Effective April 7, 2014, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) sections 242.42, 244.2, 252.52, 334.32, and the Individual Country Listing for North Korea to update references to Free Matter for the Blind.
In the article titled “IMM Revision: Mailing Free Matter for the Blind” in Postal Bulletin 22382 (2-6-14, pages 5–8), the Postal Service revised the standards to coincide with Universal Postal Union (UPU) regulations that reflect changes adopted by the Postal Operations Council of the UPU in Berne, Switzerland, in April 2013. and that became effective January 1, 2014. However, that article inadvertently neglected to include a few sections where the old term appeared, so this article updates the references in those sections.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
* * * * *
2 Conditions for Mailing
* * * * *
240 First-Class Mail International
* * * * *
242 Eligibility
* * * * *
242.4 Extra Services
* * * * *
242.42 Registered Mail Service
[Revise the text of 242.42 to read as follows:]
Registered Mail service is available for purchase for First-Class Mail International items, including for such items mailed as Free Matter for the Blind.
* * * * *
244 Mail Preparation
* * * * *
244.2 Markings
The following markings apply to First-Class Mail International items:
* * * * *
[Revise item “b” to read as follows:]
b. First-Class Mail International letters and large envelopes (flats) that qualify as Free Matter for the Blind must bear the marking “Free Matter for the Blind” in the upper-right corner of the address side of the mailpiece. See 274.2.
* * * * *
250 First-Class Package International Service
* * * * *
252 Eligibility
* * * * *
252.5 Extra Services
* * * * *
252.52 Registered Mail Service
[Revise the text of 252.52 to read as follows:]
Registered Mail service is available for purchase for First-Class Package International Service items, including such items mailed as Free Matter for the Blind.
* * * * *
3 Extra Services
* * * * *
330 Registered Mail
* * * * *
334 Processing Requests
* * * * *
334.3 Postmarking
* * * * *
[Revise the title and text of 334.32 to read as follows:]
334.32 Registered Free Matter for the Blind
Postmark registered Free Matter for the Blind on the address side.
* * * * *
Individual Country Listings
* * * * *
Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North Korea)
Country Conditions for Mailing
* * * * *
[In the second bold paragraph before the Prohibitions section, revise the first sentence to read as follows:]
Service is limited to First-Class Mail International and First-Class Package International Service items, including postcards and Free Matter for the Blind.***
* * * * *
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, 3-6-14
