Effective July 19, 2018, the Postal Service™ is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®), section 123.62, to clarify the exceptions for customs declarations on international mail sent by “known mailers.”
Specifically, the Postal Service is revising 123.622 to remove the “known mailer” exception for military contractors, and 123.623 to clarify that the requirement for transparent packaging applies to goods of nominal value as well as to hard copy printed matter or recorded media for which no customs form would be required in the destination country.
The Postal Service will clarify the “known mailer” exceptions in the Restrictions section of Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail and in the Customs Declaration article for the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual).
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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1 International Mail Services
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120 Preparation for Mailing
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123 Customs Forms and Online Shipping Labels
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123.6 Required Usage
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123.62 Known Mailers
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123.622 Definition
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[Delete item b. (which refers to military contractors) and redesignate current item c. as new item b.]
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123.623 Conditions
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[Revise items a., b., and c. to read as follows:]
a. The mailpieces must contain no merchandise or goods, except as provided in 123.623.
b. Merchandise or goods to which this subsection applies may be mailed only as First-Class Package International Service packages (small packets) — or for commercial mailers, as IPA packages (small packets) and ISAL packages (small packets). Any packaging used for package-sized items under this subsection must be transparent, such as shrink wrap or poly wrap material, so that the contents are fully visible for inspection. Authorization to mail items under this subsection without a customs form applies only under one of the following conditions:
1. The mailpieces may contain goods of nominal value (less than $1.00) in conjunction with communications or informational materials for which no customs form is required in the destination country.
2. The mailpieces may contain hard copy printed matter or recorded media (e.g., CDs, DVDs, flash drives, video, and cassette tapes), for which no customs form is required in the destination country.
c. Authorization to mail items under section 123.62 without a customs form is also subject to all of the following conditions:
1. The mailpieces must not require an export license as described in 510, 520, 530, or 540.
2. The mailpieces must not contain dangerous or prohibited items under 135 or 136, or be otherwise prohibited by the destination country.
3. The mailpieces cannot be destined to an E:1 country listed in 15 CFR 740, Supp. 2.
4. The mailpieces cannot contain any items listed in the Commerce Control List (15 CFR 774) or the U.S. Munitions List (22 CFR 121).***
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Although effective July 19, 2018, the Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online IMM. The online IMM is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 7-19-18
