Effective January 19, 2025, the Postal Service™ revised Notice 123, Price List, to reflect price changes to certain international Competitive Services as established by the Governors of the United States Postal Service®. The new prices are based on Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Order No. 8635, issued on January 16, 2025. In that order, the PRC found that the price adjustments included in the USPS® notice may go into effect on January 19, 2025. The order is available on the PRC website at prc.gov. The entire Notice 123 is available for review via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
Also, effective January 19, 2025, the Postal Service changed the country group assignments for St. Pierre and Miquelon and changed the Foreign Office of Exchange Code for International Priority Airmail destined for St. Pierre and Miquelon. The Postal Service made similar revisions to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service®, International Mail Manual (IMM®), which is available via Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com. (See the IMM article here of this Postal Bulletin.)
This article describes the international price changes and minor classification changes for the following international competitive services:
n Priority Mail Express International®.
n Priority Mail International®.
n First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS®).
n International Priority Airmail® (IPA ®).
n International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®).
n Direct Sacks of Printed Matter to One Addressee (Airmail M-bag®).
n The following are competitive international extra services and fees:
n International Insurance.
n Certificate of Mailing.
n International Registered Mail.
n Customs Clearance and Delivery Fee.
For pricing, go to the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com.
Priority Mail Express International (PMEI) service provides fast service to approximately 180 countries in 3–5 business days for many major markets, although the actual number of days may vary based on the following:
n Origin.
n Destination.
n Customs delays.
PMEI with Money-Back Guarantee service is available for certain destinations. Due to airline travel restrictions and cancellations, PMEI with Money-Back Guarantee service has been suspended for several destinations until further notice. For more information, go to the USPS Service Updates page at usps.com.
The price increase for PMEI service averages 4.9 percent. The Commercial Base price provides a discount below the published retail prices for customers who prepare and pay for PMEI shipments via permit imprint and online at usps.com, or as registered end-users using an authorized PC Postage vendor (with the exception of Click-N-Ship® service). Customers who prepare PMEI shipments via Click-N-Ship service pay retail prices. Commercial Plus will be equivalent to Commercial Base; however, deeper discounting may still be available to customers through negotiated service agreements.
The Postal Service will continue to include PMEI service in customized contracts. PMEI flat rate pricing continues to be available for Flat Rate Envelopes.
Priority Mail International (PMI) is an economical way to send merchandise and documents to approximately 180 countries in 6–10 business days for many major markets, although the actual number of days may vary based on the following:
n Origin.
n Destination.
n Customs delays.
The price increase for PMI service averages 4.9 percent. The Commercial Base price provides a discount below the published retail prices for customers who prepare and pay for PMI items via permit imprint and online at usps.com, or as registered end-users using an authorized PC Postage vendor (with the exception of Click-N-Ship). Customers who prepare PMI shipments via Click-N-Ship pay retail prices. Commercial Plus prices will be equivalent to Commercial Base; however, deeper discounting may still be made available to customers through negotiated service agreements.
The Postal Service will continue to include PMI service in customized contracts.
PMI flat rate pricing continues to be available for Flat Rate Envelopes, Small Flat Rate Boxes, and Medium and Large Flat Rate Boxes.
First-Class Package International Service (FCPIS) is an economical international service for small packages not exceeding 4 pounds in weight and $400 in value. The price increase for FCPIS averages 4.9 percent. The Commercial Base price provides a discount below the published retail prices for customers who prepare and pay for FCPIS items via permit imprint or by USPS-approved online payment methods. Customers who prepare FCPIS shipments via Click-N-Ship service pay retail prices. Commercial Plus prices will be equivalent to Commercial Base; however, deeper discounting will be made available to customers through negotiated service agreements.
Electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International service (E-USPS DELCON INTL®) is a tracking service available at no charge for FCPIS items to select destination countries.
International Priority Airmail (IPA) service, including IPA M-bags, is a commercial service designed for volume mailings of all First-Class Mail International postcards, letters, and large envelopes (flats), and for volume mailings of FCPIS packages (small packets) weighing up to a maximum of 4.4 pounds. IPA shipments are typically flown to foreign destinations (exceptions apply to Canada) and are then entered into that country’s air or surface priority mail system for delivery. The price increase for IPA is 4.9 percent. International Surface Airlift (ISAL) is like IPA except that once flown to the foreign destination, ISAL is entered into that country’s air or surface nonpriority mail system for delivery. The price increase for ISAL is 28.9 percent.
An Airmail M-bag is a direct sack of printed matter sent to a single foreign addressee at a single address. Prices are based on the weight of the sack. The published prices for Airmail M-bags will remain the same on average and not increase, although a few prices will change slightly.
Depending on country destination and mail type, customers may add a variety of extra services to their outbound shipments and pay a variety of fees. The Postal Service proposes to increase fees for certain competitive international extra services as follows:
n PMEI and PMI merchandise insurance: There is no charge for PMEI and PMI merchandise insurance coverage up to $200. The starting fee for additional insurance over $200 will be lowered to $11.85. For each additional $100 or fraction over $300 up to a maximum indemnity limit of $5000 (the maximum indemnity varies by country), the incremental fee will be as set forth in the following table below:
n Certificate of Mailing service: Prices for competitive international Certificate of Mailing service will be as follows:
n International Registered Mail service: The fee for competitive international Registered Mail will increase to $21.75.
n Customs clearance and delivery fee: The competitive customs clearance and delivery fee per dutiable item will increase to $8.85.
The Postal Service has already incorporated these revisions into Notice 123, Price List, which is available via Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 3-6-25
