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March 30, 2020

UPDATE 11: International Mail Service Disruptions Due to COVID-19

On March 27, 2020, the Department of Defense notified the Postal Service™ that effective March 30, 2020, the temporary service suspension to the APO/FPO ZIP codes listed below will be LIFTED immediately:

City	State	ZIP Code
FPO	AE	09204
FPO	AE	09216
APO	AE	09706

Additionally, on March 30, 2020, the Postal Service received notifications from various postal operators regarding changes in international mail services due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The following countries have suspended certain mail services:

France UPDATE: La Poste has advised that effective March 30, 2020, it will be unable to accept inbound letter-post flows in their entirety for the upcoming weeks, during which there will be four days of reception: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Efforts will be focused on urgent flows and the delivery of small packets able to help people during this confinement period. Therefore, La Poste is asking mailers worldwide to defer their non-urgent shipments to France and requesting that postal operators reduce the volume of despatches. For the same reason, La Poste will be unable to receive the following letter-post items; International Surface Airlift, M-bags, returns, and International Business Reply Service (IBRS).

Honduras UPDATE: Empresa de Correos de Honduras (Honducor) has advised that it has extended the suspension of postal services until April 12, 2020, or a later date to be communicated in due course. The suspension affects imports of international mail at land and sea borders, and at Ramon Villeda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula and Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa. Honducor therefore asks countries that normally send their mail to Honduras by air cargo flights not to do so for the time being to avoid mail being stored in customs warehouses, generating significant extra costs. An exception may be made for humanitarian aid, which Honducor is able to process with the knowledge and prior authorization of the Honduran Government. Honducor asks to be excused from delivery time requirements and compensation for late delivery of postal items until normal operations resume.

Kazakhstan: Kazpost JSC has advised that it has suspended the dispatch of all types of postal items to the following countries; Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America. (See below for information regarding mail destined to Kazakhstan.)

Saudi Arabia UPDATE: Saudi Post Corporation has advised that, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dispatch and receipt of all ordinary and registered letter-post and parcel-post items has been suspended for two weeks beginning Sunday, March 29, 2020. Dispatch and receipt of Express Mail Service (EMS) items weighing up to 11 pounds (5 kg) will, however, continue. During this time, quality of service, including delivery times and other quality standards, cannot be guaranteed.

Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.

Furthermore, as a convenience for our customers, the Postal Service will continue to accept and process mail destined for the aforementioned countries. This mail will be held within our network and will be delivered once mail service is restored.

The following countries have announced service disruptions:

Colombia, Servicios Postales Nacionales S.A. 4-72, has advised that, owing to the emergency resulting from the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), there will be significant delays in all of its international inbound and outbound letter-post, parcel-post and EMS services.

Denmark UPDATE: Post Danmark (PostNord Denmark) has advised that effective March 27, 2020, it is able to send mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) only to countries within the European Union (EU), with the exception of Cyprus and Malta. It is also able to send mail to the following countries: Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam. Service availability is subject to change on a daily basis. Please visit www.postnord.dk/en/service-interruptions/how-is-covid-19-affecting-postnord for up-to-date information. Furthermore, PostNord Denmark has suspended signature on delivery. Delivery will be conducted via methods that limit human contact, with immediate effect.

Grenada: Grenada Postal Corporation, has advised that the Government of Grenada has declared a limited state of emergency for 21 days effective March 25, 2020. This has resulted in the closure of the airport and a number of businesses, and includes restrictions on movement of people and transport capacity. Outbound and inbound mail delivery services and other services will be affected.

Kazakhstan: Kazpost JSC has advised that a state of emergency has been declared throughout the country until April 15, 2020 and a quarantine has been imposed in the cities of Nur-Sultan and Almaty in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, mail deliveries and distribution of newspapers and magazines are carrying on as normal. However, given the imposition of quarantine and the restriction of air and train transportation to and from Nur-Sultan and Almaty, delays in mail delivery to all areas are possible.

Lithuania UPDATE: Lithuania Post has advised that the Government of Lithuania has decided to extend the nationwide quarantine for at least two more weeks – until April 13, 2020 – in order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). To eliminate customer interaction at the doorstep, Lithuania Post has suspended the collection of signature on delivery for inbound letter mail items and, wherever possible, is sending parcels to parcel lockers for contact-free collection. Courier items are still delivered to the door, but the four last digits of the recipient’s ID are recorded in place of a signature. For this reason, service delivery standards cannot be guaranteed and Lithuania Post is therefore invoking a situation of force majeure with regard to quality of service, until the situation returns to normal.

Nepal UPDATE: Nepal Post has advised that the Government of Nepal has extended the suspension of all incoming international flights to Nepal until April 15, 2020, and the country is in lockdown until April 7, 2020. These measures are adversely affecting the collection, transmission and delivery of mail items.

Sweden UPDATE: Sweden Post (PostNord Sweden) has advised that effective March 27, 2020, it is able to send mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) only to countries within the European Union, with the exception of Cyprus and Malta. It is also able to send mail to Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam. This list is subject to change on a daily basis. Please visit www.postnord.se/en/about-us/how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-our-deliveries for up-to-date information. PostNord Sweden is therefore declaring a situation of force majeure and has suspended signature on delivery for items destined to Sweden, with the exception of items that are delivered through a retail outlet. Delivery will be conducted via methods that limit human contact, with immediate effect.

Vatican: Poste Vaticane has advised that it will carry on operating and provide its services as far as it is able to. The current situation will have repercussions in terms of quality of service for all types of inward and outward mail. Under these circumstances, Poste Vaticane will no longer be able to guarantee delivery service standards. Owing to insufficient transport capacity following the cancellation of many international flights, Poste Vaticane is currently unable to transport mail (letter-post and parcel-post items) to a growing number of countries. Poste Vaticane is therefore no longer accepting postal destined for the countries concerned until further notice. The list of destination countries affected is liable to change on a daily basis.

These service disruptions affect Priority Mail Express International^® (PMEI), Priority Mail International^® (PMI), First-Class Mail International^® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service^® (FCPIS^®), International Priority Airmail^® (IPA^®), International Surface Air Lift^® (ISAL^®), and M-Bag^® items.

The DMM Advisory will continue to update mailers regarding new service disruptions as they are received. For a full list of international service disruptions, please visit https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm