Canadian Forces Postal Service

1

What Is the Canadian Forces Postal Service?

The Canadian Forces Postal Service (CFPS) operates Canada Post post offices in support of the Canadian Forces deployments and ships located worldwide. CFPS personnel provide postal services and support to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian Armed Forces Mail is mail sent to or by Canadian Armed Forces personnel, their family members and the civilians attached to the Canadian Forces served through a Canadian Forces Post Office or a Fleet Mail Office.

A Canadian Forces Post Office (CFPO) is a military post office operated by the Canadian Forces Postal Service either domestically or overseas to provide postal services to personnel authorized to receive or mail Canadian Armed Forces Mail.

A Fleet Mail Office (FMO) is a military post office operated by the Canadian Forces Postal Service to provide postal services to Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS). Mail is gathered either at the Fleet Mail Office in Halifax or Victoria. Each Fleet Mail Office is then responsible to sort and prepare the mail for shipment to the deployed ship.

1.1	Unacceptable Items

Any item is considered unacceptable if:

• it is or contains any dangerous substance or article prohibited by law or defined as a dangerous good (see Non-mailable Matter for more information or refer to the Non-mailable Matter Regulations or the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act)
• it does not meet the size and weight specifications for this service
• it may soil, taint or damage mail or mail equipment, expose a person to danger or emit offensive odours
• it contains food perishables or live animals that do not meet applicable shipping requirements
• it is improperly or insecurely packed or wrapped
• it is in contravention of applicable Universal Postal Union prohibitions and U.S.A.’s Department of Transportation or Customs Regulations. The United States prohibits or applies restrictions on the acceptance of certain articles for transmission by post. For more information on restrictions and prohibitions, see International Destination Listing.

2

Size and Weight

2.1	Armed Forces Air Letters

Armed Forces Air Letters (form 43-074-078) with domestic Lettermail™ postage affixed may be used by:

• Canadian Armed Forces personnel stationed outside of Canada, writing to persons in Canada
• anyone in Canada writing to Canadian Armed Forces personnel outside of Canada
• members of the following foreign military forces serving in Canada when writing to someone in their own country:

1. The following words shall be printed on a Forces Air Letter:

1. on the face thereof, “Forces Air Letter/Lettre-avion pour militaire”
2. on the back thereof, “No enclosures permitted/Ne rien insérer” and “Authorized by the Canada Post Corporation for mailing in Canada/Autorisé par la Société canadienne des postes pour mise à la poste au Canada”; and

3. on the face or back thereof, the folding and opening instructions in English and in French.

2. No Forces Air Letter shall contain an enclosure.

2.1.1

Foreign Military Forces

When sending Armed Forces Air Letters out of Canada, foreign military forces serving in Canada must use form number 43-074-078 with domestic Lettermail postage affixed. The following particulars must be indicated in the upper left hand corner, under Sender’s Name and Address:

3

Pricing Information

Domestic postal services and prices apply to mail items sent to or by Canadian Armed Forces personnel overseas, provided the mail item is sent through the Belleville ON address or a Ship’s address in Halifax NS or Victoria BC.

3.1	GST exemption

Prices and fees for items mailed to foreign destinations or Canadian Forces Post Offices are not subject to sales taxes if the total price per transaction is $5 or more.

4

Delivery Standards at a Glance

Delivery standards are the same as for the domestic service used, from the point of origin to the Belleville address, or to the Victoria or Halifax FMO.

5

Features and Options

The features and options of the service used are applicable.

6

Addressing

Generally, items addressed to a Canadian Forces Post Office or a Fleet Mail Office should include, as applicable, the following information:

6.1	Examples of proper addressing

All items must bear a legible address including the correct Postal Code^OM, as well as the shipper’s address. See Addressing Guidelines for addressing details, tables of abbreviations and symbols.

6.2	Customs Requirements

The customs documentation that is required for an item shipped from Canada depends on the International service used, the content of the item and the destination. All items addressed to a deployed ship or a Canadian Armed Forces unit with the Belleville address must have the proper customs documentation.

7

Delivery of Canadian Armed Forces Mail

Items will be delivered to the applicable Canadian Forces Post Office or Fleet Mail Office for forwarding to the addressee.