Country Conditions for Mailing — United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Caterpillars, cockroaches, crickets, destroyers of noxious pests, earthworms, fish fry and eggs, flies of the family Drosophilidae, leeches, lugworms, maggots, mealworms, pupae and chrysalides, rag worms, silkworms, spiders, and stick insects are admissible only for biomedical research (see license requirement for bees).

Human and animal cremated remains (ashes) must not exceed 50 grams and must be in a sift-proof container and securely closed. Items must be tightly packed in strong outer packaging and must be secured or cushioned to prevent any damage. The sender’s name and return address must be clearly visible on the outer packaging. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recommends that cremated human remains should be accompanied by a certificate of cremation from a crematorium authority.

Medicines and drugs when sent for scientific purposes must be sent by a practitioner, registered dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, registered nurse, or recognized laboratory or institution.

Plants and parts of plants require an import permit issued by the appropriate Agricultural Department in the United Kingdom.

Vaccines may be sent only by, or at the specific request of, a qualified medical practitioner, registered dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, registered nurse, or recognized laboratory or institution.

Observations

The following is a list of the names of the counties and city names in Northern Ireland. The County names are in capital letters. The geographic identifiers should be used in addressing mail to Northern Ireland:

ANTRIM:	DOWN:	LONDONDERRY:
Antrim	Banbridge	Coleraine
Ballymena	Bangor	Kilrea
Belfast	Downpatrick	Limavady
Carrickfergus	Kilkeel	Londonderry
Larne	Newcastle	Magherafelt
Lisburn	Newry	Portstewart
Portrush	Newtownards	TYRONE:
Toomebridge	FERMANAGH:	Cookstown
Whitehead	Enniskillen	Dugannon
ARMAGH:		Moy
Armagh		Omagh
Lurgan		Strabane
Portsdown

Many types of merchandise, unless sent as unsolicited gifts, require import licenses that the addressees must obtain from the British Board of Trade. Before mailing commercial shipments, senders should be assured that the addressees can obtain licenses if needed.
All goods sent to the UK are liable to customs duty and Value Added Tax on importation whether or not the package is marked as a “gift.” Packages are admitted free of customs charges, however, if they meet the following conditions:

Gift packages of small value provided they do not contain any tobacco goods, spirits or wine;
Gift packages containing only well-worn clothing (excluding garments of high value), limited quantities of foodstuffs (other than caviar), soap or consumable medical supplies.

Postal packages without a customs declaration that contain goods liable to customs duty or control may be seized by the customs authorities.
Firearms that are intended for sporting purposes are mailable to the United Kingdom, provided the prospective addressee has obtained the required import license.
The United Kingdom limits the weight of M-bags to 20 kg (44 lbs.).
As of November 5, 2018, Parcelforce Worldwide, part of Royal Mail Group Ltd., charges a single-import customs clearance fee of 12 pounds sterling (GBP) for all low-value parcels subject to customs charges that it delivers — i.e., parcels whose declared value is more than 15 GBP (for merchandise) or 39 GBP (for gifts), but not more than 873 GBP. Parcelforce Worldwide charges a flat fee of 25 GBP for high-value goods of more than 873 GBP.
Effective January 1, 2021, for all goods sent to the UK not exceeding £135 in value, the UK will not accept for importation an item that has not had the value-added tax (VAT) collected at the time of sale, before importation. For international postal items containing goods exceeding £135 in value, the UK will continue to collect the VAT at the UK border at the time of import. Online marketplaces that facilitate the sale of goods will be responsible for collecting and accounting for the VAT. For goods sent from overseas and sold directly to UK consumers, the overseas seller will be required to register and account for the VAT to HM Revenue and Customs. These changes will not apply to consignments containing excise goods or to noncommercial transactions between private individuals (known as Consumer-to-Consumer or C2C). Further guidance is available at www.gov.uk/eori and at www.gov.uk/vat-registration.

Global Express Guaranteed (210) Price Group 3

Refer to Notice 123, Price List, for the applicable retail, Commercial Base, or Commercial Plus price.

Weight Limit: 70 lbs.

General Conditions for Mailing

See Publication 141, Global Express Guaranteed Service Guide, for information about areas served in the destination country, allowable contents, packaging and labeling requirements, tracking and tracing, service standards, and other conditions for mailing.

Size Limits (211.22)

The surface area of the address side of the item to be mailed must be large enough to completely contain the Global Express Guaranteed Air Waybill/Shipping Invoice (shipping label), postage, endorsement, and any applicable markings. The shipping label is approximately 5.5 inches high and 9.5 inches long.

Maximum length: 46 inches

Maximum width: 35 inches

Maximum height: 46 inches

Maximum length and girth combined: 108 inches

Value Limit (212.1)

The maximum value of a GXG shipment to this country is $2,499 or a lesser amount if limited by content or value.

Insurance (212.5)

See Notice 123, Price List, for the fee schedule for GXG document reconstruction insurance and non–document insurance.

Priority Mail Express
International (220) Price Group 20

Refer to Notice 123, Price List, for the applicable retail, Commercial Base, or Commercial Plus price.

Weight Limit: 66 lbs.

Priority Mail Express International — Flat Rate Envelopes

Flat Rate Envelopes: The maximum weight is 4 pounds.

Refer to Notice 123, Price List, for the applicable retail, Commercial Base, or Commercial Plus price.

Size Limits (221.42)

Maximum length: 36 inches

Maximum length and girth combined: 79 inches

Insurance (222.7)

Available for Priority Mail Express International merchandise shipments only

See Exhibit 322.2 for individual country merchandise insurance limits. See Notice 123, Price List, for the fee schedule for Priority Mail Express International merchandise insurance coverage.

Customs Forms Required (123)

Articles Admitted	Required Customs Form/Endorsement
Business correspondence, commercial papers, and documents.	PS Form 2976-B placed inside PS Form 2976-E (plastic envelope). Endorse item clearly next to mailing label as BUSINESS PAPERS.
Merchandise samples without commercial value.	PS Form 2976-B placed inside PS Form 2976-E (plastic envelope).
Merchandise and all articles subject to customs duty.	PS Form 2976-B placed inside PS Form 2976-E (plastic envelope).