Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
International Mail Manual
Issue 34 May 14, 2007
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) contains our published prices and standards for all international mail services. Many mailers find it helpful to reference these standards as they prepare and deposit their mail.
For mailers looking for an overview of international services, we offer Publication 51, International Postal Rates and Fees. It provides the most commonly sought international mailing information in a brief, easy–to–read, and easy–to–find format. Publication 51 is available on our Postal Explorer® Web site at pe.usps.com. Postal Explorer also provides helpful search features, mailing tools, and rate calculators to make mailing easy.
Effective Date
IMM Issue 34 is effective May 14, 2007 and replaces all previous editions.
Summary of Changes
The Summary of Changes in IMM Issue 34 includes changes from the previous issue (Issue 33 dated March 2006). These changes were published in the Postal Bulletin or have been included for the printing of this edition. We revise mailing standards in the IMM with notices in the Postal Bulletin or the Federal Register, and we include such revisions in the online IMM on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com and also note them in the online Update Notice.
IMM Issue 34 includes renamed international products that closely mirror comparable domestic product names. Previously, there were eight product options, and we have merged them into four alternatives:
- Global Express Guaranteed: Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG®) service is an international expedited delivery service provided through an alliance with FedEx Express.
- Express Mail International: Global Express Mail is renamed Express Mail International®. Express Mail International provides reliable, high-speed service to more than 190 countries with postage-refund delivery guarantee to select destinations.
- Priority Mail International: The Postal Service combined three overlapping services — Global Priority Mail, air parcel post, and economy parcel post — into a single new service, Priority Mail International. Service is available to more than 190 countries. Priority Mail International service offers the same flat-rate packaging as domestic Priority Mail service, including a flat-rate envelope and two flat-rate box options.
- First-Class Mail International: The Postal Service combined three overlapping services — airmail letters, economy letters, and aerogrammes — into a new single service, First–Class Mail International. The new service is for letters, postcards, and other items weighing up to 4 pounds.
Availability
Public: The public can access IMM issue 34 in PDF and HTML formats on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com.
USPS: Postal Service employees can access IMM issue 34 in PDF and HTML formats on the USPS® Web site.
How to Use This Book
The IMM is organized into nine basic chapters describing size and weight requirements, rates, classes of mail, and other mailing standards. The chapters are followed by Individual Country Listings that contain specific mailing standards for each country.
Comments
Contact your local Post Office™, business mail entry office, or the Pricing and Classification Service Center (PCSC) with comments or questions about our mailing standards. Postal Explorer provides addresses and telephone numbers of business mail entry offices and the PCSC.
Michael K. Plunkett,
A/Vice President
Pricing and Classification
