Effective June 2, 2014, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) parts 524 and 526 to update various mailing standards consistent with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR).
In addition, we are making minor revisions to section 541.11 regarding the exporting of defense articles. (These revisions include an update to the Internet addresses for the U.S. Department of State.)
The Postal Service is committed to assisting other federal agencies in ensuring mailers’ compliance with federal laws, including those that regulate what can be exported from the United States.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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5 Nonpostal Export Regulations
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520 Foreign Trade Regulations — U.S. Census Bureau
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524 Internal Transaction Number (ITN)
524.1 General
[Revise 524.1 in its entirety to read as follows:]
U.S. Census Bureau regulations require electronic filing of export information through the Census Bureau’s Automated Export System (AES) or AESDirect website for certain outbound international shipments of goods. Before mailing, customers subject to this filing requirement are responsible for presenting an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) or AES Downtime Citation as evidence of compliance.
524.2 Filing Requirements
524.21 Mandatory Filing
[Revise 524.21 in its entirety to read as follows:]
Electronic filing of export information is required when any of the following applies:
a. The value of any type of goods is over $2,500, unless an AES Exemption applies (see 526). For this purpose, value is measured according to all goods within the same Schedule B number or Harmonized Tariff Schedule number that is mailed from the same sender to the same recipient on the same day. (Schedule B is available at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is available at http://hts.usitc.gov.) The following three examples illustrate the value criterion:
1. Example 1: An insured Priority Mail International package contains one mechanical watch (Schedule B item number 9101.11.0000) valued at $2,400, and one electronic watch (Schedule B item number 9101.91.0000) valued at $2,400. The total value of goods to be mailed is $4,800, but because the mechanical watch and electronic watch are in different Schedule B groups, no group of items within the same Schedule B number is valued at more than $2,500. Consequently, electronic filing and an ITN is not required. Rather, AES Exemption “NOEEI 30.37(a)” applies, assuming that none of the separate requirements in 524.21.b–f apply.
2. Example 2: An insured Priority Mail International package contains two mechanical watches (Schedule B item number 9101.11.0000), each of which is valued at $1,300, for a total value of $2,600. These two items are in the same Schedule B number, and the value of all items within the same Schedule B number is more than $2,500. Consequently, electronic filing and an ITN is required (unless an exemption applies).
3. Example 3: Person A sends two insured Priority Mail International packages to Person B on the same day. The first package contains one mechanical watch valued at $1,300, and the second package contains an identical watch, also valued at $1,300. The total value of goods within the same Schedule B number is $2,600, which is more than $2,500. Consequently, electronic filing and an ITN is required (unless an exemption applies).
b. The shipment contains goods other than informational materials and is destined to Iran, Sudan, or Syria.
c. The shipment contains goods, is destined to Cuba or North Korea, and does not qualify as informational materials or as a “gift parcel or humanitarian donation” (as defined by 15 CFR § 740.12).
d. The item requires an export license under U.S. law. (See 510, 530, 540, 560, and 590 for additional information.)
e. The item is authorized by an exemption under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, 22 CFR Parts 123–126. (See 540 for additional information.)
f. The shipment involves a party designated on the BIS Unverified List, which is available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/policy-guidance/lists-of-parties-of-concern/unverified-list.
Note: The countries in 524.21b and c are those identified in Country Group E:1 in the Export Administration Regulations, 15 CFR Part 740, Supplement No. 1.
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526 AES Exemption
526.1 General
[Revise item b to read as follows:]
b. A mailer cannot apply an AES Exemption to shipments that fall within 524.21d–f.
526.2 When Applicable
[Revise 526.2 in its entirety to read as follows:]
Customers with shipments not meeting the mandatory filing requirements under 524.21b–f may apply an AES Exemption such as the following on each customs declaration form:
a. “NOEEI 30.37(a)” for shipments when the value of each class of goods is $2,500 or less.
b. “NOEEI 30.36” for shipments to Canada.
c. “NOEEI 30.37(h)” or “NOEEI 30.37(y)(4)” for shipments of gift parcels and humanitarian donations that are eligible to be sent to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria. In addition, the mailer must endorse the item with the marking “GIFT — Export License Not Required” on the address side of the package. The mailer must also write “GFT” in the same block as the AES Exemption on the applicable required customs declaration, as described in 527. The mailer must complete all other blocks of the customs declaration form, including the “Detailed description of contents.”
d. “NOEEI 30.37(y)(1)” for shipments of informational materials that are eligible to be sent to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria.
Note: For more information and a complete listing of these and other AES Exemptions, see Appendix C of the Foreign Trade Regulations, 15 CFR Part 30.
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540 Munitions (Defense Articles) and Related Technical Data
541 Licensing Requirements
541.1 Individual Licenses
541.11 Exporting Defense Articles
[Revise 541.11 in its entirety to read as follows:]
The exportation of defense articles requires a license or license exemption authorized by the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). Requirements for the exportation of defense articles are contained in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) in 22 CFR Part 120–130. Further information, including the ITAR, is available at the DDTC website at www.pmddtc.state.gov.
See certain sections of the CFR for specific information relating to defense articles, as follows:
a. For information concerning defense articles subject to the license requirement, see 22 CFR Part 121.
b. For information concerning licenses for the export of defense articles, see 22 CFR Part 123.
c. For information concerning license exemptions for the export of defense articles, see 22 CFR Part 126.
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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, 5-1-14
