TERMS & EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY USED IN INTERNATIONAL POST

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION (UPU)

- Established in 1874- its headquarters in the Swiss capital Berne- having 192 member countries-the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector fulfilling an advisory, mediating and liaison role & providing technical assistance where needed.- It sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail, parcel and financial services volumes and improve quality of service for customers

-UPU consists of - 4 bodies

The CongressThe Council of Administration (CA)The Postal Operations Council (POC)The International Bureau (IB)

- 2 cooperativesTelematics CooperativeEMS Cooperative

ASIAN-PACIFIC POSTAL UNION (APPU)

- Established in 1962- Headquarters at Bangkok, Thailand (since 2002)- having a purpose of extending, facilitating & improving the postal relations between member-countries.- Member countries are:

-1) Afganistan 2) Australia 3) Bangladesh -4) Butan     5) Brunai Darusalam 6) Cambodia-7) China 8) Figi 9) India 10) Indonesia -11) Iran 12) Japan 13) Lao 14) Korea 15) Malaysia 16) Maldives 17) Mongolia 18) Myanmar 19) Nauru 20) Nepal 21) New zealand 22) Pakistan 23) Papua new guinea 24) Philipines 25) Samoa 26) Singapore 27) Solomon islands 28) Srilanka 29) Thailand 30) Tonga 31) Vanuata 32) Vietnam

 

OFFICE OF EXCHANGE

It is a Post Office or sorting office or section, which exchanges mails with offices in foreign countries.

OFFICE OF EXCHANGE

It is called Outward office of exchange / despatching office of exchange in respect of mails it makes up & addresses to an office of exchange in another country.

It is termed as Inward Office of exchange / receiving office of exchange in respect of mails addresses to it by an office of exchange in another country.

OFFICE OF EXCHANGE IN TRANSIT

It is an office of exchange on the border which ONLY receives & despatches closed bags addressed to or received from other offices of exchange in India.

It will not close bags for foreign countries or open inward foreign bags.

Patna RMS – For Nepal & BhutanSiliguri RMS - For BangladeshJaisalmer RMS - For Pakistan

FOREIGN POST OFFICE

- It is an office of exchange in which the work of assessment of customs duty on foreign mails is also carried out.

It also functions as an intermediary office for closed surface transit mails.

There are 4 foreign post offices in India viz. Mumbai Foreign,

Delhi Foreign, Kolkata Foreign & Chennai Foreign.

Functions ofFOREIGN POST OFFICE

- It deals with all incoming & outgoing sea mail, air mail articles including parcels & packets.

- It also handles Foreign Money Orders.

SUB FOREIGN POST OFFICE

- It is NOT an exchange office.- It is NOT empowered either to close or send direct bags to & from foreign countries. (Exemption: Cochin receives bags directly from DOHA)- It does NOT function as an intermediary office for closed surface transit parcels.

SUB FOREIGN POST OFFICE

- ONLY the work of assessment of customs duty on foreign mails is carried out.- These offices are opened mainly for the convenience of senders/addresses to present documents etc., if any, for the release or despatch of their foreign articles.

SUB FOREIGN POST OFFICE

- Sub Foreign Post Offices in India:

Ahmedabad Cochin BengaluruJaipur Srinagar

CLOSED TRANSIT MAIL / TRANSIT IN CLOSED MAIL(Foreign to foreign bags)

When a mail is sent in transit through a country other than that to which it is addressed, it is called as CLOSED TRANSIT MAIL.

Ex: New york to Khatmandu through India.

A De’couvert mail /mail in transit a de’couvert

Articles enclosed in a bag for a

country other than that to which it is addressed are said to be forwarded a decourvert.

These also refered as MAILS SENT IN OPEN TRANSIT.

INTERMEDIARY SERVICE

Any means of communication by land, sea or air belonging to administrations other than that of the country of origin / destination utilised for the conveyance of mails is called intermediary service.

Intermediary service by land is called territorial transit.

By sea is called maritime or sea transit.But through air is referred only as air

conveyance

TRANSIT CHARGE

The countries whose services are utilised for conveyance of mails are entitled to a remuneration at certain fixed rates, based on the zones of distance for land & sea services respectively.

Can be claimed for conveyance sent in closed despatches in case of surface mails. For air mails, they are subject to payment of air conveyance charges, even when they are sent a decouvert .

TERMINAL DUES

Each administration which, in its exchanges by air & surface means with another administration, receives a larger quantity of letter mail items than it sends, has right to collect from the despatching administration, as compensation, a payment for the costs, it incurs for the excess international mail received. This is known as Terminal Dues.

Terminal dues for air mail correspondence shall be calculated according to actual weights.

LETTER BILL (CN-31)

It is an advice which is enclosed in every mail furnishing the details to the office of destination.

VERIFICATION NOTE (CN-43)(Bulletin de Verification)

It is the form in which receiving offices notify to despatching offices, all errors & irregularities observed at the time of receipt of mail.

Generally, 5 copies are prepared.

2 copies – Foreign administration

1 copy - Correspondence branch

1 copy – transit office1 copy - office copy

TRIAL NOTE (CN–44)

- A standardised form CN-44 in International Postal Service to

(i) determine the most favourable route for international mails

(ii) provide check on their transmission times.

- It is attached to the letter bill (CN-31).

- Trial notes received from the other countries should be returned duly completed by air by the next mail.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES

1. Customs Clearance Charges:

- A parcel presented to customs for examination is subject to a postal charge, in addition to customs duty. This charge is called customs clearance charge

- Levied, in India, only on parcels which are actually found to contain dutiable articles

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES

2. ADVICE OF NON-DELIVERY CHARGES

- This facility is provided by india on payment of the prescribed charge at the time the sender gives fresh instructions.

3. REPACKING CHARGES:

- This charge is collected by the Administration of the first of the countries on the territory of which a parcel has to be repacked, either from the addressee or from the sender.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES

4. STORAGE CHARGE:

It is the warehousing charge levied on every parcel which has not been taken possession of within the prescribed period.

5. ADVICE OF DELIVERY CHARGE:

Collected by the administration of origin, depending upon whether the advice of delivery is to be returned by air or by surface.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES

6. ENQUIRY CHARGE:

Unless the sender has paid in full the advice of delivery charge, for each enquiry or request for information, this charge is collected.

7. CHARGES FOR EXPORT CUSTOMS FORMALITIES:

Charges collected for submission of outward parcels to customs examinations, by the administration of origin.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES

8. R.P. DUE CHARGES:

This charge is arrived at by adding the Indian Terminal dues to the Return Postage & accrued charges claimed by the administration which returned the parcel.

9. POSTAL FEE:

Parcels with Customs Duty – Rs.100/-

Packets with Customs Duty – Rs. 30/-

Parcels free of customs duty - -Nil -

Packets free of customs duty - -Nil -

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGES10. FREE POSTAGE:

a) Letter post items relating to the Postal service are exempted from all postal charges, including air surcharge, if they are

(i) sent by postal administrations or their offices.

(ii) exchanged between bodies of the UPU

b) Parcels related to the Postal services are exempted from all postal charges if exchanged between

- Postal administrations

- Postal administrations & international bureau

- Post offices of member countries

- Post Offices and Postal administrations.

c) Air parcels with the exception of those originating from the International Bureau are also exempted from air surchage.

d) Blind literature.

CORRESPONDENCE WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS

- Offices of exchange can correspond with their counterparts abroad on - routine questions like notices of non-delivery, verification

notes, reclamations etc. - Matters which involve collection or furnishing a factual

information particularly in regard to complaints, enquiries or requests for information.

All such correspondence should be sent by air, whenever advantageous.

A reminder may be issued after a period of 1 ½ months with a copy of original letter.

A second reminder after 20 days from the first.

Thereafter, the case should be refered to the Directorate.

In all other cases, the matter should be referred to the Head of the Circle in which indian office of exchange is situated.

PRESERVATION OF RECORDS

All records pertaining to - articles received or despatched by the foreign post should

be preserved for a period of 18 MONTHS.- customs assessment should be preserved for 18 months

after the items assessed to duty or under detention are finally disposed off.

- articles under dispute (regarding which an enquiry is in progress) should be kept UNTIL THE MATTER HAS BEEN SETTLED EVEN THE PRESCRIBED PERIOD IS EXCEEDED

- Settlement of accounts with foreign countries, the period of 18 months should be reckoned from the date of settlement.

- U.K. General & Parcel Account for three years.

.

PRESERVATION OF RECORDS

AT THE TIME OF WEEDING OUT OF RECORDS FOR DESTRUCTION AFTER DUE PERIOD OF PRESERVATION,

- Examine the records for any note of complaint on which case is still under enquiry/ is likely to involve liability for compensation.

- If so, remove the record from bundle/file.- Leave a note of such removal