Front Cover 2 postal bulletin 22531 (10-24-19) Contents COVER STORY Stamp Services Holiday Season 2019. 3 Correction: Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . 62 Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . 62 POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Digital Color or UPDATES Traditional Postmarks . 64 Manuals DMM Revision: Competitive Post Office Box Service . 11 DMM Revision: Hold Mail Service . 11 PULL-OUT INFORMATION IMM Revision: Individual Country Listing for United Fraud Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . 13 Invalid USPS Corporate Account Numbers. 25 IMM Revision: Individual Country Listing for Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms . 26 New Zealand . 14 Missing, Lost, or Stolen Canadian Money Order Forms . 33 Publications Verifying U.S. Postal Service Money Orders . 35 Publication 431 Revision: Changes to Post Office Box Counterfeit Canadian Money Order Forms . 35 Service and Caller Service Fee Groups . 15 Toll-Free Number Available to Verify Canadian Money Orders . 35 ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Other Information Address Management Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail . 36 Post Office Changes . 16 Thrift Savings Plan Fact Sheet. 42 Domestic Mail Freely Associated States Restrictions . 44 Labeling List Changes . 16 Finance Christmas Pay Procedures for Rural Carriers . 18 POSTAL BULLETIN 2019 SEMI-ANNUAL INDEX Mail Transport Equipment 2019 Semi-Annual Index . PB 22524 (7-18-19) Orange Plastic Mailbags Now Available at Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers . 56 Find the latest in mail and delivery information Mailing and Shipping Services and services offered by U.S. Postal® Mail Alert . 57 in the Postal Bulletin at Safety and Wellness about.usps.com/postal-bulletin Help Prevent Cold Stress . 57 USPS National Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Week, October 26 – November 1, 2019. 58 Cover Story postal bulletin 22531 (10-24-19) 3 Cover Story Holiday Season 2019 This year, the Postal Service™ is reminding employees and customers that the holidays are our time to deliver. We have prepared all year for this season, and are ready to deliver across the country. Here are some important details to prepare for your holiday mailings. Holiday Stamps The Postal Service offers a wide variety of contemporary Mail by and religious stamps for the holidays. Customers may pur- Domestic Mail Class/Product Date chase these stamps at Post Offices or online at usps.com/ USPS Retail Ground® Dec. 14 shop. Get the stamps while they last, including: First-Class Mail® (including greeting cards) Dec. 20 Winter Berries. First-Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces) Dec. 20 Priority Mail® Dec. 21 Holiday Wreaths. Priority Mail Express®* Dec. 23 Kwanzaa. Alaska to Mainland First-Class Mail Dec. 18 Global Poinsettia. Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Dec. 19 Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Express Dec. 21 Diwali. Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail Dec. 19 Holiday Windows. Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail Express Dec. 21 Florentine Madonna and Child. * Not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted. Dates are for estimated delivery before December 25, 2019. Actual delivery date may vary Hanukkah. depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and Nativity. time, and other conditions. Some restrictions apply. For Priority Mail Express shipments mailed December 21 through December 25, the Eid Greetings. money-back guarantee applies only if the shipment was not deliv- ered, or delivery was not attempted, within two (2) business days. 2019 Holiday Mail-By Dates International Services Domestic Services We advise customers mailing internationally during the The Postal Service recommends customers in the U.S. holidays to review the International Services chart for spe- visit a Post Office™ location no later than the dates in the cific deadlines based on the locations they are mailing to table shown here for expected delivery by December 25 to and the service they are using. When mailing and shipping Air/Army Post Offices/Fleet Post Offices/Diplomatic Pos t internationally, customers must also follow the necessary Offices (APOs/FPOs/DPOs) and domestic addresses*. For customs guidelines. For more information, visit the Inter- the complete list of mailing and shipping deadlines, go t o national Shipping page at usps.com/international/prepar- about.usps.com/holidaynews. ing-international-shipments.htm. 4 postal bulletin 22531 (10-24-19) Cover Story First-Class Package International Mail Global Express Priority Mail Express Priority Mail International Service® Addressed To Guaranteed® (GXG)*** International® (PMEI) International® (PMI) (FCPIS) Africa Dec. 19 Dec. 7 Nov. 30 Nov. 30 Asia/Pacific Rim Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Australia/New Zealand Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Canada Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Caribbean Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Central and South America Dec. 18 Dec. 7 Nov. 30 Nov. 30 Mexico Dec. 18 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Europe Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Middle East Dec. 19 Dec. 14 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 * Not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted. Dates are for estimated delivery before December 25. Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time, and other conditions, including customs delays. *** GXG Notes: 1. Cut-off date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance. 2. Allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities. 3. The GXG Money-Back Guarantee will be suspended December 18–24 for shipments delivered by the end of the day on the published delivery commitment date. Military Mail To send packages to loved ones serving in the military and customs forms online anytime using Click-N-Ship® at abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of usps.com/ship. ® $18.45 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate box. The price To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by Decem- includes a $1.50 per box discount for mail sent to APO/ ber 25, 2019, the Postal Service recommends that you FPO/DPO destinations worldwide. send cards and packages to military APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are available at no cost at addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed in local Post Offices or customers can order them online at the following table: usps.com/freeboxes. Customers may print postage, labels, Priority Mail Express Military® First-Class Space Military Mail Addressed Service Mail Letters Parcel Airlift Available Mail USPS Retail To and From (PMEMS)1 and Cards Priority Mail Mail (PAL)2 (SAM)3 Ground APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090-092 Dec.18 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 4 Nov. 27 Nov. 6 APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093 N/A Dec. 4 Dec. 4 Dec. 4 Nov. 27 Nov. 6 APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094-098 Dec. 18 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 4 Nov. 27 Nov. 6 APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP 340 Dec. 18 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 4 Nov. 27 Nov. 6 APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962-966 Dec. 18 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 4 Nov. 27 Nov. 6 * Not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted. Dates are for estimated delivery before December 25. Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time, and other conditions. Some restrictions apply. 1. PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address. 2. PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for USPS Retail Ground items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The customer must pay the applicable PAL fee in addition to the regular surface price for each addressed piece sent by PAL service. 3. Customers pay for SAM parcels at USPS Retail Ground prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis. Cover Story postal bulletin 22531 (10-24-19) 5 Military Care Kit Skip the Trip and Ship Online The Postal Service has created a free Military Care Kit The Postal Service anticipates December 16 will be the based on the items most frequently requested by military busiest day online with more than 8.5 million customers families. The kit contains: predicted to visit usps.com for help shipping that special 1. Two Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Flat Rate boxes, holiday gift. And usps.com is always open. 2. Two Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate boxes, The Click-N-Ship feature (usps.com) and other online services allow customers to order free Priority Mail boxes*, 3. Priority Mail tape, print shipping labels, purchase postage, and even request 4. Priority Mail address labels, and free next-day Package Pickup**. 5. Appropriate customs forms. * Boxes are delivered in the U.S. with regular mail usually within 7 to 10 business days. Exclusions apply. For details and to order, visit To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. You can find guide- store.usps.com/store. lines for packing, addressing, and shipping items to U.S. ** For details on availability, visit tools.usps.com/schedule-pickup- troops at usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm. To order flat steps.htm. rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes. New Stamped Package Rule There have been some changes made to how you can Addressing the Package ship your packages this year. For safety reasons, as of Use the following directions to properly address your October 1, the Postal Service will no longer accept stamped military mail package: packages — which means using individual stamps as post- Write out the service member’s full name.