Electronic Forms Requirements for International Shipments
In December 2011 the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) announced changes to a variety of prices and services available for
international shipping and mailing. A big
change is in the area of required
electronic customs documents for some
international shipments. This
change was prompted by various federal regulation changes that now require
electronic transmission of Customs-related functions prior to mailing. What this means for mailers is that labels, customs documents and other postal documentation must be generated using the
USPS Global Shipping Software (
GSS) and submitted electronically.
Why the change?
This
change in postal
requirements is actually driven by other federal regulatory changes from several federal agencies, all of which deal with increased security for
international shipments. As a result of these federal agency changes, the
USPS made changes to their regulations for
international shipments. These changes impact any shipments sent via Global Express Guaranteed®, Express Mail International® or Priority Mail International® commercial base, commercial plus, or retail rates that are paid under an indicia or permit imprint.
What is GSS?
GSS stands for Global Shipping Software, which is produced by the
USPS, and provides for the generation of shipping labels and required Customs and postal documentation, plus the ability to transmit this data electronically. In addition to using the USPS
GSS software, mailers may also use
USPS certified software vendors to access the
USPS software.
USPS Certified Postal Package Partner™
Window Book has been certified by the
USPS for these electronic submissions via our
Postal Package Partner (PPP) software. If you currently use PPP for international shipments, contact us today to walk through this new process and help you get tested and approved by the USPS. If you are not currently a PPP user, but you ship internationally, you can receive a complimentary demonstration of the software and how it can be used to meet these new postal
requirements for
international shipments. Contact us at
postalspecialist@windowbook.com to get started using PPP and
GSS.
Effective Dates
Effective January 22, 2012, mailers paying the retail price were no longer allowed to enter Express Mail International or Priority Mail International items bearing a permit imprint at a business mail entry unit (BMEU). Mailers have been given until April 1, 2012 to comply with the
electronic transmission requirement for these
international shipments.
Handling Change
If you are shipping items internationally using these services, you will need to make plans to access the USPS
GSS software effective April 1, 2012 in order to continue making those shipments. Alternatively, you may access the software through
USPS certified third-party software vendors. Keep in mind that this process requires some testing and approval by the
USPS, so mailers should plan ahead for this conversion as soon as possible.
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