Effective March 24, 2022, the Postal Service™ is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®), Chapter 5 and the Individual Country Listing for Ukraine, to update information regarding U.S. government sanctions on exports to the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, as well as any other regions that the Secretary of the Treasury designates as “covered regions” under Executive Order No. 14065.
These revisions reflect the ban on exports to Donetsk, Luhansk, and other covered regions under section 1(a)(iii) of Executive Order No. 14065, as well as the preexisting ban on exports to Crimea under section 1(a)(iii) of Executive Order No. 13685.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM)
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5 Nonpostal Export Regulations
510 Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Regulations — U.S. Department of the Treasury
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512 Prohibited Destinations, Specially Designated Nationals, and Blocked Persons
[Add a new section heading to read as follows:]
512.1 Restricted Destinations
[Revise the text of the previous section 512 (now section 512.1) to read as follows:]
Mailers may not send items to or receive items from the following countries or regions unless authorized by OFAC:
a. Cuba.
b. Iran.
c. North Korea.
d. The Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, and any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as “covered regions” under Executive Order 14065.
Note: The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) also regulates exports to these countries and regions (see 530). A given mailing might require separate authorization from both BIS and OFAC. For more information, see Publication 699, Special Requirements for Shipping Internationally.
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512.2 Blocked Persons
Mailers may not send items to or on behalf of, or receive items from, certain individuals and entities designated by OFAC as blocked persons, except as authorized by OFAC. OFAC maintains multiple lists of blocked persons, and the lists are available online via treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/SDN-List/Pages/default.aspx. Mailers are responsible for consulting such lists in conjunction with any and all relevant OFAC regulations, because some entities (e.g., certain governmental entities) might be blocked under OFAC’s regulations but not specifically listed, and certain listed entities might be subject to restrictions that do not affect exports or imports of physical items. Mailers are responsible for consulting and ensuring their compliance with OFAC’s regulations and directives.
Note: The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) also regulates exports to, from, or on behalf of certain individuals and entities, including many that are also subject to OFAC restrictions (see 530). A given mailing might require separate authorization from both BIS and OFAC. For more information, see Publication 699.
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514 Exceptions
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[Delete the note.]
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520 Foreign Trade Regulations — U.S. Census Bureau
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524 Internal Transaction Number (ITN)
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524.2 Filing Requirements
524.21 Mandatory Filing
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[Delete item d. and redesignate current items e. through g. as items d. through f.]
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526 AES Exemption
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526.1 General
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[Revise the cross-reference in item b. from “524.21b–g” to “524.21b–f.”]
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526.2 When Applicable
[Revise the cross-reference in the first paragraph from “524.21b–g” to “524.21b–f.”]
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[Revise the first sentence and the Note in item c. to read as follows:]
c. “NOEEI 30.37(h)” or “NOEEI 30.37(y)” for shipments of gift parcels and humanitarian donations that are eligible to be sent to Cuba, North Korea, or the Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions of Ukraine (or any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as “covered regions” under Executive Order 14065).***
Note: Certain shipments of gift parcels and humanitarian donations to the destinations in item c. might require a license from OFAC and/or the BIS (see 510 and 530). If a license is required, then a filing is also required and the AES Exemptions in item c. do not apply (see 524.21d).
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[Revise the Note in item e. to read as follows:]
Note: “NOEEI 30.37(y)” does not apply to shipments of informational materials that are eligible to be sent to the Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions of Ukraine (or any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as a “covered region” under Executive Order 14065). For such shipments, filing might or might not be required, depending on requirements in 524.21a, 524.21d–f, and 526.2b.
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530 Commodities and Technical Data
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532 Export Licenses
532.1 General
[Revise the paragraph to read as follows:]
BIS might require an export license based on several factors specific to a mailer’s transaction: the nature and use of the item (commodity, software, or technology) being exported, its destination, the consignee, and the end user. Exports to certain countries are more heavily restricted than others. For example, most exports to the following countries and regions require authorization from BIS:
a. Cuba.
b. Iran.
c. North Korea.
d. Syria.
e. The Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine (and any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as “covered regions” under Executive Order 14065).
In addition, exports to and from certain individuals and entities designated by BIS might require an export license, regardless of the provisions that would otherwise apply to the export.
Note: These BIS controls might overlap with separate license requirements by OFAC, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, and other government agencies, particularly with respect to comprehensively embargoed countries or blocked persons. For more information on requirements for shipping to these countries and regions, see 510, 540, and Publication 699.
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[Add a new part to read as follows:]
534 Mailer Compliance
Mailers are responsible for their compliance with all applicable export laws and regulations. Mailers may be subject to civil and criminal penalties for failing to comply with any part of the EAR.
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540 Munitions (Defense Articles) and Related Technical Data
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[Add a new part to read as follows:]
543 Mailer Compliance
Mailers are responsible for their compliance with all applicable export laws and regulations. Mailers may be subject to civil and criminal penalties for failing to comply with any part of the Directorate of Defense Trade Control’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
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Individual Country Listings
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Ukraine
Country Conditions for Mailing
[Revise the preliminary paragraph (before “Prohibitions”) to read as follows:]
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce administer sanctions that restrict the mailing of items to certain destinations and recipients, including a broad embargo on items to and from the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine (and any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as “covered regions” under Executive Order 14065). Many shipments to embargoed regions of Ukraine also require the filing of information with the U.S. Census Bureau. Before mailing any items to Ukraine, mailers are responsible for consulting OFAC and BIS regulations and websites to determine whether the addressee is in an embargoed region and what restrictions apply. For more information, see IMM 510, 520, and 530, and Publication 699, Special Requirements for Shipping Internationally.
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Although effective March 24, 2022, the Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into a later edition of the online IMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 3-24-22
