142 Official Mail

142.1 Mailings by Federal Agencies

Official mail (sent by federal agencies and departments listed in Postal Service Handbook DM–103, Official Mail) that bears the indicia prescribed in DMM 703 may be sent to foreign destinations. Such items are subject to the postage payment requirements, weight and size limits, customs form requirements, and general conditions for mailing that otherwise apply to the class and category of the international mail being sent.

142.2 Postal Service Mailings

International mailpieces that are sent by or on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service must bear the prescribed G-10 permit indicia. Postal Service official mail is subject to all restrictions (e.g., maximum size and weight limits) as defined in the Individual Country Listings for the destination country of mailing.

142.3 Mail of a Former President and Surviving Spouse of a Former President

All nonpolitical mail of former United States Presidents, and of the surviving spouse of a former President, must be accepted without prepayment of postage if it bears the written signature of the sender, or a facsimile signature and the words “POSTAGE AND FEES PAID” in the upper–right corner of the address side.

142.4 General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS)

The following standards apply when mail is sent as OAS General Secretariat official mail:

  1. Only unregistered or registered First-Class Mail International and First-Class Package International Service items bearing the return address of the OAS General Secretariat and weighing not more than 4 pounds are accepted without postage when addressed to the OAS member countries listed in 142.4b. Items in all other mail classes must be prepaid by the mailer.
  2. The following countries are members of the Organization of American States (OAS):
  3.  

    Antigua and Barbuda

    Argentina

    Bahamas

    Barbados

    Bolivia

    Brazil

    Canada

    Chile

    Colombia

    Costa Rica

    Dominica

    Dominican Republic

    Ecuador

    El Salvador

    Grenada

    Guatemala

    Haiti

    Honduras

    Jamaica

    Mexico

    Nicaragua

    Panama

    Paraguay

    Peru

    Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Saint Lucia

    Saint Vincent and the
    Grenadines

    Suriname

    Trinidad and Tobago

    United States

    Uruguay

    Venezuela

142.5 Pan American Sanitary Bureau Mail

Only unregistered First-Class Mail International and First-Class Package International Service items bearing the return address of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and weighing not more than 4 pounds are accepted without postage affixed when addressed to an OAS member country listed in 142.4b or to Cuba. Registered First-Class Mail International and First-Class Package International Service items, as well as items in all other mail classes, must be prepaid by the mailer.