Mailing
Deadlines for the Holiday Season
Domestic mailing deadlines are as
follows:
|
Domestic
Mail Class/Product
|
Cut
Off Date
|
|
USPS
Retail Ground®
|
Dec.
14
|
|
First-Class
Package Service® (up to 15.99 ounces)
|
Dec.
14
|
|
First-Class
Mail® (including greeting cards)
|
Dec.
20
|
|
Priority
Mail®
|
Dec.
20
|
|
Alaska
to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
|
Dec.
20
|
|
Hawaii
to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
|
Dec.
20
|
|
Priority
Mail Express®*
|
Dec.
22
|
|
Alaska
to mainland Priority Mail Express
|
Dec.
22
|
|
Hawaii
to mainland Priority Mail Express
|
Dec.
22
|
*
Priority Mail Express postage refund eligibility is adjusted for shipments
mailed Dec. 22-25
APO/FPO/DPO
Thousands of men and women in the
nation’s diplomatic corps and in the military will be serving abroad during the
holidays. The mail is a great way to stay connected with them by sending them
cards, letters, presents and care packages for the festive season.
The Postal Service offers a
reduced price of $17.40 on its largest Priority Mail® Flat
Rate Box® for mail
sent to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post
Office) destinations worldwide — a $1.50 discount from the regular price.
Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are
available at no cost at local Post Offices and also can be ordered online.
Postage, labels and customs forms also can be printed online anytime using
Click-N-Ship®. All
mailing products can be found at store.usps.com/store/home .
To ensure timely delivery of
holiday wishes by Dec. 25, the Postal Service recommends that cards and
packages be sent to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the
mailing dates listed below.
|
Mail
Addressed To
|
Priority
Mail Express Military Service (PMEMS)1
|
First-Class
Mail Letters and Cards
|
Priority
Mail
|
Parcel
Airlift Mail (PAL) 2
|
Space
Available Mail (SAM) 3
|
USPS
Retail Ground
|
|
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs
090-092 |
Dec
18
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
04
|
Nov
27
|
Nov
06
|
|
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093
|
N/A
|
Dec
04
|
Dec
04
|
Dec
04
|
Nov
27
|
Nov
06
|
|
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs
094-098 |
Dec
18
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
04
|
Nov
27
|
Nov
06
|
|
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP 340
|
Dec
18
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
04
|
Nov
27
|
Nov
06
|
|
APO/FPO/DPO
AP ZIPs
962-966 |
Dec
18
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
11
|
Dec
04
|
Nov
27
|
Nov
06
|
1. PMEMS is available to selected
military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to
determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.
2. PAL is a service that
provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. PAL is
available for Retail Ground items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60
inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in
addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL
service.
3. SAM parcels are paid at Retail Ground prices
with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and
girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and
then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.
Use Military Care Kits to Send
Presents, Care Packages
The Postal Service has created a
free Military Care Kit based on the items most frequently requested by military
families. The kit contains:
- Two
Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate Boxes
- Four
Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes
- Priority
Mail tape
- Priority
Mail address labels
- Appropriate
customs forms
To order the kit, call
800-610-8734 or order online at https://store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/military-care-kit-P_MILITARYKIT.
Guidelines for packing, addressing and shipping items to U.S. troops can be
found at https://www.usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm. To
order Flat-Rate Boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to https://store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/priority-mail-apofpo-flat-rate-box-P_MILI_FRB
Addressing the Package
- Write
the service member’s full name
- Include
the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 5-digit ZIP Code or 9-digit ZIP
Code (if one is assigned). For example:
|
Army
Post Office (APO)
|
Fleet
Post Office (FPO)
|
Diplomatic
Post Office (DPO)
|
|
PFC
JOHN DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120 APO AE 09021 |
SEAMAN
JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120 FPO AP 96691 |
JOHN
ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000 DPO AE 09498-0048 |
- Do
not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the
address
- Include
a return address
- Inside
the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the
sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets
damaged in transit