Effective January 17, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) in several sections to reflect a new single country listing of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. These three islands, which have status as special municipalities within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, will have a separate country code. Also, we will eliminate references to the Netherlands Antilles in the IMM. Revisions will appear in the following sections:
n Exhibit 213.5.
n Exhibit 292.45a.
n Exhibit 293.45a.
n Index of Countries and Localities.
n Country Price Groups and Weight Limits.
n Individual Country Listings.
In 2011, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) notified member countries via International Bureau Circulars that the Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist as a separate entity. Curacao and Sint Maarten became independent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba became special municipalities of the Netherlands known collectively as the Dutch Caribbean or Caribbean Netherlands. At that time, the designated operator for Curacao also provided postal services to islands of the Dutch Caribbean, so information concerning those destinations (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba) was included in the relevant listing for Curacao.
On December 16, 2013, International Bureau Circular 214 informed UPU member countries that as of January 1, 2014, Flamingo Express Dutch Caribbean N.V. was the new designated operator for the Caribbean part of the Netherlands, consisting of the three islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Flamingo Express would begin operating an office of exchange on Bonaire for mail exchanges to and from all three islands.
On January 27, 2014, International Bureau Circular 14 further reminded UPU member countries that the designated operator of Curacao — Nieuwe Post Nederlandse Antillen N.V. — was no longer operating in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands and had closed its offices of exchange in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Those islands were to be served by Flamingo Express, and any mail sent after January 27, 2014, to Nieuwe Post Nederlandse Antillen N.V. would be considered missent mail.
Consequently, the Individual Country Listings will have a separate entry for Curacao and a separate entry for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Also, we will remove from the IMM the legacy references to the Netherlands Antilles.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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2 Conditions for Mailing
210 Global Express Guaranteed
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213 Prices and Postage Payment Methods
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213.5 Destinating Countries and Price Groups
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Exhibit 213.5 Destinating Countries and Price Groups
[Add an entry for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba to read as follows:]
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290 Commercial Services
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292 International Priority Airmail (IPA) Service
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292.4 Mail Preparation
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292.45 IPA Foreign Office of Exchange Codes and Price Groups
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Exhibit 292.45a IPA Foreign Office of Exchange Codes and Price Groups
[Add an entry for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba and revise the entry for Curacao to read as follows:].
* * * * *
293 International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Service
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293.4 Mail Preparation
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293.45 ISAL Foreign Office of Exchange Codes and Price Groups
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Exhibit 293.45a ISAL Foreign Office of Exchange Codes and Price Groups
[Add an entry for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba and revise the entry for Curacao to read as follows:]
* * * * *
Index of Countries and Localities
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[Revise the entry for Bonaire to read as follows:]
Bonaire (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba)
* * * * *
[Revise the entry for Curacao to read as follows:]
Curacao
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[Delete the entries for “Netherlands Antilles (Curacao)” and “Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten).”]
* * * * *
[Revise the entry for Saba to read as follows:]
Saba (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba)
* * * * *
[Revise the entry for Sint Eustatius to read as follows:]
Sint Eustatius (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba)
* * * * *
Country Price Groups and Weight Limits
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[Add a new entry for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba to read as follows:]
* * * * *
Individual Country Listings
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[Add an individual country listing for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba that is identical to the current listing for Curacao, except for differences to read as follows:]
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Country Conditions for Mailing
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Priority Mail Express International
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Customs Forms Required (123)
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[Revise the Note to read as follows:]
Note:
Coins; banknotes; currency notes, including paper money; securities of any kind payable to bearer; traveler’s checks; platinum, gold, and silver; precious stones; jewelry; watches; and other valuable articles are prohibited in Priority Mail Express International shipments to Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba.
* * * * *
[Revise the country code to read as follows:]
Country Code: BQ
[Revise the “Areas Served” text to read as follows:]
Areas Served: All
* * * * *
[In the Individual Country Listing for Curacao, revise the heading to read as follows:]
Curacao
Country Conditions for Mailing
* * * * *
Priority Mail Express International
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[Revise the “Areas Served” text to read as follows:]
Areas Served: All
* * * * *
We will incorporate these revisions into the January 17, 2016, update of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 12-10-15
