Mailing items overseas can be time-consuming, but APO/FPO shipping makes it much faster and easier. However, there are a few precautions to keep in mind when shipping items through the military mailing system. In this article, we will explore the restrictions to be aware of when using this system.
CCPs can consume weeks or months of shipping time. Military mailboxes bypass them for faster, cheaper, and more secure shipping.
There are still restrictions to be aware of when you use this system, particularly when shipping hazardous materials. Each box may have its own set of restrictions. Follow all specific restrictions for shipping overseas
using military zip codes, as outlined by the USPS.
Box Restrictions
First, to mail to a military address, you must be mailing to a specific APO/FPO/DPO/MPO box. Due to security issues, items will not be shipped directly to servicemen. However, you must still address your package to a specific person at the military post office you are shipping to, including yourself for GSA shipping purposes, so that they can be picked up at that office.
Due to security restrictions, APOs, FPOs and DPOs cannot accept mail or packages from any other carrier.
In the USPS’s most recent bulletin, a complete list of the restrictions for each APO/FPO/DPO zip code is listed in the tables beginning on page 34. On page 38, you can find all of the restrictions mentioned in the legend for these boxes.
Hazardous Material
There are nine classes of hazardous materials in international commerce which cannot be packed or mailed. There are very few exceptions to these that will allow materials considered hazardous to be shipped.
Individual countries have their own unique prohibitions and restrictions. We recommend consulting the Individual Country Listings Manual to ensure that the hazardous material you’re mailing is permitted prior to shipment.
The nine types of hazardous materials which are prohibited for transport by air or surface are as follows:
Explosives
Flammable and combustible liquids
Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
Toxic and infectious substances
which are toxic substances
which are infectious substances and can only be sent via First-Class Package International Service using Registered Mail service.
Gases
Flammable solids
Corrosive liquids and solids
Radioactive materials
Can only be mailed via First-Class Package International Service using Registered Mail service
Miscellaneous hazardous material
Some magnetized materials and lithium or lithium-ion batteries may be mailed first class as registered mail.
For a complete list of hazardous materials and restrictions, visit USPS.
Packaging
IMM 130 from the USPS outlines how the following types of materials must be packaged for mailing.
Fragile articles like glass must be cushioned to lessen shock and pressure
Liquids must be packaged as required
Package fatty substances that do not easily liquefy, such as ointments, soft soap, resins, etc., in an interior container (box, cloth, or plastic bag) and place them in an outer shipping container of minimum 275-grade test strength.
Enclose dry, powdered dyes, such as aniline, in sift-proof, sturdy tin or plastic boxes in an outer sift-proof shipping container. This container must have a minimum 275-grade test strength fiberboard or equivalent.
Starting on page 8 of this manual, you can also find a helpful guide for what customs declarations are needed for which types of packages are sent.
International Shipping
Be sure to check this full list from USPS of links to restricted items specified by each country. When shipping overseas, it is necessary to look over this list first, to make sure your goods can all be mailed to a specific country.
The USPS has a great online tool for creating your customs forms based on what you’re shipping.
Just provide these:
Recipient address
Package weight
Package value
Shipping service
Contents’ value
Contents’ weight
The USPS can then create your customs form right there, with instructions for the process!
The holiday season is an especially busy time. Our service men and women unable to spend the festivities with their families await the arrival of mail for a small connection to home. Certain dates will be especially busy to ship APO/FPO on, no matter what you are mailing and to whom.
Be sure to check during busy seasons of the year for cutoff dates to the locations you are shipping to. The USPS keeps a list of cutoff times to ship during the holiday season.
Plan accordingly- to use this system to bypass CCPs, utilize any earlier dates possible to transport any time sensitive mail in plenty of time.
Summary
Using the APO/FPO system can save time and money when mailing supplies to a government address. There are a variety of tools at your disposal to make this process relatively simple. These restrictions exist to ensure the safety of your package and its contents, and of those serving our country at the locations you are mailing to. By making sure that your packages fit into the parameters needed to ship safely, you can ship through APO/FPO with confidence!
Watch for our next blog on frustrated freight, if you want more information on mailing your packages securely.
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