ground transportation, which could result in delay.
n Kyrgyzstan: As indicated in UPU IBC 145, dated August 5, 2013, Kyrgyzstan has modified its list of restrictions by prohibiting postage stamps when sent by Registered Mail™ service.
n Russia: Russian Post has updated its listings of prohibited and restricted items on its website at http://www.russianpost.ru/rp/servise/en/home/postuslug/internationalmail/goodslist_import.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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Individual Country Listings
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China
Country Conditions for Mailing
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Restrictions
[In the introductory paragraph, revise the last sentence to read as follows:]
***However, the following articles are admitted in the quantities/values indicated, and any articles that do not meet the requirements mentioned below will be returned to origin or confiscated in accordance with China’s internal laws:
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Observations
[Revise the Observations section in its entirety to read as follows (the previous text about articles not meeting stated requirements has been moved to the Restrictions section):]
Items that contain powders, liquids, lithium batteries, or lithium cells are prohibited for carriage by domestic air transport within China. Any of these items that are approved for international air transport and arrive at the initial gateways in China will be forwarded via ground transportation to their next destination. China Post will accept no liability for the delay in delivering these items. Mailers should be aware of the following customs requirements in China:
1. Items for personal use mailed to China are subject to duty and tax. However, items imported for personal use are exempt from duty and tax, if such duties and taxes are equal to or less than 50 CNY.
2. Items for personal use imported into China (not including items imported from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) may not exceed 1,000 CNY. When items imported for personal use exceed the allowed value limit, three outcomes are possible:
a. The items will be returned.
b. If Customs determines that the items are not for personal use but are actually intended for commercial use, the items will be cleared using commercial customs procedures.
c. If Customs determines that the items are actually intended for personal use, then supporting documents such as a trade contract, commercial invoice, packing list, waybill, customs declaration brokerage authorization agreement, import and export license, or other similar documentation will need to be provided.
3. If imported items are intended for commercial use, commercial customs clearance will be applied.
4. China Customs permits only shippers and consignees that are registered declarants or other registered enterprises to present items that must be accompanied by the documents mentioned in paragraph 3c above. Individuals or companies that are not registered with China Customs to affect clearance are advised to entrust the customs clearance process to enterprises that are specifically registered with China Customs for this purpose.
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Kyrgyzstan
Country Conditions for Mailing
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Restrictions
[Insert the following entry in alphabetical order to read as follows:]
Postage stamps, whether canceled or uncanceled, are prohibited when sent by Registered Mail service. Kyrgyz Post will accept no liability for any loss or damage to incoming registered items containing such articles.
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Russia (Russian Federation)
Country Conditions for Mailing
Prohibitions
[Revise the Prohibitions section in its entirety to read as follows:]
Alcohol products and ethyl alcohol, beer.
Ammunition, and parts thereof.
Calls to extreme and terrorist activities or public justification of terrorism.
Currency of the Russian Federation; foreign currency.
Documents of current and personal correspondence and any correspondence exchanged by the persons not being the sender and recipient or a person residing therewith.
Electric fishing systems and equipment consisting of electric signal generators with connected conductors and accumulators (batteries), employed together to fish biological aquatic resources using electric current.
Equipment for fishing/catching the aqueous biological resources.
Explosives; inflammatory substances, blasting devices, and firing agents.
Hazardous wastes.
Indecent and immoral items.
Items that by their nature or packaging may be hazardous for the postal personnel or ordinary population, or may soil or damage other mail units, postal equipment, or property of the third party.
Ready mesh fishing nets made from synthetic or other polyamide monothreads, with a thread diameter less than 0.5 mm and mesh size less than 100 mm (length of mesh at one side less than 50 mm).
Live animals (see exception for bees, leeches, and silkworms in the Restrictions list).
Materials containing Nazi ideas or symbols, or ideas or symbols that might be confused with those of Nazi ideology.
Narcotics, psychotropic substances, and precursors, including in drug form.
Ozone-depleting substances.
Pathogenic or potentially pathogenic organisms.
Perishable items.
Plant-protection products subject to the provisions of Annexes A and B to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants of May 22, 2001.
Poisonous substances other than precursors of narcotics and psychotropic substances.
Pornographic materials.
Precious stones of any kind or natural diamonds, except for jewelry.
Printed books, newspapers, pictures, and other products of the printing industry, manuscripts, and miscellaneous documents containing information that could be detrimental to State security, social order, public morals, or property rights, including intellectual property and other interests of natural and legal persons.
Printed or audiovisual materials that are manufactured or distributed in violation of the legal requirements on elections and referenda in member countries of the Eurasian Economic Community Customs Union.
Printed or audiovisual materials if any of the following apply:
n They are items that propagate extremist or terrorist activities or publicly justify terrorism.
n They are items of a pornographic nature.
n They are items intended to spread propaganda containing Nazi ideas or symbols, or ideas or symbols that might be confused with those of Nazi ideology.
n They are items containing information that could be prejudicial to the political and economic interests of Russia, to public safety, or to the health and morality of its citizens.
Tobacco products or smoking mixtures of any kind.
Weapons of any kind, and parts thereof.
Restrictions
[Revise the Restrictions section in its entirety to read as follows:]
The following items may be sent only when used for personal use subject to appropriate permission from the Russian national controlling authority:
n Cryptographic devices and equipment with the cryptographic function.
n Radioelectric devices and/or high-frequency civil devices, including built-ins or parts of other goods.
n Bees, leeches, and silkworms accompanied by a veterinary certificate.
The following items are prohibited when sent to or from the address of private individuals for needs that are not related to company activities:
n Scrap and waste from ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
n Nonmanufactured precious metals, precious metal scrap and waste, ores and concentrated precious metal products, and primary products containing precious metals.
n Mineral substances (nonmanufactured natural stones).
n Information about the Earth’s interior.
n Technical devices designed for eavesdropping.
n Human organs and/or tissues, and blood and its components.
n Radioactive materials.
n Cultural artifacts.
n Plants of any kind and in any form, including seeds.
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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, 9-5-13
