Foreign Mails 2.2.1

Role of UPU Established in 1875 with headquarters in Berne Switzerland with 192 member countries Sets guidelines exchange of mail between countries Standardises Postal charges to be collected by each country on letter post items UPU manages IPS facilitating tracking of international mail item UPU also manages IFS to provide international money order service 2.2.2

Introduction  International Mail ◦ Postal articles  Sender and recipient in different countries ◦ Governed by international treaties  Universal Postal Convention  Bilateral and multilateral treaties  International Contracts ◦ Involves multiple agencies  Posts, customs, ports etc ◦ Involves accounting for all classes of mail ◦ Is essentially import and export  Remittances ◦ Money orders ◦ Money transfers through tieups 2.2.3

International Mail Business  Categories: ◦ Letter Post items(LC/AO) up to 2 kgs  Letters  Postcards  Printed Papers  Small Packets  Blind Literature(7kgs)  Bulk (M) Bags up to 30 kgs(includes Bags containing newspapers, periodicals, books etc to one addressee) ◦ Postal Parcels up to 20 kgs ◦ Flat Rate Boxes ◦ Express Mail Service(EMS)- Fastest possible postal service ◦ WorldNet Express  Surface, Air and Surface Airlift Services(SAL) 2.2.4

Tariff Sl. No Name of Service Item Name of the country Rate (In INR) ( i )LETTERS Up to 20 grams For every additional 20 grams or part thereof up to 500 grams Beyond 500 grams, for every additional 100 grams or part thereof up to 2000 grams For all the countries ( ii ) SMALL PACKETS Up to 100 grams For every additional 100 grams or part thereof up to 2000 grams For all the countries ( iii )PRINTED PAPERS Up to 20 grams For every additional 20 grams or part thereof up to 500 grams Beyond 500 grams, for every additional 100 grams or part thereof up to 2000 grams For all the countries

Tariff ( iv) BLIND LITERATURE PACKETS For all the countries Exempted from postage (V)POST CARD (Single)(i) Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan (ii) Asian Pacific Postal Union countries except Pakistan, Bangladesh Nepal and Bhutan (iii) Universal Postal Union countries other than those referred to in (i) and (ii) above

Tariff – cont’d SAL rates – Rs. 4/- for every 20 gms charged for all countries except SAARC countries in addition to Postage AIR surcharge – Applied for every 20 gms or part thereof – For SAARC countries – Rs – For other countries – Rs Bulk bag – For the first 5 kgs – Rs – For every additional 1 kg – Rs Parcel mail – Tariff for various countries separately defined. Consult Ready Reckoner 2.2.7

Tariff calculator International tariff can be calculated using the menu Tools – Postage calculator and hitting the link ‘International mails’ in the IndiaPost site 2.2.8

Governance  Governed by PO Guide part II  Based on IPO Rules 1933  Universal Postal Convention  Letter & Parcel Post Regulations  EMS Manual  Governed by all Import & Export Laws  DGFT Circulars  Prohibitions & Restrictions  DGCA Restrictions for airmail  Based on ICAO& IATA Rules 2.2.9

Financials India Post gets for delivering postal articles: SDR for 1 kg of LC/AO mail 0.6 SDR Extra for each Registered letter 1 SDR Extra for each Insured article Minimum of 3.5 SDR for EMS Document Minimum of 5 SDR for EMS Merchandise Almost 7 SDR's for a Parcel Pay similar amounts to other countries Revenue Potential is tremendous

Checks at point of Booking Most critical Check and inform customer of service features  Existence of service EMS or SAL service may not be available to a country Wrongly booked article will lead to a grievance and added cost  Registration- A value addition to a low value service What can be registered- Only LC/AO mails Made accountable and trackable by giving a number All other services like Parcels and EMS are already accountable

Checks at point of Booking(Contd.) Correct Barcoding For Parcels starting with C and ending with IN For insured Parcels starting with CV For EMS starting with E and ending with IN For Registered Letters starting with R For Insured letters starting with V These have ISO and Postal technical standards For articles with Barcodes Booking data is captured online – Called Event A Is transmitted through IPS to foreign countries. Allows end to end tracking

Checks at point of Booking(Contd.) Effects of Wrong Barcoding: Article cant be tracked  Ends up at the wrong Office of Exchange  The Office of Exchange in India or abroad will change the barcode The Department may have to pay penalty to the foreign postal operator May end up paying EMS Rates for a registered letter! If there's no Barcode A penalty of 1 SDR per article for Registered letters is applicable For EMS and Parcels- They are treated as non- accountable Revenue is lost due to this

Checks at point of Booking(Contd.) Customs Declaration All articles should have a CN22/CN23  CN 22 for value less than SDR 300  CN23- Multiple copies(depends on Country) Sender advised to check prohibitions/ restrictions Booking official should know the importance For merchandise commercial invoices a must Customs related issues are senders responsibility  Our duty is to facilitate  Article without declarations can be delayed and confiscated

2.2.15

2.2.16

Checks at point of Booking(Contd.) Packaging Parcels should not be packed in cloth Documents should be in secure envelopes Address Complete in English Telephone number Post code

Effects of Correct Booking  Proper channel is ensured  Tracking possible  Delays in Customs clearance eliminated  Timely delivery is ensured  Accounting is facilitated  Leads to customer satisfaction and growth in Business

Practice Exercise