143 Official Mail

143.1 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.

143.2 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 a 66–pound weight limit except for Express Mail International destined for countries that have a higher limit and Global Express Guaranteed shipments going to authorized destination countries that have a 70–pound weight limit.

143.3 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.

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

1. Unregistered First-Class Mail International 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 143.4c.
2. Items other than First-Class Mail International with extra services may not be provided for OAS General Secretariat official mail without the prepayment of postage or the fee for the extra service requested.
3. The following countries are members of the Organization of American States (OAS):

 

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

St. Christopher and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela

143.5 Pan American Sanitary Bureau Mail

1. Unregistered First-Class Mail International items bearing the return address of the bureau and weighing not more than 4 pounds are accepted without postage affixed when addressed to an OAS member country listed in 143.4c or to Cuba.
2. Items with the bureau return address that are sent other than First-Class Mail International or that request extra services must prepay all postage and fees.