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Postal Services Act, 1998 (Act No. 124 of 1998)

Regulations

ICASA Fees and Charges for Postal Services

Fees and Charges for Postal Services - 2021

1.4 International mail

 

International letter and parcel services are available worldwide, either by airmail or surface mail. These services may be accessed by posting either at post offices or by posting in street posting boxes. The available range of services includes:

 

Product

Description

Aerogrammes

Special prepaid air-mail letters consisting of one lightweight folded sheet of paper that can be sealed. No enclosures are permitted

Postcards

Convenient conveyance of unenclosed messages and greetings

Small letters

Consists of private and business letters up to 50 g and no bigger than 120 x 235 x 5mm

Medium letters

Consists of private and business letters up to 250 g and no bigger than 250 x 176 x 10mm

Large letters

Consists of private and business letters up to 300 g and no bigger than 353 x 250 x 30mm

Small parcels

For small quantities of low-mass goods under 2 kg at a lower rate and with customs declarations than for large parcels

Large parcels

For the conveyance of goods and material up to 30 kg. The maximum mass differs from country to country.

Registered mail

A separately streamed service with added security for letter post items

Direct publishers bags

(M Bags)

The economical conveyance by air mail or surface mail of printed matter to the same addressee at the same address. A minimum rate for 5 kg applies to each bag. The mass of each item in the bag must not be more than 2 kg.

 

Special value-added services

 

Value can be added to basic international mail services by buying additional value-added services. These include express delivery, registered, insured and advice-of-delivery (AR) options. As these add-on services are not available to some countries or for some categories of mail, enquiries should be made at post offices to find out if they are available for your purposes. Insured and registered items must be posted at post office counters and not in street post-boxes.

 

International reply coupons

 

The international reply coupon service enables customers to repay the postage on a reply from a correspondent abroad. Coupons sent abroad may be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage pre-payable on an air-mail letter. The coupons cost R42.20 and are available at post offices.

 

Exchange control regulations

 

Exchange control regulations apply equally to postal items as they do to other exports. Generally, items of a value of more than R1 000,00 require specific export documents to be completed. Details are available at post offices.

 

Customs declarations

 

The type and extent of customs declarations are regulated by the statutes of the Universal Postal Union and the requirements of destination countries. The following basic requirements are stipulated for the various mail categories.

 

ARTICLE/CONTENTS

CATEGORY

CUSTOMS DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

Letter post items and small parcels

Letters not containing merchandise, aerogrammes, greeting cards and postcards

No customs documentation is required

Letters and letter packets containing merchandise or goods, printed matter consignments and small parcels up to 2 kg with contents under R2 000 in value

Attach a fully completed CN22 green customs sticker

Letters and letter packets containing merchandise or goods, printed matter consignments and small parcels up to 2 kg with contents over R2 000 in value

Attach customs forms appropriate to the country of destination. Consult the list overleaf or check with your local post office for details

Direct publishers bags (M Bags)

Up to R2 000 in value

Attach a fully completed CN22 sticker

Over R2 000 in value

Attach CN22 and CN23

Large parcels (parcels over 2 kg)

All large parcels

CN23, CP71 or PP4 as required for individual destinations. Consult the list overleaf or check with your local post office for details

 

 

Letter post rates *(all prices shown in Rand)

Note: Surface Mail for African countries has been discontinued with the exception of Lesotho, Swaziland (Now known as eSwatini), Mozambique and Botswana in the 2019/20 control period.

Surface Mail has also been discontinued for Brazil and Canada in the 2021/22 control period.

 

Category

Air mail

Surface Mail

Maximum size

Maximum thickness

Minimum mass

Maximum mass


Southern Africa

Rest of world

Southern Africa

Rest of world





Aerograms (per item)

8.00

8.00

N/A

N/A

120 x 235mm

No enclosures permitted

10g

Postcards (per item)

10.85

10.85

6.60

6.60

120 x 235mm

Must not be enveloped

10g

Small letters (per item)

9.75

12.65

8.20

10.70

120 x 235mm

5mm


50g

Medium letters (per item)

35.45

42.85

28.60

32.25

250 x 176mm

10mm


250g

Large letters (per item)

55.05

72.55

45.00

48.40

353 x 250mm

30mm


300g

Small parcels (per 100 grams)

31.20

54.90

24.10

27.60

Length, width and depth combined not exceed 900mm, nor the greatest dimension to exceed 600mm**

2Kg

Direct publishers bags (per kg)

118.50

339.05

59.10

57.40

Length + girth not to exceed 2m maximum length not to exceed 1.05m

5kg

20Kg

Registration fee (per item)

50.75

50.75

50.75

                   N/A

Express delivery fee (per item)

57.40

57.40

57.40

57.40

N/A

International nreply coupon IRC020001

42.20

42.20

42.20

42.20

N/A

 

Note: International letter post products have no insurance option and may only be registered.
* Enquire at your local post office for details of any service suspensions.
# Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Congo (Dem Rep), Congo (Peoples Rep), Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
** If in roll form, length plus twice the diameter not to exceed 1 040 mm, nor the greatest dimension to exceed 900 mm
*** A minimum rate for 5 kg applies
* Registered surface mail service from RSA to rest of the world has been terminated.

Large parcel rates* (all prices shown in Rand)

 

 

Large parcel rates* (all prices shown in Rand)

 

PARCEL CHARGING ZONE

AIR MAIL


Zone Coverage

Rate per parcel

Plus rate per 100g or part thereof

Zone A

Botswana, Comoros, Kenya, Namibia, Seychelles, eSwatini,  Ascension and St Helena.

199.90

6.10

Zone B

Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Reunion, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

294.80

7.65

Zone C

Northern Africa and the Middle East. Major destinations in this zone include Israel, Nigeria, and Ghana.

294.80

27.65

Zone D

Europe, Russian Federation and former USSR states. Major destinations in this zone include Austria, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland.

305.00

25.20

Zone E

Americas and the Caribbean (except Canada). Major destinations in this zone include the United States of America.

226.85

39.35

Zone F

Asia Pacific and Canada. Major destinations in this zone include Australia, Canada, China, Japan and New Zealand.

216.70

35.10

 

# An expanded list of the countries and their charging zones is provided overleaf together with information concerning customs documentation required for those countries. Information concerning countries not listed can be obtained from your local post office.

 

*African countries are discontinued with the exception of Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana in the 2019/2020 control period for surface mail.

 

*Outbound Surface Mail destined for New Zealand has been discontinued as per the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Circular notice, no. 137, dated 1 October 2018, therefore all International Inbound postal mail destined for New Zealand are delivered by the domestic priority air service.

 

PARCEL CHARGING ZONE

SURFACE MAIL


Zone Coverage

Rate per parcel

Plus rate per 100g or part thereof

Zone A

Botswana, eSwatini,  Ascension and St Helena.

189.75

2.50

Zone B

Lesotho and Reunion.

294.80

4.70

Zone C

The Middle East. Major destinations in this zone include Israel.

274.40

7.65

Zone D

Europe, Russian Federation and former USSR states. Major destinations in this zone include Austria, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland.

287.90

5.35

Zone E

Americas and the Caribbean (except Canada). Major destinations in this zone include the United States of America.

226.85

8.55

Zone F

Asia Pacific and Canada. Major destinations in this zone include Australia, Canada, China, Japan.

211.95

5.35

 

 

Charging zones for letters and parcels and customs documentation requirements for parcels

 

N57 Sch 1.4 (1)

N57 Sch 1.4 (2)