Effective January 24, 2021, the Postal Service™ will revise various sections of Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) to reflect that the Postal Service accepts only electronically generated versions of PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22 — Sender’s Declaration; PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72; and PS Form 2976-B, Priority Mail Express International Shipping Label and Customs Form.
The Postal Service will revise part 608 to remove references pertaining to USPS-supplied hard copy PS Form 2976, PS Form 2976-A, and PS Form 2976-B customs forms.
Additionally, the Postal Service will add a new section regarding the available options to generate a customs form for items requiring a customs form mailed from a Military Post Office. The Postal Service will add section 703.2.3.7, “Customs Declaration Preparation and Acceptance at Military Post Offices.” (The section currently numbered 703.2.3.7 will become 703.2.3.8.)
The article entitled “Forms: PS Form 2976-R Acceptance Policies (Including Military Mail),” in Postal Bulletin 22541 (3-12-20, page 18), contains detailed information about options to be included in section 703.2.3.7, as well as revisions to standards in section 703.2.3.6.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until January 24, 2021, the standards are already in effect.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards For All Mailing Services
* * * * *
608 Postal Information and Resources
* * * * *
2.0 Domestic Mail
* * * * *
2.4 Customs Forms Required
2.4.1 Items Weighing 16 Ounces or More
[Revise the introductory text to read as follows:]
Except for items sent via Priority Mail Express, or Priority Mail combined with Registered Mail service, any mailpiece (regardless of contents) weighing 16 ounces or more must bear a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22 — Sender’s Declaration, or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, produced through an approved USPS system capable of electronically transmitting the associated customs data when the item is:
* * * * *
2.4.2 Items Containing Goods
[Revise the text of 2.4.2 to read as follows:]
Regardless of mail class or weight, items containing goods (i.e., contents other than documents; see IMM 123.63 for “document” eligibility) must bear a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN 22 — Sender’s Declaration, or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, produced through an approved USPS system capable of electronically transmitting the associated customs data when the items are sent to the United States or Puerto Rico from the ZIP Code destinations listed in the table in 2.4.1, or from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
* * * * *
2.4.4 Overseas Military Mail
[Revise the text of 2.4.4 to read as follows:]
For determining customs declarations’ required usage when mailing to or from APO, FPO, or DPO addresses, see 703.2.3.6 through 703.2.3.9.
* * * * *
2.5.6 Placement of ITN, AES Downtown Citation, or AES Exemption
[Revise the second sentence of 2.5.6 to read as follows, and delete items a. through d.]
***However, when a shipment requires an ITN, AES Downtime Citation, or AES Exemption, it is the customer’s responsibility to provide the applicable ITN, AES Downtime Citation, or AES Exemption in the appropriate field on the computer-generated PS Form 2976, PS Form 2976-A, or the computer-generated PS Form 2976-B. On PS Form 2976-R, USPS Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note, block 13 is for an ITN or AES Downtime Citation, and block 14 is for an AES Exemption. See IMM 123.12 for authorized editions of USPS customs forms.
* * * * *
2.5.8 When an Export License Is Required
[Revise the text of 2.5.8 to read as follows:]
When an export license is required under 2.5.7, a PS Form 2976-A or PS Form 2976-B is always required. The applicable license number and an ITN or AES Downtime Citation must appear in the respective fields of the computer-generated PS Form 2976-A or the computer-generated PS Form 2976-B. See IMM 520 and 530 for complete requirements. In addition, it is the mailer’s responsibility to comply with the U.S. Census Bureau’s requirements for filing electronic export information, as described in 2.5.1 and 2.5.2.
* * * * *
700 Special Standards
703 Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail and Other Unique Eligibility
* * * * *
2.0 Overseas Military and Diplomatic Post Office Mail
* * * * *
2.3 General Requirements
* * * * *
2.3.6 Customs Declaration PS Form 2976-R at Retail
* * * * *
[Revise the text of 2.3.6(b)1 to read as follows:]
1. Enter the information into the retail system or Customs Form Online. See Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM), section 123.722, for PS Form 2976-R acceptance procedures.
* * * * *
[Delete the note in its entirety.]
* * * * *
[Add new section 2.3.7 to read as follows and renumber current 2.3.7 through 2.3.12 as 2.3.8 through 2.3.13.]
2.3.7 Customs Declaration Preparation and Acceptance at Military Post Offices
For mailpieces requiring a customs form sent from a Military Post Office, the following standards apply:
a. Authorized military mailers may prepare a customs declaration using one of the following methods:
1. Use the online service of Click-N-Ship at cns.usps.com to establish an account. Enter the required customs data, pay for postage, and print the combined customs declaration form and shipping label with postage, or
2. Use the online application for Customs Form Online (CFOL) at cfo.usps.com/cfo-web/labelInformation.html. Enter the customs data, print the customs declaration form, and present it along with the mailpiece to an associate at a Military Post Office to complete the transaction.
3. In limited circumstances that require the use of a hard copy of PS Form 2976-R, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note, present the fully completed PS Form 2976-R with the mailpiece at a Military Post Office.
Note: For mailpieces destined to a domestic address where the mailer is able to enter all customs data, but is unable to determine the weight and dimensions necessary to generate the customs form, the mailer may use the CFOL system to generate a customs form receipt, containing a unique code for the mailer to provide, along with the package, to a Military Post Office. The military associate will use the unique code on the receipt to retrieve the associated online customs data, enter the actual weight and dimensions of the mailpiece, complete the postage transaction, and apply the electronically generated customs form to the mailpiece. The online customs form receipt must be used by the expiration date indicated on the receipt. The unique code on the online customs form receipt cannot be used to track a mailpiece.
b. Military Post Office associates must:
1. For mailpieces accompanied with a customs declaration form generated through the Customs Form Online application, ensure the form is adhered to the mailpiece and complete the postage transaction, if the item is not prepaid. See Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM), section 123.712, for detailed acceptance procedures.
2. For mailpieces accompanied with a Customs Form Online receipt destined to a domestic location, use the unique code on the receipt to retrieve the associated online customs data to:
(a) Enter the actual weight and dimensions of the mailpiece.
(b) Generate the customs declaration form and ensure it is dated and contains the mailer’s signature.
(c) Complete the postage transaction.
(d) Apply the electronically generated customs form to the mailpiece.
3. For items accompanied by PS Form 2976-R, enter all data into the applicable military postal system or Customs Form Online application to electronically generate, print, and affix the customs declaration form to the mailpiece and complete the postage transaction, if the item is not prepaid. See Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM), section 123.72, for PS Form 2976-R acceptance procedures.
* * * * *
2.3.8 Customs Declarations — Required Usage
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item a. and the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
a. Except as provided in 2.3.9, Priority Mail Express mailpieces addressed to or from an APO, FPO, or DPO location must bear a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-B, Priority Mail Express International Shipping Label and Customs Form, regardless of weight, value, or contents.
b. Except as provided in 2.3.8a and 2.3.9, all other mailpieces addressed to or from an APO, FPO, or DPO location must bear a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration CN22 — Sender’s Declaration, or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, if either of the following conditions apply:
* * * * *
2.3.12 Items Not Requiring a Customs Form
[Revise the introductory text to read as follows:]
Items paid with online postage, postage meters, or information-based indicia (IBI) weighing less than 16 ounces and not requiring a customs form under 2.3.8 may be deposited by one of the following methods:
* * * * *
The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the January 24, 2021, edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 9-24-20
