notation of the new address of the addressee, to the International Service Division, Bureau of Transportation and International Services, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. 20260, for attention of the sender through the postal authorities of the country of mailing. Thereafter, any copies received with the old address shall be disposed of as waste, except that publications bearing the request of sender for return shall be endorsed "Moved, not forwardable" and returned to origin.

(b) To another country. (1) Articles can be forwarded on condition that the country of destination accepts mail of the classification involved. Articles received by either surface or air, which do not bear instructions forbidding their being forwarded, are forwarded by surface without an additional postage charge or fee. U.S. postage at the airmail rate to the country concerned must be paid on any article that is forwarded by air. Cross out the Par Avion label or endorsement on an airmail article that is forwarded by surface. See §§ 223.4(b) (c) of this chapter and 231.7 (b) of this chapter concerning forwarding of domestic mail.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (a) (2) of this section apply in the case of periodical publications addressed to persons who have filed change of address to another country.

(c) Backstamping. A legible postmark is applied to the back of letters and to the front of postcards when received missent and to all forwarded articles.

§ 224.4

Undeliverable articles.

(a) Retention period. (1) Post offices will hold articles at disposal of addressees for 30 days, except in the following cases:

(i) Articles bearing senders' requests for return within a specified time not exceeding 2 months.

(ii) Articles bearing no time limit for their return, when there is good reason to believe they can be delivered to the addressee if held for a period not exceeding 2 months. These articles shall be marked "Specially held for delivery."

(iii) Articles positively known to be undeliverable. These shall be treated as undeliverable immediately unless they

bear the sender's request specified in subdivision (i) of this subparagraph.

(b) Directory service. Provide directory service at letter carrier offices for the following types of mail which cannot be delivered due to insufficient address or which fail of delivery at the address given. Centralize the service at the main office or the point or centralized distribution.

(1) Certified.

(2) COD.

(3) Foreign mail, except foreign circulars: Foreign mail bearing first-class postage, received in quantities, and having the general characteristics of circular mail, must not be given directory service.

(4) Insured.

(5) Mail from overseas Armed Forces. Do not return this mail to sender until every possible effort has been made to deliver it.

(6) Parcels of obvious value.
(7) Perishable matter.
(8) Registered.

(9) Special delivery.
(10) Special handling.

(11) Official Post Office Department mail.

(c) Endorsing. Endorse undeliverable mail as prescribed in 355.11 of the Postal Manual. Apply a legible postmark to the back of letters and to the front of postcards that are returned to origin.

(d) Disposal. Undeliverable mail will be sent by surface means (including airmail articles, after crossing out Par Avion label or endorsement) to the exchange office for return to origin, except as follows:

(1) Ordinary (unregistered) prints, other than books, which do not bear the sender's request for return. These are disposed of in accordance with § 158.5 (11) of this chapter. Books and registered prints must always be returned to origin.

(2) Postcards which do not bear the address of the sender. These are disposed of in accordance with § 158.5(a) of this chapter.

(3) Canadian second-class publications. These will be treated as prescribed in § 158.2(b) (1), (2), and (3) of this chapter.

(4) Canadian and Mexican articles of all classifications not covered by subparagraphs (1) and (2) of this paragraph and not bearing sender's name and address. These will be sent to the deadletter office for disposal.

§ 225.1

U.S. postage rates required.

Pursuant to provisions of the Universal Postal Convention, U.S. postage must be paid to secure delivery of articles in excess of 200 pieces mailed in other countries by or on behalf of persons or firms whose residence or place of business is in the United States when the foreign postage on the articles is lower than comparable U.S. domestic postage. The articles will be returned to origin unless applicable U.S. postage is paid for the total number of pieces. Even if the foreign postage is not lower, the same conditions apply when more than 5,000 pieces are mailed. These limitations apply to mailings made in such quantities within a 30day period.

§ 225.2 Mailing with U.S. postage paid.

Senders affected by § 225.1 must submit a sample of the proposed mailing (envelope and contents) to the International Service Division, Bureau of Transportation and International Services, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. 20260, with a statement as to the number of pieces to be mailed, when and where the mailing will take place, and a check to cover the amount of the applicable U.S. postage. Checks will be made payable to the Post Office Department. Notification of postage acceptance and approval of mailing will be given by the Department to the sender and to the appropriate U.S. receiving exchange offices which will permit the articles in the mailing to go forward to the

addressees without delay when they reach the United States.

§ 225.3 Mailing with U.S. postage not paid.

A mailing subject to § 225.1 received without payment of U.S. domestic postage having been made in advance will be held at the exchange office of receipt, and the U.S. sender will be requested to pay the postage. After payment of the required amount, the mailing will be allowed to go forward; if not paid, it will be returned to the country of origin. § 225.4 Report of incoming mailings.

Only U.S. receiving exchange offices will report to the Department mailings from other countries that appear to have been made by or on behalf of senders in the United States.

PART 231-OUTGOING PARCELS

Sec.

231.1 Availability of service.

231.2 Prohibitions and restrictions.
231.3 Preparation, packing and mailing.
231.4 Documentation.
231.5 Postmarking.
231.6 Shortpaid.
231.7 Forwarding.

AUTHORITY: The provisions of this Part 231 issued under 5 U.S.C. 301, 39 U.S.C. 501, 505.

SOURCE: The provisions of this Part 231 appear at 31 F.R. 15363, Dec. 8, 1966, unless otherwise noted.

§ 231.1 Availability of service.

Parcel post service is available to most countries, and the general conditions shown in this part apply. The individual country items in the Directory of International Mail show whether or not parcel post service is available to a particular country, as well as the special services and conditions applying to that country.

§ 231.2 Prohibitions and restrictions.

(a) General list of prohibited articles, The following are prohibited by parcel post to all countries:

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

(2) Written communications of the nature of personal correspondence, or recorded correspondence. (See § 231:3 (d).)

(3) Enclosures bearing an address different from that appearing on the parcel itself.

(4) Pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person, with certain exceptions. (See § 125.5 and § 253.1 of this chapter.)

(5) Live or dead creatures, except live bees, leeches, and silkworms and dead insects or reptiles when thoroughly dried.

(6) Fruits, vegetables, fresh meats, and other articles which easily decompose or which cannot reasonably be expected to reach destination without spoiling; substances which give off a bad odor.

(7) Gold coin, gold bullion, or gold dust exceeding $100 in value. (See § 254.4 of this chapter.)

(8) Articles that may in any way damage or destroy the mail or injure the persons handling them. This includes liquids that may cause injury by contact with the skin or give off irritating vapors; also explosives and flammable liquids having a flash point by the Tagliabue open tester of 80° F. or lower, and flammable solids which are likely, under conditions incident to transportation, to cause fires through friction, through absorption of moisture, or through spontaneous chemical changes.

(9) 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 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 gauge pressure) at 70° F. Liquids with flash point below 150° F. are restricted as stated in paragraph (b) (1) of this section.

(10) Oxidizing materials such as chlorates, permanganates, peroxides, or nitrates, which yield oxygen readily to stimulate the combustion of organic matter.

NOTE: For general Postal Union mail prohibitions, see § 221.3 of this chapter.

(b) Restricted articles-(1) Combustible liquids. Combustible liquids having a flash point of 150° F. or lower but

above 80° F. (Tag, open tester) may be sent to foreign countries generally in quantities not exceeding 1 quart in any one parcel, except that paints, varnishes, turpentine, and similar substances may be sent in quantities of less than 1 gallon in any one parcel. The container must be completely surrounded with sawdust, bran, or other absorbent material sufficient to take up all the liquid content. Each parcel containing a combustible liquid must be marked by the sender to indicate that the flash point is above 80° F.

(2) Gold and gold certificates. (See § 254.1 of this chapter.)

(3) Jewelry. Some countries prohibit the importation of jewelry or other precious articles by parcel post, and others admit them only in registered or insured parcels. (See country items in the appendix to this Subchapter C.) The term "jewelry" in this part denotes 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, its acceptance to countries to which jewelry is prohibited is at the risk of the sender.

(4) Tobacco seed and plants. (See § 255.2 of this chapter.)

(5) Plant material generally. Plants, seeds, and plant material are subject to the quarantine regulations of the country of destination. Patrons can obtain information from the Plant Quarantine Branch, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250, or from one of their offices located at principal ports of entry.

(6) Radioactive materials. Radioactive materials are restricted. See §§ 125.2(e) and 221.3(b) (6) of this chapter.

(c) Individual country prohibitions and restrictions-(1) Information available. Information as to articles prohibited or restricted to individual countries is published under the country headings in the Directory of International Mail. These prohibitions and restrictions are based on information fur

nished by the countries concerned. Patrons may inquire at the post office for information about them, or purchase the Directory (POD Publication 42) as shown in § 114.2(b) of this chapter.

(2) Mailing of prohibited or restricted articles. Packages known to contain articles prohibited to a country are not accepted for mailing. If a package contains articles whose importation into a country is restricted, the sender's attention is to be called to the restrictions and the articles accepted with the understanding that the addressee will be responsible for complying with the import formalities of the country concerned.

(3) Mailings liable to return or seizure. In addition to the published prohibitions and restrictions mentioned in subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, any country may return or confiscate articles which are prohibited from circulation within that country, whether or not notice of such prohibition or restriction has been published.

(d) Foreign customs information. The assessment of customs duty in other countries is outside the control of the postal service. Postal employees must not attempt to inform patrons whether any articles, either gifts or commercial shipments, will be subject to customs duty. It may be suggested to patrons that they inform the addressees in advance of the items they intend to mail so the latter may inquire of their local customs authorities whether or not there will be a duty charge.

§ 231.3 Preparation, packing, and mailing.

(a) Dimensions and weight limits(1) General dimensions. Greatest length, 32 feet; greatest length and girth combined, 6 feet. Length and girth combined means the measurement of once the length, plus twice the width, plus twice the depth. See § 135.3 (b) of this chapter for illustration of method of measuring parcels.

(2) Exceptional dimensions. To some countries, dimensions other than the general dimensions indicated are applicable. A parcel must not exceed the maximum dimensions allowed to the country to which it is addressed. See Directory of International Mail for individual country limits.

(3) Dimensions of special articles. The usual method of measuring parcels, as described in § 135.3 (b) of this chapter is not adaptable in the case of tires of all kinds, coils of rope, hose, wire, etc., forming a parcel circular in shape. To determine whether a tire or other object circular in shape (regardless of whether there is an open space in the center) can be accommodated inside the mail sacks used for parcel post to overseas foreign countries, the object as prepared for mailing shall be measured around its entire girth, in the direction of the diameter, as shown in the illustration. This measurement must not exceed 64 inches in order for the tire or other parcel circular in shape to be acceptable for mailing to overseas foreign countries. Measurement shall be taken as shown in the following illustration:

(4) Weight limits. For weight limits applicable to each country of destination, see individual country items in the Directory of International Mail. Except

to Canada, there is no minimum weight limit for international parcel post. Parcel post to Canada must weigh over 8

ounces.

(b) Packing—(1) In general. (1) The responsibility of properly enclosing, packaging, and sealing parcels in the international mail rests with the sender, and the Postal Service will not assume liability for loss, rifling, or damage arising from defects which may not be observed at the time of mailing.

(ii) Every parcel shall be securely and substantially packed, having regard to the nature of the contents and climatic conditions, the length of the journey, and the numerous handlings and risks of concussion to which parcels for foreign destinations are unavoidably subjected en route.

(iii) Packages must be packed in canvas or similar material, double-faced corrugated cardboard boxes, solid fiber boxes or cases, thick cardboard boxes, or strong wooden boxes made of lumber at least a half-inch thick or plywood of at least three plies. Ordinary pasteboard containers are wholly inadequate. Although it is permissible to use heavy wrapping paper or waterproof paper as the outside covering of a carton, such paper shall not be used as the only covering of the contents. Boxes with lids screwed or nailed on and bags closed by sewing may be used provided they conform to other conditions prescribed. Heavy objects such as cans of food must be surrounded with other contents or packing material so that they cannot shift within the parcel.

(iv) For illustrations regarding recommended packaging and closures, see Part 121 of this chapter.

(2) Specific articles. (1) Fragile articles for overseas destinations shall be packed in a strong (preferably wooden) box. Strong solid fiberboard or doublefaced corrugated fiberboard boxes of not less than 200-pound test if enclosed in

strong wooden crates, or 275-pound test if used without crates, are acceptable. A space of at least 2 inches must be left between the articles and the top, bottom, and sides of the box, to be filled with sufficient cushioning material to protect the articles.

(ii) All mailable liquids and substances which easily liquefy must be packed in two receptacles. Between the first (bottle, flask, etc.) and the second (box of metal, strong wood, strong corrugated cardboard, strong fiberboard, or receptacle of equal strength) there shall be left a space to be filled with sawdust, bran, or other absorbent material in sufficient quantity to absorb all the liquid contents in the case of breakage. Excelsior does not possess the necessary absorbent quality to meet this requirement. In the case of Ireland, Leeward Islands, Malaysia, and Windward Islands, the outer receptacle shall be of strong wood or metal. Metal containers closed with a screw-top cover must have sufficient screw threads to require at least one and one-half complete turns before the cover will come off and be provided with a washer so as to prevent possible leakage of the contents. Compression or friction top metal containers must be soldered in four different places, equally spaced.

(iii) Dry noncoloring powders must be enclosed in boxes of metal, wood, or strong corrugated cardboard, placed in turn in a closely woven cloth bag or heavy kraft paper sack. Powder dyes must be enclosed in strong metal boxes, securely closed, and placed in turn in another box of wood or strong corrugated cardboard, with sawdust or other absorbent or protective material between the inner and outer containers.

(iv) Eggs addressed for delivery in all countries other than Canada must be placed in a metal egg container, and each egg in the square pockets must be surrounded with paper, excelsior, cotton, straw, or other similar material, while the metal egg container in turn must be enclosed in an outer container of wood with sufficient excelsior, straw, or similar material provided in the space between the inner and outer containers.