December 19, 2024

Changes to Airmail M-bag, International Priority Airmail (IPA) M-bag and International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) M-bag

Customers are being advised of upcoming changes to Airmail M-bag, International Priority Airmail (IPA) M-bag and International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) M-bag services resulting from revisions to Universal Postal Union (UPU) regulations which will become effective in 2025. M-bags are defined as direct sacks of printed matter sent to a single foreign addressee at a single address.

The revised UPU regulations will allow countries to stop accepting M-bags from other countries as of January 2025 and the USPS will discontinue M-bag service to the countries which choose to do so. Thus far, the following countries have announced their decision to stop accepting M-bags. Airmail M-bag, IPA M-bag and ISAL M-bag services will be discontinued to these countries effective January 1, 2025. (Note: ISAL is not available to all countries. See International Mail Manual (IMM) 293 for the ISAL country list.)

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bhutan
• Canada
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• French Polynesia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Hungary
• Japan
• Lesotho
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Myanmar
• Nicaragua
• Russian Federation
• Slovenia
• Suriname
• Sweden
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Vanuatu

A number of other countries are expected to announce their decision to stop accepting M-bags in the coming months. Updates will be posted on the M-bag FAQ page on usps.com at the following link: What is M-bag Service? Information will also be provided via the Postal Bulletin and incorporated in the International Mail Manual (IMM) accordingly at a later date.

In addition to the discontinuance of Airmail M-bag, IPA M-bag and ISAL M-bag services to some countries, certain articles other than printed matter which are currently admissible in Airmail M-bag, IPA M-bag and ISAL M-bag services under specific conditions as referenced in IMM 261.22 will not be admissible in these services to any countries, effective January 1, 2025. These certain other articles are limited to discs, tapes, and cassettes; commercial samples shipped by manufacturers and distributors; or other non-dutiable commercial articles or informational materials that are not subject to resale.