See the Individual Country Listings for countries that offer Express Mail International.
Regardless of the actual weight of the mailpiece, the Express Mail International flat-rate envelope is charged at a flat rate. Postage is required for each piece. Express Mail International flat-rate envelopes with prepaid postage may be used for international mail. Appropriate postage must be added prior to mailing. (See Exhibit 222.11.)
Exhibit 222.11
Express Mail International Flat-Rate Envelope
Payment for Express Mail International by permit imprint through an advance deposit account is allowed only when guidelines for commercial base price incentives (see 222.122) are followed.
Postage paid with permit imprint is subject to the general conditions in IMM 152.4 and DMM 124, 604, and 705. An Express Mail International shipment using a permit imprint does not qualify for postage guarantees.
222.122 Permit Imprint — Commercial Base Prices
Express Mail International commercial base postage prices will be 8 percent below retail prices for all postage paid with permit imprint. The commercial base price incentive applies only to the postage portion of Express Mail International prices. It does not apply to any other charges or fees, such as Pickup on Demand service, additional merchandise insurance coverage, or shipments made under a customized agreement.
To receive this commercial base price incentive, customers must do all of the following:
- Use USPS-produced Global Shipping Software (GSS).
- Pay for postage with a permit imprint through an advance deposit account or an Express Mail corporate account (see 222.13).
- Meet manifesting and permit imprint requirements.
Customers who mail more than 5,000 Express Mail International pieces a year should contact the Postal Service to discuss customized agreements for commercial volume price incentives (see 297).
A written application is required prior to mailing with an Express Mail corporate account (see DMM 114).
Express Mail International commercial prices will be 8 percent, 10 percent, or 12 percent below retail prices for postage paid directly through an Express Mail corporate account (EMCA) as shown in Exhibit 222.131. There is no minimum volume requirement to receive the 8-percent incentive. The commercial base price incentive and the commercial volume price incentives apply only to the postage portion of Express Mail International prices. They do not apply to any other charges or fees, such as Pickup on Demand service, additional merchandise insurance coverage, or shipments made under a customized agreement. To receive commercial price incentives on postage, customers must use USPS-produced Global Shipping Software (GSS). Incentives will be applied to each mailing. See 222.132.
Exhibit 222.131
Express Mail Corporate Account Volume/Revenue Requirements
A customer will receive an incentive of 8 percent during the first postal quarter of the initial mailing and through the subsequent full postal quarter. Thereafter, the incentive for each postal quarter will be determined by the actual annualized volume of Express Mail International mailed in the previous full postal quarter or the actual annualized amount of postage paid for Express Mail International in the previous full postal quarter, whichever is higher.
Commercial base prices apply to Express Mail International customers who prepare and pay for Express Mail International shipments online at usps.com or by using an authorized PC Postage vendor. Commercial base prices also apply to qualifying end-user customers who pay postage using information-based indicia (IBI) postage meters and electronically transmit customs forms.
Customers must register via the shipping site at usps.com. Registration is accomplished by selecting the designated icon on the Web site and following the accompanying instructions. This one-time registration will establish a shipping record and a customer history. To be eligible for online prices, customers must prepare their shipping labels and pay for their shipments online using a credit card. The following credit cards are accepted for payment online: American Express, Diner’s Club, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa.
For selected destination countries, Express Mail International items receive an 8-percent incentive below retail prices when customers utilize one of the following shipping methods:
- Click-N-Ship.
- Authorized PC Postage vendors.
- End-user customers using information-based indicia (IBI) postage meters, provided they electronically transmit customs forms.
The commercial base price is automatically applied to each shipment. The incentive applies only to the postage portion of the Express Mail International price. It does not apply to any other charges or fees, such as Pickup on Demand service, insurance fees, or shipments made under a customized agreement.
For each addressed mailpiece, determine single-piece price based on weight and price group. Then multiply the retail price by 8 percent to obtain the discount amount. Subtract the discount amount (without rounding off) from the retail price and then round off the result (see 152.32).
Express Mail International may be paid by postage stamps, postage validation imprinter (PVI) labels, postage meter stamps, information-based indicia (IBI), PC Postage, through the use of an Express Mail corporate account, or with permit imprint under 222.12.
Express Mail International shipments that are entered by federal agencies and departments are subject to the same postage payment requirements, weight and size limits, customs form requirements, and general conditions for mailing as Express Mail International shipments that are originated by nongovernmental entities.
Express Mail International shipments mailed by U.S. Postal Service entities must bear the G–10 permit indicia that is prescribed for all Postal Service official mail. There is a 66–pound weight limit for Postal Service-originated Express Mail International shipments going to all destination countries, unless the destination country has a lower weight limit. See 142.2.
On–call and scheduled pickup services are available for an added charge of $15.30 for each pickup stop, regardless of the number of pieces picked up. Only one pickup fee will be charged if domestic Express Mail, Priority Mail International, Global Express Guaranteed, and/or domestic Parcel Post is picked up at the same time. No pickup fee will be charged when Express Mail International is picked up during a delivery stop or during a scheduled stop made to collect other mail not subject to a pickup fee. Pickup service is provided in accordance with the information in DMM 507.6; for more information, also visit the online site at usps.com/pickup.
