SERVICES
80.25
Revised 11-05
REQUIREMENTS
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) requires complete adherence to the following regulations regarding addressing foreign mail.
Envelope
The sender must place all foreign letter mail in envelopes. Non-envelope mail, e.g., folded self-mailers or paper folded to make a non-envelope mailer, may not be sent outside the U.S.
Customs Declaration Forms
A customs declaration form is not required for a parcel weighing less than one pound.
The sender must complete customs declaration forms for each parcel weighing over one pound. Two customs declarations forms (PS Form 2976 and PS Form 2976-A) are used, in accordance with postal standards and the requirements of the country to which the item is being mailed.
Senders may contact the campus mailing services department for assistance in determining which customs declarations are required and to request the appropriate forms, or may order the forms from the USPS Custom Forms website at:
To complete the PS Form 2976: Customs Declaration-Sender's Declaration and the PS Form 2976-A: Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note, the sender must:
- Provide a complete description of each article in the parcel, even if it contains commercial samples, gifts, or merchandise.
General descriptions such as "food," "medicine," "gifts," or "clothing" are not acceptable. The description must be in English, although an interline translation in another language is permitted.
- State the exact quantity of each article in the parcel.
- Declare the value, in U.S. dollars, of each article in the parcel.
The sender may declare that the contents have no value. Declaring no value does not exempt the item from customs examination or charges in the destination country.
- Show the total weight of the parcel, if known. (The campus mailing services office weighs parcels and completes this portion of the forms. See below.)
- Indicate in the appropriate check box on the forms whether the parcel contains gifts, merchandise, or commercial samples. If not, the sender does not check these boxes.
- Enter sender's full name and return address in the blocks indicated.
- Sign and date the forms in the blocks indicated on all parts of the forms.
The sender's signature certifies that all entries are correct and that the parcel contains no dangerous material prohibited by postal regulations.
- Place PS Form 2976-A into a Customs Declaration Envelope -- CP91. Affix the envelope to the address side of the item but do not seal the envelope.
Affix PS Form 2976 to the address side of the item and present it for mailing.
Destination Name
The name of the city and country of destination must be written in full in capital letters. The country name must be the last item in the address. The city and country must be in English, and not abbreviated. If the information is not typewritten, it should be legibly printed.
Destination Address
The entire address must be legible. Use Roman letters and Arabic numbers. The address must be placed lengthwise on only one side of the mail.
Sender Address
The complete address of the sender, including ZIP Code, must appear in the upper left corner of the address side.
Addressee
Use at least the entire right half of the address side of the piece of mail for the address of the addressee, postage stamps or postage-tape impressions and the service labels, and notations (postmarks, etc.). Place the name and address in the lower right, leaving the space above free for postage and marking.
Addresses in Foreign Characters
Addresses in foreign characters, e.g., Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, or Chinese must include an interline English translation of the names of the destination's post office, province and country. Examples:
Hungary
Hungarian Academy of Science
Magyar Tudomanycs Akademia Konyutara
Akacemia-VTCA 2
BUDAPEST, V.
HUNGARY
New Zealand
Biology Library
Victoria University of Wellington
Private Bag
WELLINGTON
NEW ZEALAND
Japan
Japan Publications Trading Co., Ltd.
2-1, Sarugaku-cho 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku
TOKYO 105
JAPAN
CANADA
For mail deposited in the U.S. domestic mail for eventual delivery in Canada, use of the Canada Postal Code is not mandatory. Mailers are encouraged to use the code to simplify mail processing and speed delivery.
Country Name
CANADA (in capital letters) must be included in the address.
Accepted Address Formats
Recommended
John Doe
1010 Any Street
OTTAWA ON CANADA
K1A OB1
Processing
Mail will be processed by optical character reading equipment.
When the Postal Code is isolated on the last line, CANADA must be the last item on the preceding line.
Acceptable
John Doe
1010 Any Street
OTTAWA ON KIA OB1
CANADA
Processing
The second address format provides mechanized sorting but does not provide for processing on the optical character reading equipment.
Mailing Lists
Update service for mailing lists can be achieved in the following ways:
Short Lists
University mailing services offices have sets of Canadian directories which may be used to update short lists.
Occasional Lookup
For occasional lookup of postal codes, call the campus mailing services office (see below) or go to the Canada Post website at:
ABBREVIATIONS FOR CANADIAN PROVINCES
Province Abbreviation
Alberta
ABBritish Columbia BC
Manitoba MB
New Brunswick NB
Nova Scotia NS
Northwest Territory NT
Ontario ON
Prince Edward Island PE
Quebec PQ
Saskatchewan SK
Yukon Territory YT
Newfoundland NF
University mailing services departments at the Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses provide assistance with preparing, addressing, and sending foreign mail.
For more information concerning mail services at each of the campuses, see the following:
- WSU Pullman Mailing Services
Website: http://publishing.wsu.edu/mailing-services/
Telephone: 335-2104
- WSU Spokane Mail Services; telephone 509-368-6995.
- WSU Tri-Cities Copy and Mail Distribution Center; telephone 509-372-7273.
- WSU Vancouver Plant Services Shipping and Receiving
Website: http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/mailroom
Telephone: 360-546-9708.