You have a package that needs to go to San Juan, Bayamón or Ponce. Not to worry: Stamps.com can offer you guidance on how to best format your addresses for mailpieces headed to Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican addresses are considered domestic addresses with the state code of “PR.”  You can use the Domestic options within the Stamps.com platform (Packages, Stamps, and Envelopes).  You are not required to include a customs form.

Urbanizations

One of most important things to remember is that Puerto Rican addresses use a unique identifier called the urbanization. An urbanization (urbanización) is a specific sector of a city, town or residential development. Using the urbanization name reduces ambiguity and the chance that your mail will be incorrectly sent or returned to you. Sometimes the urbanization name will replace the street name entirely. Examples of urbanization names, which can vary considerably, include Urbanización Valencia, Urb. Las Delicias, Mansiones de Ponce, Jardines Paseo del Jobo, and Asociación Residentes El Plantio.

As you might have noticed above, urbanizations sometimes use the abbreviation of “URB.”  However, you may also run across terms like “EXTENSIÓN,” “BARRIADA,” “ALTURAS,” “PARQUE,”  “ESTANCIAS,” and “QUINTAS” to describe an urbanization. The good news is that the powerful Stamps.com software will recognize cases when the address needs an urbanization name and provide an option to you to select a more specific address.

Street Name Formatting

Keep in mind that the Spanish-language terminology as well as the formatting order will be different than what you see in English-language addresses. You’ll see terms like CALLE (“Street”) or AVENIDA (“Avenue”) placed before the street number. For example, instead of “123 Main Street,” you’ll see “CALLE PRINCIPAL 123.” In accordance with USPS guidelines, do not translate the Spanish street name terms – in other words, don’t change “Calle” to “Street.” As an exception to this rule on translating Spanish terms, please use the term “PO BOX” instead of the various Spanish-language equivalents (CALLER, CALL BOX, GPO BOX, PO BOX S–1190, APTDO, APARTADO, BOX or BUZÓN). 

If there is a house number, place it before the street name. For example, if the house number is B-31, write the address as “B-31 CALLE PRINCIPAL 123,” not as “CALLE PRINCIPAL 123 B-31.”

 The Value of Using Stamps.com

Shipping to Puerto Rico is easy with Stamps.com! Since Puerto Rico is considered a domestic destination, you can use the same Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express rates and packaging as normal. What’s more, with Stamps.com you’ll receive the discounted Commercial Base rate, so you’ll save when you print postage with us. We also allow you to easily order free USPS supplies like boxes and envelopes from the Stamps.com Store. With our Address Book feature, you can also save Puerto Rican mailing address for easy future use!

Additional Resources

• Postal Addressing Standards for Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (PDF)
• How to Ship Packages to U.S. Territories
• USPS Postal Addressing Standards: Delivery Address Line

Do you mail or ship to Canada? Canada Post recently sent a notice to customers regarding a possible service disruption on or around July 2, 2016, as a result of a labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

What does this mean for anyone mailing and shipping to and from Canada?

“In the event of a full labour disruption, Canada Post will not operate,” Canada Post is warning customers. “Mail and parcels will not be delivered, and no new items will be accepted. Any mail and parcels within the postal system during a work disruption will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume.”

What can you do?

– If you have recently sent mail or packages to Canada or have any pending shipments, Stamps.com recommends monitoring the situation closely

– If your ecommerce business ships to Canada, update your policy page to notify customers about potential delays and to make clear that you won’t be able to ensure Canada-bound deliveries

– Visit the Canada Post Negotiations Updates page for more information and to sign up for email updates

You may have spotted a box called “HS Tariff” in the Stamps.com International Shipping Label’s Customs Information section. What is it and what is it used for?

The Harmonized System, or HS, Tariff code is used to classify physical goods and traded products for export to another country. In the Stamps.com software, you have the option of entering a six-digit HS Tariff, a value developed and maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Why would you need this code? The codes are used by countries’ customs services to assess product quotas and correctly levy tariffs. This is not necessarily a bad thing: your commodity may qualify for a preferential tariff under a Free Trade Agreement.

Getting Your HS Tariff Code
So where would you get an HS Tariff code? To locate a specific code, please visit: http://hts.usitc.gov/

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule allows you to classify a specific product or product type with a numbered code. It will also provide information on the Tariff Rate of Duty.

Are you an exporter of table-tennis equipment? In the Tariff Schedule search engine, type in “table-tennis.” Reviewing the results, you’ll see HS Tariff code 9506, which is for “articles and equipment for general physical exercise, gymnastics, athletics, other sports (including table-tennis).” What if you’re an exporter of extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee, tea, or roasted chicory? Then your HS Tariff code is “2101.”

The goal is to pick the most specific tariff code for your item. For example, knives with silver handles would have the Tariff Code of 7114.11.10. Tricycles, scooters, and pedal cars would be 9503.00.00.  Perfumed bath salts would be 3307.30.

Using HS Tariff Codes in Stamps.com
To use an HS Tariff code, please select “Commercial Sample” as the Content Type in the Customs Form. You’ll notice some codes are longer than six characters, the maximum limit for the HS Tariff code in the Stamps.com software. Don’t worry: because the HS Tariff classification protocol is used by almost the entire international community, participating countries can add more digits to classify items with more specific detail. However, the first six digits are the same across all participating countries. Because of this, only the first six are used on Stamps.com Customs Forms.

The Customs Form will also ask for a “Country of Origin.” This refers to the origin of the product, not the origin of the mailpiece as a whole. This is required for the sake of security and to prevent any illicit or fraudulent activity, or anything that violates existing export laws.

Once you enter the Itemized Package Content Details, Value, Weight, Country of Origin, and add each line item by clicking on the “Add Item” button, you will be asked to acknowledge the USPS Privacy Act Statement and Restrictions and Prohibitions. Review that, and click OK.

Your form is now ready to print. The HS Tariff Number will appear in a box on the left of your International Shipping Label/Customs Form.

Sometimes historical forces will affect what and where you’ll be able to mail.  In 1963, mail service was cancelled between the U.S. and Cuba, and mail was sent indirectly through countries such as Mexico and Canada.

However, direct mail service has been restored officially by the USPS as of March 16, 2016, thanks to the recent restoration of diplomatic relations between these former Cold War foes.  This lifting of the ban means that you can now send to Cuba First-Class Mail International® items, First-Class Package International Service® items, and Priority Mail International® Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes.

Printing postage with Stamps.com
You can print postage for these approved mail classes and types to Cuba easily using the Stamps.com program. If you need to send a First-Class Mail International letter or postcard, you can use our NetStamps feature and print postage using an Original NetStamps sheet.

To print International Mail with NetStamps, please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your software and click on “Stamps.”
2. Under “Postage Details,” select “I want to specify the value for each stamp” by clicking on the white circle.
3. If you are unsure about the postage rate for your mailpiece, click on the icon bearing the image of a globe and the word “Int’l.” to access USPS’ International Mail Calculator.  Select the country, territory, or dependency to which you would like to send mail.  Select the Mailpiece Type and enter the weight of your mailpiece and click “Check Rates.”  You will be given a list of available mail classes and rates for the country you have selected.

For First-Class Mail International Large Envelopes/Flats, First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Priority Mail International Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes, you can click on the International tab in the Main Navigation Bar in your software.

Remember that package contents must be declared for U.S. Customs.  Stamps.com has made this process easy by combining shipping labels and U.S. Customs Declaration Forms into a single-sheet label.  You can use our Plain Paper option or a self-adhesive label like our SDC-1200.

Mailing restrictions
If you’re a business, don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of the new commercial partnerships that will result from the Cuban Thaw.  An easing of trade and travel rules means potential new markets.   We recommend staying abreast of postal regulations on shipments to Cuba, which are maintained by the USPS here: http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/ce_017.htm.

You have a Priority Mail International® Small Flat Rate Priced Box ready to be shipped to the country of Antigua and Barbuda. It weighs 5 pounds, but you’re not seeing an option for Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes in the Stamps.com drop-down mailpiece menu. What’s going on? The answer: the maximum weight for a Priority Mail International Small Flat Rate Priced Box is 4 pounds, so your mailpiece weighs too much for this flat rate box.

When preparing international shipments, it’s important to remember that there are weight limits depending on which mail class and packaging you’re using.

For example, the maximum weight for a Priority Mail Express International® Flat Rate Envelope or Small Flat Rate Priced Box is 4 pounds, and 20 pounds for Medium and Large Flat Rate Priced Boxes.

First-Class Mail International® Letters are capped at 3.5 ounces while First-Class Mail International Large Envelopes/Flats, these cannot exceed 4 pounds.

Variations by Country: Availability of Services 
An important aspect to shipping internationally is knowing that services vary by country.

For example, if you’re using Priority Mail International to mail something to Bolivia, Cuba, the Falkland Islands or Ascension Island, you would only be able to use Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes.

Want to ship using Priority Mail Express International Service? Do your homework, as this service is not available for more than 20 countries and dependencies, including Afghanistan, Iran, Greenland, Tuvalu, East Timor (Timor-Leste), and Suriname.

Variations by Country: Weight Limits for Non-Flat-Rate Mailpieces
The absolute maximum weight of all international packages is 70 pounds, but not all countries will accept this maximum weight. For example, 33 pounds is the maximum weight for a package going Priority Mail Express International to Taiwan, but it is 69 pounds for Nepal. Knowing that varying thresholds exist is an important step towards becoming a successful global shipper, and will help you determine what kinds of products you can ship to certain overseas markets.

These thresholds can also vary by mail class for the same country. For example, Bulgaria’s weight limit for Priority Mail Express International packages is 66 pounds, but 70 pounds for Priority Mail International packages.

Looking for a complete chart? You can find one here: http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immpg.htm or look at individual country listings at: http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/ab_001.htm.