Effective January 17, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) sections 608.2.4.6 and 608.2.4.7 to make mandatory the submission of electronically transmitted customs data for mail that is paid with a permit imprint and entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). Handwritten customs forms will no longer be accepted at these locations. This is part of an ongoing effort to improve efficiency and security of items in the international mailstream.
In order to provide mailers with the time needed to make necessary logistical and software changes, we are not requiring this change from mailers until January 17, 2016. Nonetheless, we encourage mailers to implement these changes immediately.
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
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2.4.6 Items Not Eligible for Deposit or Pickup
[Revise the first sentence of 2.4.6 to read as follows:]
Customers must present the following items requiring a customs form to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter.***
2.4.7 Items Paid with a Permit Imprint
[Revise the text of 2.4.7 to read as follows:]
Items requiring a customs form and paid with permit imprint may be entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) if the customs form was computer-generated and the customs data was electronically transmitted.
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700 Special Standards
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703 Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility
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2.0 Overseas Military and Diplomatic Post Office Mail
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2.3 General Restrictions
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2.3.12 Items Paid with a Permit Imprint
[Revise the text of 2.3.12 to read as follows:]
Items requiring a customs label and paid with a permit imprint may be entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) if the customs form was computer-generated and the customs data was electronically transmitted.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the January 17, 2016, update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com/.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 11-12-15
