samples of merchandise packed in a transparent packing permitting check of their contents, are admitted in hermetically sealed packing. The same applies to samples of industrial and vegetable products in a packing sealed by the manufacturer or by an examining authority in the country of origin. In such cases the sender or the addressee may be required to assist in a check of the contents, either by opening certain of the items or in some other satisfactory manner.

(b) Packing requirements for certain articles. (1) Glass. Articles of glass or other fragile materials must be securely packed in boxes of metal, wood, or strong corrugated fiberboard filled with paper, wood shavings, or other protective material that prevent the articles from moving about or coming in contact with each other or with the sides of the box in course of transmission.

(2) Liquids, oils, etc. Liquids, oils, and substances which easily liquefy must be enclosed in hermetically sealed receptacles. Each receptacle must be placed in a separate box of metal, strong wood, or strong corrugated fiberboard containing enough sawdust, cotton, or spongy material to absorb the liquid in the event of breakage of the receptacle. The cover of the box must be fastened in such a way that it cannot become easily detached.

(i) Fatty substances. Fatty substances which do not easily liquefy, such as ointments, soft soap, resin, etc., as well as silkworm eggs, must be enclosed in an inside cover (box, canvas or parchment bag, etc.), which must itself be placed in a second box of wood, metal, or stout, thick material.

(ii) Powders. Dry powdered dyes such as aniline, etc., are not admitted unless enclosed in stout tin boxes placed, in turn, inside wooden boxes, with sawdust between the two packings; dry noncoloring powders must be placed in boxes of metal, wood, or cardboard. These boxes themselves must be enclosed in a canvas or parchment bag.

(iii) Live organisms. Live bees, leeches, silkworm eggs, and parasite and predators of injurious insects intended for the control of such insects and exchanged between officially recognized agencies shall be enclosed in boxes so constructed as to avoid all danger.

(iv) Perishable biological materials. See § 21.3(b) (5) (iii).

(v) Radioactive materials. See § 21.3 (b) (6).

(c) Addressing. (1) Reserve at least the entire right half of the address side for the address of the addressee, postage stamps or postage-paid impressions, and the service labels and notations (postmarks, etc.).

(2) Address mail legibly using roman letters and arabic figures placed lengthwise on one side of the article only. Write the name and address of the addressee precisely and completely so that employees distributing the mail will be able to route mail to its proper destination without difficulty. Show name of post office and country of destination in capital letters. Give house number and street address or box number when mail is addressed to towns or cities. Addressing mail to "Boxholder" or "Householder" is not permitted.

(3) The address of articles sent to General Delivery (in French, "Poste Restante") must indicate name of the addressee. The use of initials, figures, simple given names, fictitious names, or conventional marks of any kind is not permitted on these articles.

(4) Addresses in Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese, or Chinese characters must bear an interlined translation of the names of the post office, province, and country of destination in English. If the English forms are not known, show foreign spellings in roman characters, print or script.

(d) Return address. The complete address of the sender must be shown in the upper left corner of the address side so as not to affect either the clarity of the address or the application of service labels or notations. See §§ 22.2 (c) (2) and 22.4(e) (5). Ordinary (unregistered) articles bearing a return address in another country are accepted only at risk of senders.

§ 21.2 Postage.

(a) Prepayment. Articles must be fully prepaid to assure dispatch without delay and without penalty against the addressees. If the missing postage cannot be collected from the mailer, the shortpaid articles are either sent to destination and double the shortage collected from the addressees or they are sent to deadletter branches for treatment. See § 23.2.

(b) How paid-(1) Stamps. Postage and fees for special services may be paid by means of U.S. postage stamps or by meter stamps of a bright red color. Precanceled stamps may be used under the

same conditions as in the domestic mail. Airmail stamps may be used on airmail articles only, and special delivery stamps may be used only for payment of special delivery fees. See § 41.6 for other stamps not valid as postage.

(2) Other means. Postage may be paid by permit imprints, subject to the general conditions stated in Part 145. Permit imprints must show the amount of postage paid on each article and may be of any color. Postage on second-class and controlled circulation matter mailed by publishers or registered news agents may be paid in money under the conditions stated in § 23.5(c) (2) and (3) (secondclass only).

(c) Articles mailed aboard ships (“Paquebot”). (1) Mail posted aboard commercial vessels on the high seas usually bears postage stamps of the country whose flag the vessel flies. On arrival at a port, an officer of the ship hands the mail into the post office of the port city, where the stamps are canceled and the mail is dispatched. If the stamps are foreign, the post office uses a special "Paquebot" postmark or applies the word "Paquebot" to the enevelope in ink or with a rubber stamp.

(2) Any mail to be forwarded by air must be accompanied by an AV-2 form, prepared by the ship's officer, showing weight of the articles for each destination, including those for the United States. When airmail is presented at a post office that is not an international airmail exchange office, the postmaster must transmit the AV-2 form to the nearest installation listed below:

FAMRU,

Airport Mail Facility, U.S. Postal Service,
Kennedy International Airport,
Jamaica, NY 11430.

FAMRU,

Airport Mail Facility, U.S. Postal Service, International Airport,

Miami, FL 33159.

FAMRU,

Airport Mail Facility, U.S. Postal Service,
International Airport,

San Francisco, CA 94128.

(3) Mail posted aboard a U.S. ship on the high seas, or aboard any ship while in a U.S. port, must bear United States stamps and is not entitled to "Paquebot❞ cancellation at a U.S. post office.

(d) Mailings without postage (1) Diplomatic and consular mail. Mail of foreign diplomatic and consular representatives in the United States is subject

to the same postage rates and conditions which apply to mail of other postal patrons, except when mailed by diplomatic and consular representatives of countries belonging to the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain (see § 11.2). Diplomatic and consular representatives of those countries may send postal union mail articles without postage up to the weight and size limits specified in Part 220, under the following conditions: (i) Diplomatic. Free postage and free registration are granted to all surface correspondence (official and personal) of members of the diplomatic corps of PUAS countries when addressed to the PUAS countries.

(ii) Consular. Free postage and registration are granted to the official surface correspondence of consuls or vice consuls of PUAS countries when

(a) Addressed for delivery in the country represented by the mailing officials; (b) Addressed to the Embassy or Legation of the official's country located in any of those countries; or

(c) Addressed to an official of any of those countries located in those countries.

(iii) Preparation and marking. Diplomatic and consular mail will be either letters, letter-packages, or printed matter packages. Letters may be sealed, whereas printed matter packages must be unsealed and bear the words "Printed Matter" on the address side of the package. Envelopes, labels, etc., used by members of the PUAS diplomatic corps for postage free mail must show in the upper left corner the name of the Ambassador or Minister or name of Embassy or Legation, with post office address, and in the upper right corner the words "Diplomatic Mail" over the word "Free." For consulates, the name and address of the consul or consulate and the name of the country must appear over the words "Official Correspondence" in the upper left corner. The words "Consular Mail" must be written above "Free" in the upper right corner.

(iv) Special services. Diplomatic and consular mail entitled to free postage is also entitled to free registration but without the right to indemnity. If air or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and any special fees must be prepaid.

(2) Federal Government official mail. Official mail of the Federal Government is accepted for other countries without

postage affixed under the following con. ditions:

(i) Postage and fees paid mail. All official mail of authorized departments and agencies prepared in accordance with the provisions of § 137.2 (c) will be given the postal service indicated on its cover. There is no limitation as to the countries to which this mail may be addressed proIvided the service desired is available. The mail is subject to the weight and size limits and other conditions prescribed in Parts 22 and 31, and, when required, must be accompanied by the postal forms mentioned in those parts.

(ii) Penalty and franked mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail prepared in accordance with the provisions of §§ 137.1 and 137.2(c) (ii) is accepted when addressed in PUAS countries except Argentina, Brazil, and Spain and Spanish possessions. (See § 11.2.) This mail must not exceed the domestic weight limit of 4 pounds, except when it is exempt from that limit by regulation (see § 137.2(e)), in which case the weight limits prescribed in Part 22 apply. The maximum dimensions prescribed in Part 22 apply in all cases. If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid.

(3) Pan American Union mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail bearing the return address of the Union and weighing not more than 4 pounds (or 11 pounds for packages identified as containing printed matter) is accepted without postage affixed when addressed to PUAS countries except Canada. Such mail must bear the indicia "Free Under Postal Convention" in the upper right corner. If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid.

(4) Pan American Sanitary Bureau mail. Ordinary (unregistered) surface mail bearing the return address of the Bureau and weighing not more than 4 pounds is accepted without postage affixed when addressed to PUAS countries except Canada. Such mail must bear the words "Free Under Postal Convention" in the upper right corner. If registration, air, or special delivery service is desired, both the postage and fee must be prepaid.

(5) Postal Service official mail. All official mail of the Postal Service may be accepted without postage affixed. Use penalty envelopes or labels for mail addressed (a) to postal administrations or post offices in any country, (b) to the

International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union at Berne, Switzerland, and (c) to any addressee in the PUAS countries except Argentina, Brazil, and Spain and Spanish possessions. (See § 11.2.) In all other cases use penalty envelopes or labels with the addition of the endorsement "Postage and Fees Paid." Larger post offices having sufficient need may requisition a rubber stamp from the Department on Form 1567.

(6) Mail of widows of Presidents. All mail bearing the written or facsimile signature of Mrs. Mamie Doud Eisenhower or of Mrs. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and the words "Postage and Fees Paid" shall be given the service indicated on its cover, subject to the conditions indicated in subparagraph (2) (i) of this paragraph.

(e) Reply coupons. (1) Member countries of the Universal Postal Union purchase international reply coupons from the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union and sell them at post offices. The selling price in the United States is 15 cents each. One of these coupons is exchangeable in any other member country for a stamp or stamps representing the international postage on a single-rate surface letter. Upon presentation of a sufficient number of coupons, the stamp or stamps received in exchange may be used to prepay an international airmail letter. Chart 7 in the Appendix shows the number of coupons required to be sent to other countries to prepay an airmail letter of the first unit of weight to the United States.

(2) International reply coupons (in French, "Coupon-Réponse International") are printed in blue ink on paper having in the watermark the letters UPU in large characters. The name of the country, in French and the native language, and the selling price of the coupon are printed in black. Coupons purchased from the International Bureau prior to January 1, 1966, have the circles for the postmarks of the selling and exchanging post offices on the left- and right-hand sides; those purchased after January 1, 1966, have both these circles on the righthand side. The issuing office postmarks the left-hand circle of the old style coupons and the upper circle of the new style coupons. The period of exchange of international reply coupons is unlimited.

(3) U.S. post offices will requisition international reply coupons from the same sources from which they obtain postage stamps. The coupons should be

stocked at offices having a demand for them. Since all U.S. coupons are of the old style, the selling post office will postmark them in the left-hand circle. Unused U.S. coupons may be redeemed by the original purchaser at a discount of 1 cent on the purchase price. The post office redeeming the unused coupons will postmark them in the right-hand circle.

(4) Properly postmarked international reply coupons issued in other countries are exchangeable at U.S. post offices for postage stamps, aerogrammes, postcards or envelopes at the rate of 13 cents each, The post office exchanging a foreign coupon postmarks it in the right-hand circle of the old style coupon or the lower circle of the new style coupon. Foreign coupons not properly postmarked by the foreign post office may be exchanged if there is no apparent reason to doubt their authenticity. Post offices must not accept foreign coupons that already bear a U.S. postmark.

(5) Reply coupons formerly issued by the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain are no longer valid. These coupons are printed in green ink and bear the caption "Cupón Respuesta AméricoEspañol." It is suggested that patrons possessing any of these coupons return them to their correspondents in the country of issue for redemption through the selling post office.

(6) Postmasters will dispose of exchanged foreign and redeemed U.S. coupons as prescribed in § 42.4.

(f) Foreign reply-paid cards. The reply halves of post cards bearing foreign postage stamps, meter stamps, or imprinted postage and the heading "Carte postale réponse" (reply post card) are accepted as fully prepaid for ordinary surface transmission only if addressed to the country represented by the foreign postage. If this condition is not met, they are treated as unprepaid post cards. The initial half of the card may be left attached to the reply half, provided the address on the initial half is crossed out and folded on the inside of the card. Registry and special delivery fees can be prepaid only with U.S. stamps. See § 41.3 (c) regarding additional U.S. postage required to transmit cards by airmail.

(g) Nonpostage stamps. Do not place nonpostage stamps, labels resembling postage stamps, or impressions resembling postage-paid impressions on the address side of mail articles.

(h) Remailed articles. New postage is required when remailing an article which

has been returned from abroad because of insufficient address.

§ 21.3

Prohibitions and restrictions.

(a) General list of prohibited articles. The following articles are prohibited transmission in the postal union mail to all countries:

(1) Any article without address or incorrectly, insufficiently, or illegibly addressed so that it cannot be sent to its destination.

(2) Any article addressed to go around the world or with the address side wholly or partly divided into several spaces intended for successive addresses.

(3) Poisons, including narcotics (opium, morphine, cocaine, etc.), explosives and flammable articles (see § 31.2(a) (8)), and all other articles excluded from the domestic mail, which either from their nature or packing are likely to soil or damage the mail or are injurious to health, life, or property. Articles containing gas or liquid under pressure, except that products incorporating compressed gas are acceptable if the mist produced is nonflammable, the quantity of contents are not more than a pint, and not more than one container per package. These restrictions as to quantity do not apply to aerosol containers holding mailable liquid and gas under pressure less than 40 pounds per square inch absolute (25 pounds gage pressure) at 70° F. Liquids with flash point below 150° F. are restricted (see § 31.2(b) (1)). The container must be completely surrounded with sawdust, bran, or other absorbent material sufficient to take up all the liquid contents.

(4) Articles excluded from the domestic mail of the United States. (See part 124.) Although safety matches are admitted in the domestic mail, they are prohibited in the international mail.

(5) Live or dead animals and insects, execpt: (1) Live bees, leeches, and silk worms; (2) dead insects or reptiles when thoroughly dried; and (3) parasites and predators of injurious insects intended for the control of such insects and exchanged between officially recognized agencies.

(6) The following are prohibited to all countries unless sent in registered letter mail-coins, banknotes, or paper money; manufactured or unmanufactured platinum, gold, or silver; precious stones, jewelry, or other precious articles. These articles are absolutely prohibited even in registered letter mail to

some countries. See heading "Prohibitions" for Postal Union mail in the Appendix. The term jewelry is generally understood to denote articles of more than nominal value. Low priced jewelry, such as tie clasps, costume jewelry, and other items containing little or no precious metal, is not considered to be jewelry within the meaning of this section and is accepted under the same conditions as other mailable merchandise to any country. However, it is accepted only at the sender's risk to countries which prohibit jewelry.

(7) Values payable to bearer unless sent by registered mail. Some countries prohibit such values entirely (see country items in Directory of International Mail.) The term values payable to bearer includes checks, drafts, or securities which can be legally cashed or easily negotiated by anyone who may come into possession of them. A check or draft payable to a specific payee is not regarded as payable to bearer unless the payee has endorsed it in blank. If not endorsed, or if endorsed in favor of another specific payee, it is not regarded as payable to bearer.

(8) Gold coin, gold bullion, or gold dust exceeding $100 in value. (See § 544.)

(9) Articles whose acceptance or circulation is prohibtied in the country of destination.

(10) Written communications having the character of current correspondence, except in the form of letters or post cards, or under the conditions stated §§ 22.4(d) (2) (i), 22.4(d) (4) (v) or 22.5. Sound recorded communications having the character of current correspondence, except as letters, or under the conditions stated in §§ 22.4(d) (v) or 22.5.

(NOTE.-Recordings of music or other sounds not of the nature of letters are mailable under the classes of postal union mail available for the transmission of merchandise-see §§ 22.1(e) and 22.7 (g); or as parcel post. The same applies to opened correspondence, written or recorded, that has already reached the original addressee and is no longer current.)

(11) Articles may not contain any card or envelope intended for reply purposes with postage denoted by U.S. stamps, business reply, or other indicia.

(NOTE. The prohibition against business reply items need not be applied when they are bound or stapled into a magazine or other publication, or form an integral part of the printed page. These may be accepted so long as no objection is raised by the postal administrations of the countries concerned.)

(NOTE. For general parcel post prohibitions, see § 31.2 (a).)

(b) Restricted articles—(1) Gold and gold certificates. (See part 54.)

(2) Tobacco seed and plants. (See § 55.2.)

(3) Plant material generally. (See § 31.2(b) (5).)

(4) Combustible liquids. (See § 31.2(b) (1).)

(5) Perishable biological materials. Perishable biological materials, including those of pathogenic nature, when sent in the postal union mail are accepted only as Letter Packages. The following conditions apply:

(i) Mailing restrictions. If a country prohibits perishable biological materials this is shown under "Prohibitions" in the country item in the International Mail publication. (Publication 42). The packages must be packed as prescribed in § 21.3 (b) (5) (iii) and must bear distinctive violet labels by which they can be readily recognized and receive careful handling and prompt delivery.

(ii) Qualification of mailers. (a) Only officially recognized laboratories may send or receive letter packages containing perishable biological materials. Laboratories of the following categories are so designated:

Laboratories of local, State, and Federal government agencies.

Laboratories of federally licensed manufacturers of biologic substances derived from bacteria and viruses.

Laboratories affiliated with or operated by hospitals, universities, research facilities, and other teaching institutions. Private laboratories licensed, certified, recognized, or approved by a public authority.

(b) A laboratory desiring to mail letter packages containing materials of this kind shall make written application on its letterhead stationery to the Classification Division, Office of Rates and Classification, Finance Department, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20260, explaining its qualifications and those of the prospective addressee to send and receive such materials, and stating how many packages are to be mailed. On approval, the mailer will receive a sufficient number of the violet labels for the contemplated shipments.

(iii) Packaging. (a) Perishable biological material not of a pathogenic nature must be packed in a nonporous container surrounded by sufficient absorbent material to take up all the liquid and must be