Skip top navigation
USPS.com home. The profile of an eagle's head adjoining the words United States Postal Service are the two elements that are combined to form the corporate signature. Postal Explorer

Pricing & Classification DMM Advisory

Message board to keep postal customers informed of changes to mailing standards, services, and prices.
Return to Message board

April 6, 2020

Temporary Service Suspension

The Postal Service™ will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance for certain destinations due to service impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective April 3, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where the foreign postal operator has indicated that they are unable to process or deliver international mail or services originating from the United States. Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to any of the following countries, until further notice:

1. Botswana

12. Maldives

2. Cayman Islands

13. Mongolia

3. Chad

14. New Caledonia

4. Ecuador

15. Panama

5. Fiji

16. Peru

6. French Polynesia

17. Samoa

7. Honduras

18. Saudi Arabia

8. India

19. South Africa

9. Kuwait

20. Bolivia

10. Libya

21. Sri Lanka

11. Madagascar

22. Zimbabwe

Effective April 7, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where air and sea transportation is unavailable due to widespread cancellations and restrictions into the area. Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to any of the following countries, until further notice:

1. Angola

16. Paraguay

2. Benin

17. Republic of the Congo

3. Bosnia and Herzegovina

18. Senegal

4. Cameroon

19. Seychelles

5. Cook Islands

20. Solomon Islands

6. Costa Rica

21. Sudan

7. Gambia

22. Tajikistan

8. Guatemala

23. Tanzania

9. Kyrgyzstan

24. Timor-Leste

10. Laos

25. Tonga

11. Lebanon

26. Uganda

12. Malawi

27. Uruguay

13. Moldova

28. Vanuatu

14. Mozambique

29. Venezuela

15. Papua New Guinea

These service disruptions affect Priority Mail Express International®, Priority Mail International®, First-Class Mail International®, First-Class Package International Service®, International Priority Airmail®, International Surface Air Lift®, and M-Bag® items.

For already deposited items, other than Global Express Guaranteed®, Postal Service employees must endorse them “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place them in the mail stream for return.

For any returned item bearing a customs form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service.

For all other returned items not bearing a customs declarations form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service, or the sender may remail them with the existing postage once service has been restored. When remailing under this option, customers must cross out the markings “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender.”

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

For the most up-to-date information, visit our International Service Alerts page at

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm