[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 13765-13775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7435]



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POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 20


Implementation of International Package Consignment Service

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.

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SUMMARY: International Package Consignment Service (IPCS) is an 
international mail service designed for companies sending merchandise 
to other countries. The service was previously available only to Japan. 
Canada and the United Kingdom (U.K.) are now being added as additional 
destination countries. The countries that are included in the United 
Kingdom are England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, 
and Channel Islands. To use IPCS, a customer is required to mail at 
least 25,000 packages a year to Canada, or at least 10,000 packages a 
year to the U.K., and agree to link its information systems with the 
Postal Service's so that the Postal Service can extract certain 
information about the contents of the customer's packages for customs 
clearance and other purposes. Initially, two levels of service to 
Canada and three levels of service to the U.K. will be offered to 
customers. Interim regulations have been developed and are set forth 
below for comment and suggested revision prior to adoption in final 
form.

DATES: The interim regulations take effect March 28, 1996. Comments 
must be received on or before May 31, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to 
International Package Consignment Service, U.S. Postal Service, 475 
L'Enfant Plaza SW., Room EB4400, Washington, DC 20260-6500. Copies of 
all written comments will be available for public inspection and 
photocopying at the above address between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, after May 31, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mike Opiela (Canada) at the above address. Telephone: (202) 268-3860.
Tim Gribben (United Kingdom) at the above address. Telephone: (202) 
268-3035.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    One of the most important goals of the Postal Service's 
international mission is the development of services that enhance the 
ability of U.S. companies to do business in other countries. This 
responsibility was delineated in 39 U.S.C. 403(b)(2) which makes it the

[[Page 13766]]
obligation of the Postal Service ``to provide types of mail service to 
meet the needs of different categories of mail and mail users.'' IPCS 
is designed to more closely meet the needs of customers who send 
merchandise packages from the United States to multiple international 
addressees by simplifying the process companies use to prepare their 
packages for mailing and by reducing the costs those companies incur in 
mailing merchandise to other countries.
    IPCS benefits all users of the Postal Service because revenues 
collected contribute to fixed costs, thereby decreasing the total 
revenue that the Postal Service needs to recover from other services. 
At the same time, IPCS makes it easier and more economical for 
customers in the United States to export their products to 
international markets.
    In late 1994, implementation of IPCS to Japan (59 FR 65961 December 
22, 1994), the Postal Service announced that, when feasible, it would 
expand the service to other destination countries based on customer 
requests. The Postal Service hereby expands IPCS by adding Canada and 
the United Kingdom as destination countries for qualifying customers.

II. IPCS to Canada and the United Kingdom

A. Qualifying Criteria

    A customer who wants to use IPCS to Canada or to the U.K. will be 
required to enter into a service agreement with the Postal Service 
providing for the following. First, the customer must commit to mail at 
least 25,000 packages a year to Canada, or 10,000 packages a year to 
the U.K. Second, the customer must designate the Postal Service as its 
carrier of choice to Canada or the U.K. Third, the customer must agree 
to link its information systems with the Postal Service's so that the 
Postal Service and the customer can exchange data transmissions 
concerning the customer's packages, and the Postal Service can extract, 
on an as-needed basis, certain information about the package by 
scanning the customer-provided barcode on each package.
    In general, the information that must be made available to the 
Postal Service includes: the order number; the package identification 
number; the buyer's name and address; the recipient's name and address; 
the total weight of the package; the total value of the package 
contents; the number of items in the package; and, for each item in the 
package, its SKU number, its value, and its country of origin. In 
practice, this requirement means that the customer will have to begin 
the necessary systems work by the time it begins using IPCS, and then 
will have to assist the Postal Service in completing and maintaining 
the information systems linkages. The Postal Service will use the 
extracted information to prepare the necessary customs forms and 
package labels, to accept the customer's mail and verify postage 
payment automatically, and to provide user-friendly tracking and 
tracing.
    In addition to these required commitments, which must appear in all 
IPCS service agreements, arrangements between the Postal Service and 
the customer that are technical in nature also may appear in the IPCS 
service agreement. For instance, the service agreement may describe the 
electronic data interface (EDI) or proprietary file format that will be 
used to transmit data between the customer and the Postal Service, as 
well as the frequency and schedule of transmissions. Similarly, the 
service agreement may describe the formats and frequencies for any 
exception and performance reports that the Postal Service will provide 
to the customer.

B. Processing and Acceptance

    Because of efficiencies created by the Postal Service's ability to 
process all IPCS mail to Canada or the U.K. at a facility designed for 
that purpose, as well as general operational and managerial 
considerations, the Postal Service has determined that, in general, all 
IPCS mail to Canada or the U.K. should be processed at, and dispatched 
from, a dedicated IPCS facility.
    If the plant at which the customer's ICPS packages originate is 
located within 500 miles of an IPCS Processing Facility, the Postal 
Service will verify and accept the packages at the customer's plant and 
transport them to the processing facility according to a schedule 
agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer.
    If the customer's plant is located more than 500 miles from the 
processing facility, two options are available. In Option One, the 
customer must present the packages to the Postal Service for 
verification at the customer's plant and transport them as a drop 
shipment to an IPCS processing facility according to a schedule agreed 
upon by the Postal Service and the customer. Option Two allows 
customers to avoid transporting the packages to an IPCS Processing 
Facility by performing some of the package processing that the Postal 
Service would otherwise perform. With this option, the Postal Service 
will provide one or more specially-designed computer workstations to be 
installed at the customer's plant. The computer workstation(s) and 
USPS-developed software will be integrated with the customer's order 
processing data system and will be operated by the customer's 
employees. As individual orders are processed for shipment, this 
workstation will prepare and generate all required customs declarations 
and international mail dispatch tags and forms. Since the 
workstation(s) is (are) integrated into the process, and may even 
replace other customer functions, no increase is anticipated in order 
processing and mail preparation time. When the mail is ready for 
dispatch, it will be verified and accepted on site by USPS personnel 
and transported by the Postal Service to a designated Air Exchange 
Office or directly to an entry point for forwarding and delivery 
according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the 
customer. Under Option Two, the customer saves the cost of transporting 
the packages to an IPCS Processing Facility, and the Postal Service 
saves the cost of processing and sorting individual packages.

C. Customs Forms

    Normally, all necessary Canadian and U.K. customs forms will be 
automatically generated by the Postal Service computer workstations. 
Packages mailed to Canada or the U.K. through an IPCS facility will not 
be required to bear customs forms when they are tendered to the Postal 
Service. The Postal Service will verify, accept, and transport these 
packages to a designated IPCS processing facility. After scanning the 
customer-printed barcode on each package and correlating it with the 
package-specific information transmitted by the customer, the Postal 
Service will print the necessary customs forms and then affix them to 
the customer's packages as part of the processing operation at the IPCS 
Processing Facility. However, during the interim period in which the 
Postal Service and the customer are working together to establish the 
information systems linkages to enable the Postal Service to accomplish 
this, customers may be required to prepare the necessary customs forms 
on their own and affix the forms to the packages before tendering them 
to the Postal Service. In those cases where the computer workstations 
are located at the customer's plant and operated by customer employees, 
the USPS computer workstations will print the customs forms, and the 
customer will be required to affix these forms to the appropriate 
packages as instructed by

[[Page 13767]]
the Postal Service prior to verification and acceptance of the mail.

D. Customs Clearance

    The Postal Service has developed the Customs Pre-Advisory System 
(CPAS) as part of IPCS processing. This electronic system collects 
package-specific data to satisfy customs requirements as packages are 
processed using the USPS computer workstations located at either an 
IPCS facility or the customer's plant. The system electronically 
advises the USPS delivery agent and customs of the contents of each 
package mailed. Since this advisory information arrives before the 
mail, CPAS facilitates and simplifies customs clearance. Electronic 
pre-notification of the package contents and automatic preparation of 
required customs declarations assures the fastest clearance through 
Canadian or U.K. customs and reduces costs for the customer and the 
Postal Service. To use CPAS, recipients of merchandise must designate 
the Postal Service and its customs broker as their agents for customs 
clearance.

E. Delivery Options

(1) Canada
    The Postal Service will initially offer two delivery options to 
Canada. The two options initially available will be Air Courier Service 
and Ground Courier Service. The weight limit for packages under both 
options will be 66 pounds, and both options will provide tracking and 
tracing.
    Air Courier Service will be the fastest option. The Postal Service 
will transport Air Courier Service packages from the customer's plant 
or from the designated IPCS processing facility to Canada overnight 
where they will receive expeditious customs clearance and be released 
to the delivery agent. From there, the packages will receive courier 
service throughout Canada and be delivered to major population centers 
overnight. Normal delivery times will be two to three days from 
dispatch from the customer's plant to final delivery. Insurance up to 
$500 is included at no additional cost.
    Ground Courier Service will offer overnight transportation to 
Canada and ground transportation to final destination in Canada. Ground 
Courier Service will receive the same expeditious customs clearance as 
Air Courier Service and normal delivery times for 95 percent of all 
Canadian addresses will be three to six days after dispatch from the 
customer's plant, depending on the location of final destination. (For 
addresses in the Maritimes and extreme northern territories where 
distance and poor roads affect transportation, delivery times could be 
as long as eight days.) Insurance will be available at an additional 
cost.
    The Postal Service intends to develop and test a third delivery 
option for possible implementation at a later date. This third option, 
if successfully tested and implemented, will offer reduced rates, 
without tracking and tracing, but with proof of delivery provided. The 
Postal Service requests comments from customers regarding the need for 
the third option.
(2) United Kingdom
    The Postal Service will offer three levels of service to the U.K. 
Premium, Standard, and Economy. The weight limit for all three delivery 
options is 66 pounds, the maximum length is 60 inches, and the maximum 
length and girth combined is 108 inches.
    Premium Service will be the fastest option and will provide 
tracking and tracing and insurance up to $500 at no additional cost. 
The Postal Service will transport Premium packages to the U.K. by air. 
Once a package is dispatched from the customer's facility, it should 
clear customs and be delivered in the U.K. by close of business on the 
third working day.
    Standard Service will be the next fastest delivery option and will 
provide tracking and tracing and insurance up to $500 at no additional 
cost. The Postal Service will transport Standard packages to the U.K. 
by air. Once a package is dispatched from the customer's facility, it 
should clear customs and be delivered in the U.K. by close of business 
on the fourth working day.
    Economy Service will be the slowest delivery option and will 
provide tracking and tracing to the point of entry into the U.K's. 
domestic mail stream. Insurance will be available at an additional 
cost. The Postal Service will transport Economy packages to the U.K. by 
air. Once a package is dispatched from the customer's facility, it 
should clear customs and be delivered in the U.K. by close of business 
on the fifth or sixth working day.

F. Rates

(1) Canada
    The base rates for the two delivery options currently available for 
Canada are set forth below. These rates may be reduced by one or more 
of the three annual discounts, depending on how many packages the 
customer mails to Canada through IPCS in a twelve month period.
    For each delivery option, the Postal Service will charge the base 
rates, in 1-pound increments, for the first 100,000 packages mailed by 
the customer during a 12-month period. Once the customer has mailed 
100,000 packages, postage for the customer's next 400,000 packages will 
be discounted by 3 percent from the base rates. Packages mailed through 
either of the two delivery options will count toward the customer 
meeting the 100,000 package threshold.
    Once the customer has mailed 500,000 packages during a 12-month 
period, postage for the customer's next 500,000 packages will be 
discounted at 4 percent from the prior tier discounted schedule. 
Finally, a third level of Discount at 5 percent will apply for all 
packages mailed in excess of 1 million during the 12-month period. 
Again, packages mailed through either of the two delivery options will 
count toward the customer's meeting the 500,000 and 1,000,000 package 
thresholds.

                               International Package Consignment Service to Canada                              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Base rates < 100k                       Volume discounts                     
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Pounds                                     101k-500k 3.00%      501k-1m 4.00%         >1m 5.00%    
                                     Air     Ground  -----------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Air     Ground      Air     Ground      Air     Ground 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1.............................     10.15      8.55      9.85      8.29      9.45      7.96      8.98      7.56
  2.............................     11.09      9.37     10.76      9.09     10.33      8.72      9.81      8.29
  3.............................     12.74     10.92     12.36     10.60     11.86     10.17     11.27      9.66
  4.............................     14.38     11.93     13.95     11.57     13.39     11.10     12.73     10.55
  5.............................     16.03     12.95     15.55     12.56     14.93     12.06     14.18     11.46

[[Page 13768]]
                                                                                                                
  6.............................     17.55     13.98     17.03     13.56     16.35     13.02     15.53     12.37
  7.............................     19.19     14.93     18.61     14.48     17.87     13.90     16.98     13.20
  8.............................     20.83     15.85     20.20     15.38     19.39     14.76     18.42     14.03
  9.............................     22.46     16.80     21.79     16.29     20.92     15.64     19.87     14.86
  10............................     24.10     17.72     23.37     17.19     22.44     16.51     21.32     15.68
  11............................     25.55     18.55     24.78     17.99     23.79     17.27     22.60     16.41
  12............................     27.17     19.49     26.36     18.91     25.30     18.15     24.04     17.25
  13............................     28.81     20.45     27.95     19.84     26.83     19.05     25.49     18.09
  14............................     30.44     21.40     29.52     20.76     28.34     19.93     26.92     18.93
  15............................     32.06     22.36     31.10     21.69     29.85     20.82     28.36     19.78
  16............................     33.68     23.86     32.67     23.14     31.37     22.21     29.80     21.10
  17............................     35.32     24.84     34.26     24.09     32.89     23.13     31.25     21.97
  18............................     36.95     25.81     35.84     25.03     34.40     24.03     32.68     22.83
  19............................     38.57     26.99     37.41     26.18     35.92     25.14     34.12     23.88
  20............................     40.19     27.97     38.99     27.13     37.43     26.05     35.56     24.74
  21............................     41.53     28.74     40.29     27.88     38.68     26.76     36.74     25.43
  22............................     43.15     29.71     41.85     28.82     40.18     27.67     38.17     26.28
  23............................     44.76     30.69     43.42     29.77     41.68     28.58     39.59     27.15
  24............................     46.37     31.66     44.98     30.71     43.18     29.48     41.02     28.01
  25............................     48.00     32.65     46.56     31.67     44.69     30.40     42.46     28.88
  26............................     49.61     33.61     48.12     32.61     46.20     31.30     43.89     29.74
  27............................     50.85     34.60     49.32     33.56     47.35     32.22     44.98     30.61
  28............................     52.83     35.57     51.25     34.50     49.20     33.12     46.74     31.46
  29............................     54.46     36.55     52.83     35.45     50.71     34.03     48.18     32.33
  30............................     56.07     37.52     54.39     36.39     52.21     34.94     49.60     33.19
  31............................     57.27     38.21     55.55     37.06     53.33     35.58     50.66     33.80
  32............................     58.87     39.17     57.10     37.99     54.82     36.47     52.08     34.65
  33............................     60.49     40.14     58.67     38.94     56.32     37.38     53.51     35.51
  34............................     62.09     41.11     60.22     39.87     57.81     38.28     54.92     36.36
  35............................     63.69     42.08     61.78     40.82     59.31     39.19     56.34     37.23
  36............................     65.29     43.04     63.33     41.75     60.80     40.08     57.76     38.08
  37............................     66.90     44.02     64.90     42.70     62.30     40.99     59.18     38.94
  38............................     68.50     45.33     66.45     43.97     63.79     42.21     60.60     40.10
  39............................     70.10     46.49     68.00     45.09     65.28     43.29     62.02     41.12
  40............................     71.70     47.64     69.55     46.21     66.77     44.36     63.43     42.14
  41............................     72.79     48.26     70.60     46.81     67.78     44.94     64.39     42.69
  42............................     74.38     49.23     72.15     47.75     69.26     45.84     65.80     43.55
  43............................     75.97     50.21     73.69     48.71     70.74     46.76     67.20     44.42
  44............................     77.56     51.57     75.23     50.03     72.22     48.02     68.61     45.62
  45............................     79.16     52.56     76.78     50.99     73.71     48.95     70.03     46.50
  46............................     80.16     53.13     77.75     51.54     74.64     49.48     70.91     47.00
  47............................     81.74     54.94     79.28     53.29     76.11     51.16     72.31     48.60
  48............................     83.31     56.77     80.81     55.06     77.58     52.86     73.70     50.22
  49............................     84.78     58.64     82.24     56.88     78.95     54.60     75.00     51.87
  50............................     86.48     60.96     83.89     59.13     80.53     56.76     76.51     53.92
  51............................     88.06     62.45     85.42     60.58     82.00     58.15     77.90     55.24
  52............................     89.65     63.97     86.96     62.05     83.48     59.57     79.31     56.59
  53............................     91.23     65.52     88.49     63.56     84.95     61.01     80.70     57.96
  54............................     92.82     67.08     90.04     65.06     86.43     62.46     82.11     59.34
  55............................     94.40     68.64     91.57     66.58     87.90     63.92     83.51     60.72
  56............................     95.28     69.28     92.42     67.20     88.73     64.51     84.29     61.29
  57............................     96.85     70.37     93.94     68.26     90.19     65.53     85.68     62.25
  58............................     98.43     71.48     95.48     69.34     91.66     66.56     87.07     63.24
  59............................     99.99     72.58     96.99     70.40     93.11     67.58     88.46     64.20
  60............................    101.57     74.18     98.53     71.96     94.59     69.08     89.86     65.62
  61............................    103.14     75.30    100.05     73.04     96.04     70.12     91.24     66.61
  62............................    104.72     76.40    101.58     74.11     97.51     71.14     92.64     67.59
  63............................    105.51     77.48    102.35     75.16     98.25     72.15     93.34     68.54
  64............................    107.07     78.55    103.85     76.19     99.70     73.15     94.71     69.49
  65............................    108.63     79.70    105.37     77.31    101.16     74.22     96.10     70.51
  66............................    110.19     80.85    106.88     78.42    102.61     75.29     97.48     71.52
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                                                        
[[Page 13769]]

(2) United Kingdom
    The base rates for the three delivery options for the U.K. are set 
forth below. For each delivery option, the Postal Service will charge 
the base rates, in 1-pound increments, for the first 100,000 packages 
mailed by the customer during a 12-month period. Once the customer has 
mailed 100,000 packages, postage for the customer's next packages will 
be reduced by 2.0% from the base rates. Packages mailed through any of 
the three delivery options will count toward the customer's meeting the 
100,000-package threshold.

                           International Package Consignment Service to United Kingdom                          
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Base rates                     For volumes > 100,000      
               Pounds to:                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Premium    Standard     Economy     Premium    Standard     Economy 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1......................................       13.87       11.17        9.95       13.59       10.95        9.75
 2......................................       15.21       12.46       11.19       14.90       12.21       10.97
 3......................................       16.54       13.75       12.43       16.21       13.47       12.18
 4......................................       17.88       15.04       13.67       17.52       14.73       13.39
 5......................................       19.21       16.32       14.91       18.83       16.00       14.61
 6......................................       20.55       17.61       16.15       20.14       17.26       15.82
 7......................................       21.88       18.90       17.39       21.44       18.52       17.04
 8......................................       23.71       20.18       18.63       23.24       19.78       18.25
 9......................................       25.08       21.47       19.87       24.58       21.04       19.47
10......................................       26.63       22.76       21.11       26.09       22.30       20.68
11......................................       28.00       24.05       22.35       27.44       23.57       21.90
12......................................       29.37       25.33       23.59       28.79       24.83       23.11
13......................................       30.96       26.62       24.82       30.34       26.09       24.33
14......................................       32.34       27.91       26.06       31.70       27.35       25.54
15......................................       33.96       29.20       27.30       33.28       28.61       27.76
16......................................       35.35       30.48       28.54       34.64       29.87       27.97
17......................................       36.99       31.77       29.78       36.25       31.13       29.19
18......................................       38.66       33.06       31.02       37.88       32.40       30.40
19......................................       40.61       34.35       32.26       39.80       33.66       63.62
20......................................       42.04       35.63       33.50       41.20       34.92       32.83
21......................................       43.47       36.92       34.74       42.60       36.18       34.05
22......................................       44.90       38.21       35.98       44.00       37.44       35.26
23......................................       46.33       39.49       37.22       45.40       38.70       36.48
24......................................       47.76       40.78       38.46       46.81       39.97       37.69
25......................................       49.19       42.07       39.70       48.21       41.23       38.91
26......................................       50.62       43.36       40.94       49.61       42.49       40.12
27......................................       53.44       44.64       42.18       52.37       43.75       41.34
28......................................       54.91       45.93       43.42       53.81       45.01       42.55
29......................................       56.38       47.22       44.66       55.25       46.27       43.77
30......................................       57.85       48.51       45.90       56.69       47.54       44.98
31......................................       59.31       49.79       47.14       58.13       48.80       46.20
32......................................       60.78       51.08       48.38       59.57       50.06       47.41
33......................................       62.25       52.37       49.62       61.01       51.32       48.63
34......................................       63.72       53.65       50.86       62.45       52.58       49.84
35......................................       65.19       54.94       52.10       63.88       53.84       51.06
36......................................       66.66       56.23       53.34       65.32       55.10       52.27
37......................................       68.13       57.52       54.58       66.76       56.37       53.48
38......................................       69.59       58.80       55.82       68.20       57.63       54.70
39......................................       72.45       60.09       57.06       71.00       58.89       55.91
40......................................       73.94       61.38       58.30       72.46       60.15       57.13
41......................................       75.44       62.67       59.54       73.93       61.41       58.34
42......................................       76.94       63.95       60.77       75.40       62.67       59.56
43......................................       78.44       65.24       62.01       76.87       63.94       60.77
44......................................       79.93       66.53       63.25       78.33       65.20       61.99
45......................................       81.43       67.82       64.49       79.80       66.46       63.20
46......................................       82.93       69.10       65.73       81.27       67.72       64.42
47......................................       84.42       70.39       66.97       82.74       68.98       65.63
48......................................       85.92       71.68       68.21       84.20       70.24       66.85
49......................................       87.42       72.96       69.45       85.67       71.51       68.06
50......................................       88.91       74.25       70.69       87.14       72.77       69.28
51......................................       90.41       75.54       71.93       88.60       74.03       70.49
52......................................       91.91       76.83       73.17       90.07       75.29       71.71
53......................................       93.41       78.11       74.41       91.54       76.55       72.92
54......................................       94.90       79.40       75.65       93.01       77.81       74.14
55......................................       96.40       80.69       76.89       94.47       79.07       75.35
56......................................       97.90       81.98       78.13       95.94       80.34       76.57
57......................................       99.39       83.26       79.37       97.41       81.60       77.78
58......................................      100.89       84.55       80.61       98.87       82.86       79.00
59......................................      102.39       85.84       81.85      100.34       84.12       80.21
60......................................      103.89       87.13       83.09      101.81       85.38       81.43
61......................................      105.38       88.41       84.33      103.28       86.64       82.64
62......................................      106.88       89.70       85.57      104.74       87.91       83.86
63......................................      108.38       90.99       86.81      106.21       89.17       85.07
64......................................      109.87       92.27       88.05      107.68       90.43       86.29

[[Page 13770]]
                                                                                                                
65......................................      111.37       93.56       89.29      109.14       91.69       87.50
66......................................      112.87       94.85       90.53      110.61       92.95       88.72
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



III. Conclusion

    Accordingly, the Postal Service hereby adopts IPCS to Canada and 
the United Kingdom, on an interim basis, at the rates set forth in the 
schedules above. Although 39 U.S.C. 407 does not require advance notice 
and opportunity for submission of comments, and the Postal Service is 
exempted by 39 U.S.C. 410(a) from the advance notice requirements of 
the Administrative Procedure Act regarding proposed rulemaking (5 
U.S.C. 553), the Postal Service invites interested persons to submit 
written data, views, or arguments concerning this interim rule.
    The Postal Service adopts the following amendments to the 
International Mail Manual, which is incorporated by reference in the 
Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 20.1.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 20

    International postal service, Foreign relations.

PART 20--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 20 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 401, 404, 407, 408.

    2. Effective immediately, subchapter 620 of the International Mail 
Manual, Issue 16, is amended as follows:
6  SPECIAL PROGRAMS
* * * * *

620  International Package Consignment Service

621  Description

621.1  General

    International Package Consignment Service (IPCS) is a bulk mailing 
system that provides fast, economical international delivery of 
packages containing merchandise. IPCS is designed to make it easier and 
less costly for mail-order companies to export goods. The Postal 
Service provides IPCS on a destination country-specific basis pursuant 
to the terms and conditions stipulated in 620 and the Individual 
Country Listings.
* * * * *

621.3  Availability

    IPCS is available only to destination countries identified in 620 
and the Individual Country Listings.

622  Qualifying Customers

    To qualify, a customer must enter into a service agreement 
containing the commitments stipulated in 625.2 and must be able to meet 
the general and destination country-specific preparation requirements 
stipulated in 620 and the Individual Country Listings.

623  General

623.1  Special Services

    The special services provided for in Chapter 3 are not available 
for packages sent by IPCS unless specifically provided for in 620 or 
the Individual Country Listings.

623.2  Customs Documentation

    The requirements for customs forms vary by destination country as 
stipulated in 620 and the Individual Country Listings.

623.3  Size and Weight Limits

    Size and weight limits for packages sent by IPCS vary by 
destination country as stipulated in 620 and the Individual Country 
Listings.

623.41  Rates

    Rates vary by destination country as stipulated in 620 and the 
Individual Country Listings.

623.42  Postage Payment Method

    Postage must be paid by permit imprint or any other Postal Service 
approved method.

624  Preparation Requirements

624.1  General Requirements

* * * * *

624.2  Destination Country-Specific Requirements

    Certain preparation requirements vary by destination country as 
stipulated in 620 and the Individual Country Listings.

625  IPCS Service Agreements

* * * * *

625.2  Required Provisions

    a. The customer's commitment to send at least 25,000 packages (or 
10,000 to the United Kingdom) by IPCS during the next 12 months to the 
specified destination country.
* * * * *

626  IPCS to Japan

* * * * *
    Change 627 to 626.7 Customs Forms Required.
* * * * *
    Change 628 to 626.8 Preparation Requirements.
* * * * *
    Change 628.1 to 626.81 Express Service.
* * * * *
    Change 628.11 to 626.811 Processing at JFK.
* * * * *
    Change 628.12 to 626.812 Processing Mailer's Plant.
* * * * *
    Change 628.2 to 626.82 Standard Air Service.
* * * * *
    Change 628.3 to 626.83 Economy Air Service.
* * * * *
    3. Effective immediately, chapter 6 of the International Mail 
Manual, Issue 16, is amended by adding new section 627 as follows:
6  SPECIAL PROGRAMS
* * * * *

620  International Package Consignment Service

* * * * *

627  IPCS to Other Destination Countries

    Information concerning IPCS for the following designated countries 
is detailed in the Individual Country Listings (ICLs) section.
    a. Canada.
    b. Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
* * * * *
    4. Effective immediately, the Individual Country Listing for Canada 
in the International Mail Manual, Issue 16, is amended by adding the 
following information, concerning International

[[Page 13771]]

Package Consignment Service, to the end of the listing.
International Package Consignment Service (IPCS)
Description
    IPCS to Canada provides the customer with two delivery options and 
with preparation by the Postal Service of the customs forms and 
delivery labels required by Canada.
Delivery Options
Air Courier Service
    Air Courier Service is the fastest option. The Postal Service will 
transport Air Courier Service packages from the customer's plant or 
from the designated IPCS processing facility to Canada overnight where 
they will receive expeditious customs clearance and be released to the 
delivery agent. From there, the packages will receive courier service 
throughout Canada and be delivered to major population centers 
overnight. Normal delivery times will be two to three days from 
dispatch to final delivery.
Ground Courier Service
    Ground Courier Service will offer overnight transportation to 
Canada and ground transportation to final destination in Canada. It 
will receive the same expeditious customs clearance as Air Courier 
Service and normal delivery times for 95 percent of all Canadian 
addresses will be three to six days after dispatch from the customer's 
plant, depending on the location of final destination. (For addresses 
in the Maritimes and extreme northern territories where distance and 
poor roads affect transportation, delivery times could be as long as 
eight days.)
Processing and Acceptance
Within 500 Miles of an IPCS Processing Facility
    If the plant at which the customer's ICPS packages originate is 
located within 500 miles of an IPCS processing facility, the Postal 
Service will verify and accept the packages at the customer's plant and 
transport them to the IPCS processing facility according to a schedule 
agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer.
More than 500 Miles from an IPCS Processing Facility
    If the customer's plant from which the IPCS packages will originate 
is located more than 500 miles from an IPCS processing facility, the 
customer can choose one of two processing options.
    Option One: The customer will be required to present the packages 
to the Postal Service for verification at the customer's plant and 
transport them as a drop shipment to an IPCS processing facility 
according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the 
customer.
    Option Two: The customer will process the packages using Postal 
Service-provided computer system workstations and sort and prepare the 
packages as required by the Postal Service. Then, the Postal Service 
verifies and accepts the packages at the customer's plant and 
transports them by truck to the nearest air mail facility according to 
a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer. From the 
air mail facility, the Postal Service dispatches the IPCS packages to 
Canada, bypassing an IPCS processing facility.
Required Package Specific Information
    Requirements are the same as those detailed in Section 626.3.
Insurance and Indemnity
Air Courier Service
    Packages sent through Air Courier Service are insured against loss, 
damage, or rifling at no additional cost. Indemnity will be paid by the 
Postal Service as provided in DMM S500. However, packages are not 
insured against delay in delivery. Neither indemnity payments nor 
postage refunds will be made in event of delay.
Ground Courier Service
    Packages sent through Economy Service may be insured at an 
additional cost. See 320.
Postage
General
    The base rates for the two currently available options are set 
forth below. These rates may be reduced by one or more of the three 
additive annual discounts depending on how many packages the customer 
mails to Canada using either of the two IPCS delivery options in a 
twelve month period.
Base Rates
    The Postal Service will charge the base rates, in 1-pound 
increments, for the first 100,000 packages mailed by the customer 
during a 12-month period.

                             Rate Reductions                            
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Number of packages                    Percent discount      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to 100,000.............................  Base Rate.                  
100,001 to 500,000........................  3% off base rates.          
500,001 to 1,000,000......................  4% off previously discounted
                                             rates.                     
1,000,001 and over........................  5% off previously discounted
                                             rates.                     
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                               International Package Consignment Service To Canada                              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Base rates < 100k                       Volume discounts                     
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Pounds                                    101k-500k  3.00%      501k-1m 4.00%         >1m 5.00%    
                                     Air     Ground  -----------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Air     Ground      Air     Ground      Air     Ground 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1..............................     10.15      8.55      9.85      8.29      9.45      7.96      8.98      7.56
 2..............................     11.09      9.37     10.76      9.09     10.33      8.72      9.81      8.29
 3..............................     12.74     10.92     12.36     10.60     11.86     10.17     11.27      9.66
 4..............................     14.38     11.93     13.95     11.57     13.39     11.10     12.73     10.55
 5..............................     16.03     12.95     15.55     12.56     14.93     12.06     14.18     11.46
 6..............................     17.55     13.98     17.03     13.56     16.35     13.02     15.53     12.37
 7..............................     19.19     14.93     18.61     14.48     17.87     13.90     16.98     13.20
 8..............................     20.83     15.85     20.20     15.38     19.39     14.76     18.42     14.03
 9..............................     22.46     16.80     21.79     16.29     20.92     15.64     19.87     14.86
10..............................     24.10     17.72     23.37     17.19     22.44     16.51     21.32     15.68
11..............................     25.55     18.55     24.78     17.99     23.79     17.27     22.60     16.41
12..............................     27.17     19.49     26.36     18.91     25.30     18.15     24.04     17.25
13..............................     28.81     20.45     27.95     19.84     26.83     19.05     25.49     18.09
14..............................     30.44     21.40     29.52     20.76     28.34     19.93     26.92     18.93

[[Page 13772]]
                                                                                                                
15..............................     32.06     22.36     31.10     21.69     29.85     20.82     28.36     19.78
16..............................     33.68     23.86     32.67     23.14     31.37     22.21     29.80     21.10
17..............................     35.32     24.84     34.26     24.09     32.89     23.13     31.25     21.97
18..............................     36.95     25.81     35.84     25.03     34.40     24.03     32.68     22.83
19..............................     38.57     26.99     37.41     26.18     35.92     25.14     34.12     23.88
20..............................     40.19     27.97     38.99     27.13     37.43     26.05     35.56     24.74
21..............................     41.53     28.74     40.29     27.88     38.68     26.76     36.74     25.43
22..............................     43.15     29.71     41.85     28.82     40.18     27.67     38.17     26.28
23..............................     44.76     30.69     43.42     29.77     41.68     28.58     39.59     27.15
24..............................     46.37     31.66     44.98     30.71     43.18     29.48     41.02     28.01
25..............................     48.00     32.65     46.56     31.67     44.69     30.40     42.46     28.88
26..............................     49.61     33.61     48.12     32.61     46.20     31.30     43.89     29.74
27..............................     50.85     34.60     49.32     33.56     47.35     32.22     44.98     30.61
28..............................     52.83     35.57     51.25     34.50     49.20     33.12     46.74     31.46
29..............................     54.46     36.55     52.83     35.45     50.71     34.03     48.18     32.33
30..............................     56.07     37.52     54.39     36.39     52.21     34.94     49.60     33.19
31..............................     57.27     38.21     55.55     37.06     53.33     35.58     50.66     33.80
32..............................     58.87     39.17     57.10     37.99     54.82     36.47     52.08     34.65
33..............................     60.49     40.14     58.67     38.94     56.32     37.38     53.51     35.51
34..............................     62.09     41.11     60.22     39.87     57.81     38.28     54.92     36.36
35..............................     63.69     42.08     61.78     40.82     59.31     39.19     56.34     37.23
36..............................     65.29     43.04     63.33     41.75     60.80     40.08     57.76     38.08
37..............................     66.90     44.02     64.90     42.70     62.30     40.99     59.18     38.94
38..............................     68.50     45.33     66.45     43.97     63.79     42.21     60.60     40.10
39..............................     70.10     46.49     68.00     45.09     65.28     43.29     62.02     41.12
40..............................     71.70     47.64     69.55     46.21     66.77     44.36     63.43     42.14
41..............................     72.79     48.26     70.60     46.81     67.78     44.94     64.39     42.69
42..............................     74.38     49.23     72.15     47.75     69.26     45.84     65.80     43.55
43..............................     75.97     50.21     73.69     48.71     70.74     46.76     67.20     44.42
44..............................     77.56     51.57     75.23     50.03     72.22     48.02     68.61     45.62
45..............................     79.16     52.56     76.78     50.99     73.71     48.95     70.03     46.50
46..............................     80.16     53.13     77.75     51.54     74.64     49.48     70.91     47.00
47..............................     81.74     54.94     79.28     53.29     76.11     51.16     72.31     48.60
48..............................     83.31     56.77     80.81     55.06     77.58     52.86     73.70     50.22
49..............................     84.78     58.64     82.24     56.88     78.95     54.60     75.00     51.87
50..............................     86.48     60.96     83.89     59.13     80.53     56.76     76.51     53.92
51..............................     88.06     62.45     85.42     60.58     82.00     58.15     77.90     55.24
52..............................     89.65     63.97     86.96     62.05     83.48     59.57     79.31     56.59
53..............................     91.23     65.52     88.49     63.56     84.95     61.01     80.70     57.96
54..............................     92.82     67.08     90.04     65.06     86.43     62.46     82.11     59.34
55..............................     94.40     68.64     91.57     66.58     87.90     63.92     83.51     60.72
56..............................     95.28     69.28     92.42     67.20     88.73     64.51     84.29     61.29
57..............................     96.85     70.37     93.94     68.26     90.19     65.53     85.68     62.25
58..............................     98.43     71.48     95.48     69.34     91.66     66.56     87.07     63.24
59..............................     99.99     72.58     96.99     70.40     93.11     67.58     88.46     64.20
60..............................    101.57     74.18     98.53     71.96     94.59     69.08     89.86     65.62
61..............................    103.14     75.30    100.05     73.04     96.04     70.12     91.24     66.61
62..............................    104.72     76.40    101.58     74.11     97.51     71.14     92.64     67.59
63..............................    105.51     77.48    102.35     75.16     98.25     72.15     93.34     68.54
64..............................    107.07     78.55    103.85     76.19     99.70     73.15     94.71     69.49
65..............................    108.63     79.70    105.37     77.31    101.16     74.22     96.10     70.51
66..............................    110.19     80.85    106.88     78.42    102.61     75.29     97.48     71.52
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Size and Weight Limits
    All Air Courier and Ground Courier Service packages must meet the 
following size and weight limits:
Size Limits
    a. Minimum length and width: large enough to accommodate the 
necessary labels and customs forms on the address side.
    b. Maximum length: 60 inches.
    c. Maximum length and girth combined: 108 inches.
Weight Limit
    Maximum weight: 66 pounds.
Customs
Customs Forms
    Normally all necessary Canadian customs forms will be automatically 
generated by the Postal Service computer workstations. Packages mailed 
to Canada through an IPCS facility will not be required to bear customs 
forms when they are tendered to the Postal Service. The Postal Service 
will verify, accept, and transport these packages to a designated IPCS 
processing facility. After scanning the customer-printed barcode on 
each package and correlating it with the package-specific information 
transmitted by the customer, the Postal

[[Page 13773]]
Service will print the necessary customs forms and then affix them to 
the customer's packages as part of the processing operation at the IPCS 
processing facility. However, during the interim period in which the 
Postal Service and the customer are working together to establish the 
information systems linkages to enable the Postal Service to accomplish 
this, the customer may be required to prepare the necessary customs 
forms on its own and affix the forms to the packages before tendering 
them to the Postal Service. In those cases where the computer 
workstations are located at the customer's plant and operated by 
customer employees, the USPS computer will print the customs forms, and 
the customer will be required to affix these forms to the appropriate 
packages as instructed by the Postal Service prior to verification and 
acceptance of the mail.
Customs Clearance
    The Postal Service has developed the Customs Pre-Advisory System 
(CPAS) as part of IPCS processing. This electronic system collects 
package-specific data to satisfy customs requirements as packages are 
processed using the USPS computer workstations located at either an 
IPCS facility or the customer's plant. The system electronically 
advises the USPS delivery agent and Canadian Customs of the contents of 
each package mailed. Since this advisory information arrives before the 
mail, CPAS facilitates and simplifies customs clearance. Electronic 
pre-notification of the package contents and automatic preparation of 
required customs declarations assures the fastest clearance through 
Canadian Customs and reduces costs for the customer and the Postal 
Service.
Preparation Requirements
Air Courier Service
    Every package sent through Air Courier Service must bear a label 
identifying it as an Air Courier Service package. The customer is not 
normally required to affix this label. The Postal Service prints the 
necessary label and affixes it to the Air Courier Service package. 
However, during the interim period in which the Postal Service and the 
customer are establishing the information systems linkages to enable 
the Postal Service to accomplish this, the customer is required to 
affix an alternative label as instructed by the Postal Service to every 
Air Courier Service package.
Ground Courier Service
    There are no Canada-specific preparation requirements for packages 
sent through Ground Courier Service. Packages weighing 1 pound or less 
must bear the Small Packet marking (see 264.21).
* * * * *
    5. Effective immediately, the Individual Country Listing for the 
Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the International Mail Manual, 
Issue 16, is amended by adding the following information, concerning 
International Package Consignment Service, to the end of the listing.
International Package Consignment Service (IPCS)
Description
    IPCS to the United Kingdom (U.K.) provides the customer with three 
delivery options and with preparation by the Postal Service of the 
customs and delivery labels required by the British Post Office.
Delivery Options
Premium Service
    The Postal Service will transport Premium packages to the U.K. by 
air. Once a package is dispatched from the customer's facility, it 
should clear Customs and be delivered in the U.K. by close of business 
on the third working day. The customer can track packages through 
delivery and reports on delivery performance are furnished to the 
customer in the formats and at the frequencies agreed upon by the 
Postal Service and the customer.
Standard Service
    The Postal Service will transport Standard packages to the U.K. by 
air. Once a package is dispatched from the customer's facility, it 
should clear Customs and be delivered by close of business on the 
fourth working day. The customer can track packages through delivery 
and reports on delivery performance are furnished to the customer in 
the formats and at the frequencies agreed upon by the Postal Service 
and the customer.
Economy Service
    The Postal Service will transport Economy packages to the U.K. by 
air. Once a package is dispatched from a customer's facility, it should 
clear Customs and be delivered by close of business the fifth or sixth 
working day. Tracking and tracing is available to the point of entry 
into the U.K. domestic mail stream.
Processing and Acceptance
Within 500 Miles of an IPCS Processing Facility
    If the plant at which the customer's ICPS packages originate is 
located within 500 miles of an IPCS processing facility, the Postal 
Service will accept the packages at the customer's plant and transport 
them by truck to the IPCS processing facility according to a schedule 
agreed upon by the Postal Service and the customer.
More than 500 Miles from an IPCS Processing Facility
    If the customer's plant from which the IPCS packages will originate 
is located more than 500 miles from an IPCS processing facility, the 
customer can choose one of two processing options.
    Option One: The customer will be required to present the packages 
to the Postal Service for verification at the customer's plant and 
transport them as a drop shipment to an IPCS processing facility 
according to a schedule agreed upon by the Postal Service and the 
customer.
    Option Two: The customer will process the packages using Postal 
Service-provided computer system workstations and sort and prepare the 
packages as required by the Postal Service. Then, the Postal Service 
accepts the packages at the customer's plant and transports them by 
truck to the nearest air mail facility according to a schedule agreed 
upon by the Postal Service and the customer. From the air mail 
facility, the Postal Service dispatches the IPCS packages to the U.K., 
bypassing an IPCS processing facility.
Required Package-Specific Information
    Requirements are the same as those detailed in Section 626.3.
Insurance and Indemnity
Premium and Standard Services
    Packages sent through the Premium or Standard Services are insured 
against loss, damage, or rifling at no additional cost. Indemnity will 
be paid by the Postal Service as provided in DMM S500. However, Premium 
and Standard packages are not insured against delay in delivery. 
Neither indemnity payments nor postage refunds will be made in event of 
delay.
Economy Service
    Packages sent through Economy Service may be insured at an 
additional cost. See 320.

[[Page 13774]]

Postage
General
    The base rates for the three available delivery options are set 
forth below. These rates may be reduced by an annual discount depending 
on how many packages the customer mails to the U.K. using any of the 
three IPCS delivery options in a twelve month period.
Base Rates
    The Postal Service will charge the base rates, in 1-pound 
increments, for the first 100,000 packages mailed by the customer 
during a 12-month period.

                             Rate Reductions                            
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Number of packages                    Percent discount      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to 100,000.............................  Base Rate.                  
100,001 and over..........................  2%.                         
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                    International Package Consignment Service                                   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Base rates                     For volumes > 100,000      
               Pounds to:                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Premium    Standard     Economy     Premium    Standard     Economy 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1......................................       13.87       11.17        9.95       13.59       10.95        9.75
 2......................................       15.21       12.46       11.19       14.90       12.21       10.97
 3......................................       16.54       13.75       12.43       16.21       13.47       12.18
 4......................................       17.88       15.04       13.67       17.52       14.73       13.39
 5......................................       19.21       16.32       14.91       18.83       16.00       14.61
 6......................................       20.55       17.61       16.15       20.14       17.26       15.82
 7......................................       21.88       18.90       17.39       21.44       18.52       17.04
 8......................................       23.71       20.18       18.63       23.24       19.78       18.25
 9......................................       25.08       21.47       19.87       24.58       21.04       19.47
10......................................       26.63       22.76       21.11       26.09       22.30       20.68
11......................................       28.00       24.05       22.35       27.44       23.57       21.90
12......................................       29.37       25.33       23.59       28.79       24.83       23.11
13......................................       30.96       26.62       24.82       30.34       26.09       24.33
14......................................       32.34       27.91       26.06       31.70       27.35       25.54
15......................................       33.96       29.20       27.30       33.28       28.61       27.76
16......................................       35.35       30.48       28.54       34.64       29.87       27.97
17......................................       36.99       31.77       29.78       36.25       31.13       29.19
18......................................       38.66       33.06       31.02       37.88       32.40       30.40
19......................................       40.61       34.35       32.26       39.80       33.66       63.62
20......................................       42.04       35.63       33.50       41.20       34.92       32.83
21......................................       43.47       36.92       34.74       42.60       36.18       34.05
22......................................       44.90       38.21       35.98       44.00       37.44       35.26
23......................................       46.33       39.49       37.22       45.40       38.70       36.48
24......................................       47.76       40.78       38.46       46.81       39.97       37.69
25......................................       49.19       42.07       39.70       48.21       41.23       38.91
26......................................       50.62       43.36       40.94       49.61       42.49       40.12
27......................................       53.44       44.64       42.18       52.37       43.75       41.34
28......................................       54.91       45.93       43.42       53.81       45.01       42.55
29......................................       56.38       47.22       44.66       55.25       46.27       43.77
30......................................       57.85       48.51       45.90       56.69       47.54       44.98
31......................................       59.31       49.79       47.14       58.13       48.80       46.20
32......................................       60.78       51.08       48.38       59.57       50.06       47.41
33......................................       62.25       52.37       49.62       61.01       51.32       48.63
34......................................       63.72       53.65       50.86       62.45       52.58       49.84
35......................................       65.19       54.94       52.10       63.88       53.84       51.06
36......................................       66.66       56.23       53.34       65.32       55.10       52.27
37......................................       68.13       57.52       54.58       66.76       56.37       53.48
38......................................       69.59       58.80       55.82       68.20       57.63       54.70
39......................................       72.45       60.09       57.06       71.00       58.89       55.91
40......................................       73.94       61.38       58.30       72.46       60.15       57.13
41......................................       75.44       62.67       59.54       73.93       61.41       58.34
42......................................       76.94       63.95       60.77       75.40       62.67       59.56
43......................................       78.44       65.24       62.01       76.87       63.94       60.77
44......................................       79.93       66.53       63.25       78.33       65.20       61.99
45......................................       81.43       67.82       64.49       79.80       66.46       63.20
46......................................       82.93       69.10       65.73       81.27       67.72       64.42
47......................................       84.42       70.39       66.97       82.74       68.98       65.63
48......................................       85.92       71.68       68.21       84.20       70.24       66.85
49......................................       87.42       72.96       69.45       85.67       71.51       68.06
50......................................       88.91       74.25       70.69       87.14       72.77       69.28
51......................................       90.41       75.54       71.93       88.60       74.03       70.49
52......................................       91.91       76.83       73.17       90.07       75.29       71.71
53......................................       93.41       78.11       74.41       91.54       76.55       72.92
54......................................       94.90       79.40       75.65       93.01       77.81       74.14
55......................................       96.40       80.69       76.89       94.47       79.07       75.35
56......................................       97.90       81.98       78.13       95.94       80.34       76.57
57......................................       99.39       83.26       79.37       97.41       81.60       77.78
58......................................      100.89       84.55       80.61       98.87       82.86       79.00
59......................................      102.39       85.84       81.85      100.34       84.12       80.21
60......................................      103.89       87.13       83.09      101.81       85.38       81.43

[[Page 13775]]
                                                                                                                
61......................................      105.38       88.41       84.33      103.28       86.64       82.64
62......................................      106.88       89.70       85.57      104.74       87.91       83.86
63......................................      108.38       90.99       86.81      106.21       89.17       85.07
64......................................      109.87       92.27       88.05      107.68       90.43       86.29
65......................................      111.37       93.56       89.29      109.14       91.69       87.50
66......................................      112.87       94.85       90.53      110.61       92.95       88.72
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Size and Weight Limits
    All packages must meet the following size and weight limits:
Size Limits
    a. Minimum length and width: large enough to accommodate the 
necessary customs/delivery label on the address side.
    b. Maximum length: 60 inches.
    c. Maximum length and girth combined: 108 inches.
Weight Limit
    Maximum weight: 66 pounds.
Customs
Customs Forms
    Normally all necessary U.K. customs forms will be automatically 
generated by the Postal Service computer workstations. Packages mailed 
to the U.K. through an IPCS processing facility will not be required to 
bear customs forms when they are tendered to the Postal Service. The 
Postal Service will verify, accept, and transport these packages to a 
designated IPCS processing facility. After scanning the customer-
printed barcode on each package and correlating it with the package-
specific information transmitted by the customer, the Postal Service 
will print the necessary customs forms and then affix them to the 
customer's packages as part of the processing operation at the IPCS 
Processing Facility. However, during the interim period in which the 
Postal Service and the customer are working together to establish the 
information systems linkages to enable the Postal Service to accomplish 
this, the customer may be required to prepare the necessary customs 
forms on its own and affix the forms to the packages before tendering 
them to the Postal Service. In those cases where the computer 
workstations are located at the customer's plant and operated by 
customer employees, the USPS computer workstations will print the 
customs forms, and the customer will be required to affix these forms 
to the appropriate packages as instructed by the Postal Service prior 
to verification and acceptance of the mail.
Customs Clearance
    The Postal Service has developed the Customs Pre-Advisory System 
(CPAS) as part of IPCS processing. This electronic system collects 
package-specific data to satisfy customs requirements as packages are 
processed using the USPS computer workstations located at either an 
IPCS facility or the customer's plant. The system electronically 
advises the USPS delivery agent and Customs in the U.K. of the contents 
of each package mailed. Since this advisory information arrives before 
the mail, CPAS facilitates and simplifies customs clearance. Electronic 
pre-notification of the package contents and automatic preparation of 
required customs declarations assures the fastest clearance through 
U.K. Customs and reduces costs for the customer and the Postal Service.
Preparation Requirements
    Every package sent through Premium, Standard or Economy Service 
must bear a label identifying it as a Premium, a Standard or an Economy 
Service package. The customer is not normally required to affix this 
label. The Postal Service prints the necessary label and affixes it to 
the package. However, during the interim period in which the Postal 
Service and the customer are establishing the information systems 
linkages to enable the Postal Service to accomplish this, the customer 
is required to affix an alternative label as instructed by the Postal 
Service to every package.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 96-7435 Filed 3-27-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P