Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is USA and International Letter-post?
   
   USA and International Letter-post is an economical method of sending personal and business correspondence, or similar communications to the USA and other International destinations. USA and International Letter-post must be posted in Canada for delivery outside Canada. Where there is a return address on the Item, that address must be Canadian. USA and International Letter-post Items are shipped via "air mail" and can include:
   
   
   • Letters;
   • Self-mailers;
   • Cards;
   • Postcards;
   • "Other Letter-post" Items that are non-standard and/or oversize.

2. What if I don't need the speed of an air service. Do I have any alternatives?
   
   Although all personal and business correspondence is shipped via USA and International "Letter-post" (air mail), Canada Post offers a surface "Small Packets" service to international destinations that accommodates the movement of printed matter items such as catalogues, magazines and newspapers, as well as goods.

3. When I ship Letter-post Items to the USA and internationally, how heavy can they be?
   
   USA and International Letter-post service can accommodate Items weighing up to 500 grams. Heavier weighted Items can be shipped via Canada Post's international Small Packets or Parcel services.

4. Are there mail preparation options for USA and International Letter-post?
   
   There are no mail preparation options for the service. However, the following points should be noted:
   
   
   • The full municipality name should be used and should appear as the first component in the second last line of the address block.
     
     
   • The two-character state symbol is preferred over the full state name. The state symbol should appear on the second last line of the address following the municipality, separated by one space.
     
     
   • The ZIP code must be separated from the state symbol by two spaces. It may be either five or nine digits. If the nine-digit format is used, a hyphen will be used to separate the fifth and sixth digits.
     
     
   • For mail addressed outside of Canada and the United States of America, Canada Post's mechanized equipment reads only the name of the country. Therefore, the country name must be spelled correctly.
     
     
   • The name of the country must appear alone and be the last entry of the address block. It is placed at the bottom, below the municipality/city name and any postal code/zip code information.
     
     
   • The name of the country must be spelled in full. (Ex.: UAE is not acceptable for UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.)

5. What if I have more questions?
   
   For inquiries and further information, you can call our toll-free Commercial Service Network at 1-800-260-7678, explore the Web site at or drop by your local post office.