245 Mail Entry and Deposit

245.1 Place of Mailing

245.11 Items Eligible for Deposit or Pickup

First-Class Mail International items bearing a computer-generated customs form with customs data that has been electronically transmitted (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 the use of postage stamps:

1. In a private mailbox bearing a return address that matches the address at the point of pick up, when the customer or business is known to reside or do business at that location.
2. At a Postal Service retail counter.
3. Into a Postal Service lobby drop.
4. In a collection box.
5. At a Contract Postal Unit (CPU).
6. At a USPS Approved Shipper location.

Note: First-Class Mail International letter-size and flat-size items weighing 13 ounces or less and bearing only postage stamps may also be deposited through the aforementioned methods, if the item does not require a customs form.

245.12 Items Not Eligible for Deposit or Pickup

Customers must present the following First-Class Mail International items requiring a customs form to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter. Deposit and pickup methods listed in 245.11 are prohibited. The Postal Service will return improperly presented items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.

1. Any item bearing a customs form and paid with only postage stamps.
2. Any item bearing a handwritten customs form.
3. Any item bearing a customs form that was not computer-generated.
4. Any item for which the customs data was not electronically transmitted.

245.2 Items Paid With a Permit Imprint

Mailers who enter volume mailings paid with a permit imprint under 243.3 must enter such items through a business mail entry unit (BMEU) or, when authorized by the district BMEU manager, through a detached mail unit (DMU) at a mailer’s plant.