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 pickup, 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: A mailer may use the aforementioned methods to deposit a First-Class Mail International letter-size or flat-size item that bears only postage stamps when the item meets both of the following characteristics:

  1. Does not exceed 10 ounces.
  2. Does not exceed one-half inch in thickness.
245.12 Items Not Eligible for Deposit or Pickup

A customer must present the following First-Class Mail International items to an employee at a Post Office retail service counter:

  1. Any mailpiece bearing a customs form and paid for with only postage stamps.
  2. Any mailpiece bearing a handwritten customs form.
  3. Any mailpiece bearing a customs form that was not computer-generated.
  4. Any mailpiece for which the customs data was not electronically transmitted.
  5. Any item that bears only postage stamps when the item meets either of the following characteristics:
    1. Weighs more than 10 ounces.
    2. Measures more than one-half inch in thickness.

Deposit and pickup methods listed in 245.11 are prohibited. The Postal Service will return an improperly presented item to the sender for proper entry and acceptance

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.