BELIZE POST OFFICE ACT CHAPTER 228 REVISED EDITION 2003 SHOWING THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS AS AT 31ST OCTOBER, 2003 This is a revised edition of the Subsidiary Laws, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000. ARRANGEMENT OF SUBSIDIARY LAWS BELIZE POST OFFICE ACT CHAPTER 228 REVISED EDITION 2003 SHOWING THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS AS AT 31ST OCTOBER, 2003 This is a revised edition of the Subsidiary Laws, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000. This edition contains a consolidation of the following laws- Page 1. POST OFFICE REGULATIONS 4 Post Office [CAP. 228 3 page 2. AIR MAIL RATES REGULATIONS 102 3. FOREIGN PARCEL POST RATES REGULATIONS 114 4. POST OFFICE (POSTAL AGENCY) REGULATIONS 131 5. POST OFFICE (QUEEN’S SQUARE) REGULATIONS 136 THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. 4 CAP. 228] Post Office CHAPTER 228 POST OFFICE REGULATIONS ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS 1. Short title. DEFINITIONS 2. Interpretation. PART I GENERAL 3. Prepayment of postage. 4. Mode of payment. 5. Postage on board ship. 6. Position of stamp. 7. Postal Packets on which postage not paid. 8. Packing 9. Prohibitions. 10. Treatment of irregular packets. 11. Stamped Stationery. PART II INLAND POST (EXCEPT PARCELS) 12. Inland Postage Rates. 13. Inland air mail. 14. Weight and dimensions. 15. Undeliverable inland postal packets to be returned to sender. 16. Special conditions as to postcards and printed matter. 17. Undeliverable postal packets returned from abroad. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. Post Office [CAP. 228 5 18. Packets found to contain jewellery and liable to registration fee. 19. Insufficiently prepaid letters. 20. Official Correspondence. 21. Application of Commonwealth and Foreign Post Regulations. PART III COMMONWEALTH AND FOREIGN POST (EXCEPT PARCELS) Rates of Postage and other Charges 22. Rates of postage. 23. Articles grouped together in one packet. 24. Late fee postal packets. 25. Limits of weight and size. 26. Postcards. 27. Reply Paid Postcards. SPECIAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO SMALL PACKETS, PRINTED PAPERS, COMMERCIAL PAPERS, SAMPLES OF MERCHANDISE AND LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND 28. Conditions of posting. 29. Small Packets. 30. Printed Papers. 31. Despatch of certain printed papers. 32. Commercial Papers. 33. Sample Packets. 34. Literature for the Blind. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. 6 CAP. 228] Post Office SPECIAL CONDITIONS AS TO AIR MAIL PACKETS 35. Posting of air mail packets. 36. Air Letters. RE-DIRECTION 37. Conditions of re-direction. EXPRESS DELIVERY 38. Express delivery fee on outgoing packets. 39. Delivery of incoming packets by special messenger. REGISTRATION 40. Packets which may be registered. 41. Rules as to Registration. 42. Advice of delivery. 43. Compulsory registration. 44. Compensation for loss. 44:01 Compensation for loss or damage to bulk items. INSURANCE FOR LETTERS AND PARCELS 45. Interpretation. 46. Rules as to insured letters and parcels. 47. Certificate of posting. 48. Insured value. 49. Advice of delivery. 50. Enquiries. 51. Redirection. 52. Packing and make-up. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. Post Office [CAP. 228 7 53. Items must be sealed. 53:01 Packing for parcels. 54. Insurance Fees& Limit of Compensation. 55. Conditions of insured letters and parcels. 56. Weight and Dimensions. 57. Rates of Postage and Insurance fee. 58. Compensation may be paid out of aids provided. 58:01 Demurrage Enquiry and Clearance fees. 59. Rates for inland parcels. 60. Limits of weight and size for inland parcels. 61. Method of posting. 62. Inland Parcels irregularly posted. 63. Certificate of posting. 64. Method of addressing. 65. Certain articles may be posted as parcels only. 66. Mode of packing certain articles. 67. Conditions of re-direction. 68. Undeliverable inland parcels. 69. Compensation - unregistered inland parcels. COMMONWEALTH AND FOREIGN PARCEL POST 70. Rates of Postage. 71. Registration and Insurance. 72. Conditions for Commonwealth and foreign parcels. 73. Mode of posting. 74. Treatment of parcels posted in letter boxes. 75. Return and disposal of undelivered parcels. 76. Treatment of irregularly posted parcels. 77. Article posted contrary to regulation 9(p). 78. Application of inland parcel regulations. 79. Re-direction. 80. Compensation - Insured parcels; registered parcels (U.S.A ony); THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. 8 CAP. 228] Post Office unregistered parcels. 81. Cash on Delivery parcels. 82. Fee etc., for cash on delivery parcels. 83. Duties of sender. 84. Delivery on cash on delivery parcels. 85. Payment to sender of trade charge collected. 86. Application for trade charge. 87. Certificate of Posting. 88. Re-direction of cash on delivery parcels. MODIFICATION AND APPLICATION OF THE CUSTOMS LAWS AS REGARDS CERTAIN POSTAL ARTICLES 89. Declaration by sender. 90. Green labels to be placed on letter packets and small packets. 91. Restriction on posting articles of merchandise. 92. Packets subject to inspection. 93. Certain packets to be sent to Comptroller of Customs. 94. Entry to be made by addressee of AD VALOREM goods. 95. Effect of failure of addressee to make entry. 96. Postmaster General’s obligations where duty payment refused. 97. Disposal of postal packet delivered to the Comptroller. PART V MISCELLANEOUS (a) Poste Restante 98. Poste Restante. 99. Where no delivery articles dealt with as Poste Restante. 100. Poste Restante only for strangers and travellers. 101. Certain articles deemed undeliverable. 102. Identification of applicant for postal packet. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. Post Office [CAP. 228 9 103. Time of retention in Poste Restante. (b) Private Letter Boxes and Bags 104. Private Letter Boxes. 104:01 Private letter. 104:02 Deposit for key. 105. Method of address. 106. Box may not be transferred. 107. Mis-sorted or mis-delivered correspondence. 108. Damage to private box by renter. 109. Power to refuse to allot box. 110. Loss of key. 111. Bulky correspondence. 111:01 Clearing of box. 112. Stocks of stamps. 113. Private Letter Bags. (c) Reply Coupons 114. International Reply Coupons. 115. Commonwealth Reply Coupons. 116. Maximum number of coupons to be sold, etc. (d) Postage Stamps 117. Service to Philatelists. (e) Newspapers 117:01 Criteria for publication. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. 10 CAP. 228] Post Office PART VI MONEY ORDER AND POSTAL ORDER REGULATIONS (a) General 118. Rates of Exchange for British Postal Orders. 119. Foreign Money Orders. (b) Issue of Money Orders (British and Foreign) 120. Offices transacting Money Order business. 121. Commission on Money Orders. 122. Form. 123. Limit for foreign money orders. 124. How amounts to be expressed. 125. Requisition for foreign money orders. 126. Postmaster General not responsible for consequences of defects. 127. Issue of money order. 128. Revoked by S.I. 4 of 1975. 129. Regulations of country of payment to apply. 130. Irregular use of money order service. 131. Validity of money orders payable abroad. 132. Payment at Post Offices. 132:01 Application for postal identity card. 132:02 Form of postal identity card. 132:03 Keeping of register. 133. Method of payment. 134. Payment through bank. 135. Illiterate payee. 136. Non-liability of Postmaster General. 137. Advice of payment of money order. 138. Payment transferred to another office. 139. Loss of money order. 140. Indemnity to be given. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. Post Office [CAP. 228 11 141. Procedure for stopping payment of a money order. 142. Repayment order. 143. Void order. 144. Repayment of money order not be effected until authorised. 145. Expiration of money orders issued abroad. (d) Telegraph Money Orders (Overseas) 146. Extent of Service. 147. Fee payable. 148. Remitter may send private communication in advice telegram. 149. Full address to be furnished. 150. Poste Restante. 151. Advice of payment. 152. Offices issuing Telegraph Money Orders. 153. Offices paying Telegraph Money Orders. 154. Regulations to apply to telegraph order. 155. Non-liability of Postmaster General. (e) Issue and Payment of Inland Money Orders 156. Offices transacting Money Order. 157. Maximum amount of order. 158. Application for orders. 159. Payment of order. 160. Duplicate orders. 161. Foreign money order regulations to apply. POSTAL ORDERS (a) British 162. Offices transacting postal order business. 163. Denominations of British postal orders. THE SUBSIDIARY LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2003 Printed by the Government Printer, No. 1 Power Lane, Belmopan, by the authority of []the Government of Belize. 12 CAP. 228] Post Office 164. Poundage payable. 165. Extension of value by postage stamps. 166. Validity. 167. Non-Liability of Postmaster General. 168. Payments to the public. 169. Presenter to sign personally. 170. Erasure or alteration on postal order a bar to payment. 171. Repayment to sender. (b) Inland 172. Offices transacting inland postal order business. 173. Commission. 174. Payment. 175. Additional commission payable after three months.