Effective July 13, 2025, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), sections 608.2 and 703.2, about customs declaration forms on domestic mail to:
n Clarify requirements for the forms.
n Ensure that standards in the DMM related to the forms are consistent.
n Delete redundant references to each form’s title and Universal Postal Union (UPU) tracking number.
Revisions to the DMM will also include moving and renumbering current section 608.2.3, “International Mail,” as 608.2.6, and renumbering current sections 608.2.4 through 608.2.6 as 608.2.3 through 608.2.5.
Additionally, the Postal Service will revise various other DMM sections to update section references related to 608.2, and is adding in the DMM index a “customs declaration forms” entry that will list the four customs declaration forms, including each of the form’s:
1. PS Form number.
2. PS Form title.
3. UPU form number.
This list will also include DMM section references for each form. This new index entry will enhance customers’ DMM search experience for customs declaration forms.
Although these revisions will not be published in the DMM until July 13, 2025, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
500 Additional Mailing Services
* * * * *
507 Mailer Services
* * * * *
5.0 Package Intercept
5.1 Description of Service
* * * * *
5.1.3 Ineligible
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item c. to read as follows:]
c. Domestic mailpieces requiring a customs declarations label (see 608.2.3).
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
* * * * *
604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
* * * * *
9.0 Exchanges and Refunds
* * * * *
9.5 Priority Mail Express Postage and Fees Refunds
* * * * *
9.5.5 Refunds Not Given
* * * * *
[Revise the text of items j. and k. to read as follows, respectively:]
j. The postage refund requested is other than for loss, and the Priority Mail Express piece was destined to or originated from Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (See 608.2.3.1 for ZIP Codes.)
k. The postage refund requested is other than for loss, and the Priority Mail Express piece was destined to the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia. (See 608.2.3.1 for ZIP Codes.)
* * * * *
608 Postal Information and Resources
* * * * *
2.0 Domestic Mail
* * * * *
[Delete 2.3, “International Mail,” in its entirety, and renumber current 2.4 through 2.6 as 2.3 through 2.5.]
* * * * *
2.3 Customs Forms Required
2.3.1 Items Weighing 16 Ounces or More
[Revise the introductory text of renumbered 2.3.1 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 (UPU Form - CN 22), or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note (UPU Form - CP 72), produced through an approved USPS system capable of electronically transmitting the associated customs data when the item is:
* * * * *
2.3.2 Items Containing Goods
[Revise the text of renumbered 2.3.2 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, or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A 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 2.3.1, or from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
2.3.3 Improperly Prepared and Prohibited Items
[Revise the text of renumbered 2.3.3 to read as follows:]
Mailpieces deposited without a properly completed customs form under 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 will be returned to the sender. See the current Postal Bulletin for an up-to-date list of prohibited or restricted items.
* * * * *
2.3.5 Items Eligible for Deposit or Pickup
[Revise the introductory text of renumbered 2.3.5 to read as follows:]
Items under 2.3.1 bearing a computer-generated customs form (e.g., using Click-N-Ship service, an authorized PC Postage vendor, or the USPS Web Tools system) may be deposited through any of the following methods, provided postage is paid by a means other than using postage stamps:
* * * * *
2.3.8 Freely Associated States – Items Requiring an Export License
[Revise the first sentence of renumbered 2.3.8 to read as follows:]
Items sent to the Freely Associated States listed in 2.2 that require an export license under 2.4.8, regardless of weight or class of mail, always require a PS Form 2976-A.***
* * * * *
2.4 Foreign Trade Regulations – U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Bureau of the Census
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. Items mailed from the Freely Associated States (see 2.2).
* * * * *
2.4.1 Mandatory Electronic Filing – U.S. Territories, Possessions, and Freely Associated States
[Revise the last sentence of the introductory text of renumbered 2.4.1 to read as follows:]
***Electronic filing of export information is required when any of the following applies, subject to certain exemptions (see 2.4.4):
[Revise the last sentence of item a. to read as follows:]
a. ***See 2.4.5 and 2.4.6.
* * * * *
2.4.2 Value Criterion
[Revise the introductory text of renumbered 2.4.2 to read as follows:]
Following are three examples to illustrate the value criterion defined in 2.4.1:
* * * * *
2.4.5 AES Exemption
[Revise the second sentence of the introductory text of renumbered 2.4.5 to read as follows:]
***In these circumstances, and only when a customs declaration form is required under 2.3, customers are responsible for presenting an applicable AES Exemption on the customs declaration form upon mailing.***
* * * * *
[Revise the text of items b. and c. to read as follows, respectively:]
b. For items destined to the Freely Associated States listed in 2.2, customers may apply “NOEEI 30.37(a)” if the value of each class of goods is $2,500 or less, provided an export license is not required (see 2.4.7 and 2.4.8).
c. For items destined to APO, FPO, and DPO addresses, customers may apply “NOEEI 30.37(w)” regardless of value, provided an export license is not required (see 2.4.8).
* * * * *
2.4.7 Additional Standards for the Freely Associated States
[Revise the second sentence of renumbered 2.4.7 to read as follows:]
***As such, certain goods shipped (also see 2.3.3) to these destinations from the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or other U.S. territories may require an export license.***
2.4.8 When an Export License Is Required
[Revise the first and last sentences of renumbered 2.4.8 to read as follows:]
When an export license is required under 2.4.7, a PS Form 2976-A or PS Form 2976-B is always required. ***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 2.4.1 and 2.4.2.
* * * * *
[Add new 2.6, “International Mail,” to read as follows:]
2.6 International Mail
2.6.1 General
International mail is mail addressed to or received from foreign countries, except under 2.2. Provisions for international mail are published in Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM).
2.6.2 International Inbound Mail Entry at Domestic Offshore Locations
Incoming mail from foreign mail consolidators or foreign posts must be entered through one of the four International Service Centers located in the 48 contiguous states. Exceptions for entry anywhere else, including into domestic offshore locations, must be arranged in advance through contracts.
* * * * *
700 Special Standards
703 Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail and Other Unique Eligibility
* * * * *
2.0 Overseas Military and Diplomatic Post Office Mail
* * * * *
2.3 General Restrictions
* * * * *
2.3.6 Customs Declaration PS Form 2976-R at Retail
[Revise the introductory text of 2.3.6 to read as follows:]
For mailpieces requiring a customs form sent to an APO/FPO/DPO address from a USPS retail unit, the following apply:
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item b2 to read as follows:]
2. Electronically generate and print the applicable PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration (UPU Form - CN 22); PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note (UPU Form - CP 72); or PS Form 2976-B, Priority Mail Express International Shipping Label and Customs Form, and affix it to the mailpiece.
2.3.7 Customs Declaration Preparation and Acceptance at Military Post Offices
* * * * *
[Revise the text of item a3 to read as follows:]
3. In limited circumstances that require using a hard copy of PS Form 2976-R, present the fully completed PS Form 2976-R with the mailpiece at a Military Post Office.
* * * * *
2.3.8 Customs Declarations – Required Usage
[Revise the introductory text of 2.3.8 to read as follows:]
In accord with the procedures provided in 2.3.6, customs declarations forms required for use on shipments to or from APO/FPO/DPO locations are as follows:
[Revise the text of item a. to read as follows:]
a. 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, regardless of weight, value, or contents.
[Revise the introductory text of item b. to read as follows:]
b. All other mailpieces addressed to or from an APO, FPO, or DPO location must bear a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976, or, if the customer prefers, a properly completed computer-generated PS Form 2976-A, if either of the following conditions applies:
* * * * *
2.6 Priority Mail Express Military Service (PMEMS)
* * * * *
2.6.8 Customs Declaration
[Revise the text of 2.6.8 to read as follows:]
For each PMEMS item, the mailer may also have to complete a customs declaration form under 2.3.6.
* * * * *
[Revise the title of 3.0 to read as follows:]
3.0 U.S. Department of State Mail
* * * * *
3.2 Conditions for Authorized Mail
* * * * *
3.2.9 Customs Declarations
[Revise the text of 3.2.9 to read as follows:]
Customs declaration forms are not required on mail sent to individuals through U.S. Department of State facilities.
* * * * *
Index
A
* * * * *
[Revise the text of the “Alaska Bypass Service” entry to read as follows:]
Alaska Bypass Service, 608.2.5
* * * * *
C
* * * * *
[Revise the “customs” entry line to read as follows:]
customs, 608.2.3, 703.2.3.6
[Add a new entry alphabetically under “C” to read as follows:]
customs declaration forms
PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration (UPU Form - CN 22), 608.2, 703.2
PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note (UPU Form - CP 72), 608.2, 703.2
PS Form 2976-B, Priority Mail Express International Shipping Label and Customs Form, 608.2, 703.2
PS Form 2976-R, USPS Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note, 608.2, 703.2
* * * * *
U
* * * * *
[Revise the “U.S. Census Bureau” entry to read as follows:]
U.S. Census Bureau, 608.2.4
* * * * *
Forms Glossary
* * * * *
ID Title
* * * * *
[Revise the text of the 2976 and 2976-A forms entries to read as follows:]
2976 Customs Declaration (UPU Form - CN 22)
2976-A Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note (UPU Form - CP 72)
* * * * *
The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the next edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 5-1-25
