Canadian Forces Postal Service

1	What’s In This Chapter

The following sections are covered in this chapter:

2

What Is the Canadian Forces Postal Service?

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The Canadian Forces (CF) Postal Service operates Canada Post post offices in support of the Canadian Forces deployments and ships located worldwide.

For CF land-based deployments, a central mail address is established at the Canada Post Operations Plant located in Belleville, Ontario. All mail is gathered at the Belleville Plant and then retrieved by the CF Postal Unit located at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. The Canadian Forces Postal Unit then sorts and prepares it for shipment to the Canadian Forces deployments located worldwide.

For mail to Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS), the 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.

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

Canadian Forces Mail can be:

• letters or documents
• parcels.

A Canadian Forces Post Office (CFPO) is a post office operated outside Canada by the Canadian Forces Postal Service to provide postal services to personnel authorized to receive or mail Canadian 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).

3

Armed Forces Air Letters

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

• Canadian Forces personnel outside of Canada, served through a Canadian Forces Post Office or Fleet Mail Office when writing to persons in Canada
• anyone in Canada writing to Canadian Forces personnel outside of Canada, served through a Canadian Forces Post Office or Fleet Mail Office
• members of the following foreign military forces serving in Canada when writing to someone in their own country:

3.1	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:

4

Unacceptable Items

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Any Canadian Forces Mail item is considered unacceptable if:

• it does not meet the size and weight specifications for this service (see Table 1: “Canadian Forces Mail Size and Weight” for more information)
• it contains any dangerous substance or article prohibited by law or defined as a dangerous good (for more information see the “Non-mailable Matter” chapter, or refer to the Non-mailable Matter Regulations and to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act)
• 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 Customs Regulations of the destination country, as well as U.S.A.’s Department of Transportation Regulations.

5

Size and Weight

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Each Canadian Forces Mail item must meet the size and weight specifications shown in Table 1.

6

Service Standards at a Glance

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Service 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. See the “Service Standards” chapter for more information.

7

Features

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A feature is something that is provided as part of the basic service. The available feature is described below.

7.1	Redirection

The CF Postal Service is authorized to readdress and redirect mail for military personnel that cannot be delivered as addressed or redirected by the serving post office.

8

Options

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An option is a service enhancement which is not included automatically as part of the basic service. The Customer must select the option by checking a box or affixing an additional label or sticker. Most options are available for an additional fee. The available options are described below.

8.1	Coverage for Loss or Damage

No coverage is available for letters.

Coverage for loss or damage can be purchased for parcels as long as the contents are acceptable as insurable items.

8.2	Registered Mail

Registered Mail secures the signature of the addressee and provides the sender with a mailing receipt, a copy of the signature and the date upon delivery of the item.

8.3	Delivery Confirmation

This feature provides positive confirmation that the item arrived at its destination. Upon delivery, or attempted delivery, the item ID (identification) number is scanned and the date captured. The information is available by noon the next business day following delivery via an automated phone response system by calling 1-888-550-6333, the Internet and via the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) software.

8.4

Signature

Provided the Signature option was purchased at the time of shipping, delivery information will be available at no additional charge, usually by noon on the business day following delivery. This delivery information can be obtained on Canada Post’s website, from the Customer Relationship Support group at 1-888-550-6333 or via the Electronic Shipping Tools software. Some exceptions apply in smaller centres. If the addressee or his/her representative refuses to sign for the item, Canada Post will ask the addressee to print his name in block letters. If the addressee refuses, Canada Post will deliver the item and indicate “SIGNATURE REFUSED” in the Signature box.

8.5	Collect on Delivery

Collect on Delivery is a domestic service by which an amount due to the sender is collected by Canada Post upon delivery, on behalf of the sender. The shipper will specify the amount of money to be collected and the payment option. The collected amount is then returned to the sender. The maximum amount that Canada Post will collect is $1,000 where the payment option is cash and $25,000 in the case of a cheque. All cheques are made payable to the shipper.

9

Addressing

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All items must bear a legible address including the correct Postal Code, as well as the shipper’s address. See the “Addressing Guidelines” chapter for more information.

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

• on the 1st line – Rank, initials and name
• on the 2nd line – Section or Mess number
• on the 3rd line – HMCS (name of ship) or Unit
• on the 4th line – Civil address, PO box number, or STN FORCES
• on the 5th line – Name of the city, province, Postal Code or equivalent.

9.1	Examples of Proper Addressing

FINANCE SECTION CFSU (E) DET SHAPE
PO BOX 5048 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON  K8N 5W6

MS K DUNBAR
MESS #3
HMCS CALGARY
PO BOX 17000 STN FORCES
VICTORIA BC  V9A 7N2

PO W SMITH
MESS #5
HMCS TORONTO
PO BOX 99000 STN FORCES
HALIFAX NS  B3K 5X5

10

Customs Requirements

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All items addressed to a deployed ship or a Canadian Forces unit with the Belleville address must have the proper customs documentation. 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.

11

Delivery of Canadian Forces Mail

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

12

Pricing Information

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Domestic postal services and prices apply to mail items sent to or by Canadian 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.

12.1	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.

12.2	Domestic Services (Mail Items Sent Through a Post Office)

Letters – Letters destined to a Canadian Forces Base overseas or Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship, and sent through the Belleville ON or Ship’s Halifax NS or Victoria BC address, may be sent at the prices and conditions of domestic services.

Pricing will apply depending on the domestic service and mailing options chosen by the mailer: Lettermail, Xpresspost or Priority Courier. Please refer to the applicable service chapter.

Armed Forces Letters – Lettermail prices apply. See the “Lettermail™” chapter for more information.

Parcels – Parcels destined to a Canadian Forces Base overseas or Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship may be sent at the prices and conditions of domestic services. Parcels over 20 kg or which exceed 2 m Length + Girth are not acceptable as Canadian Forces Mail.

Pricing will apply depending on the domestic service and options chosen by the mailer: Regular Parcel, Xpresspost or Priority Courier. The price will be calculated on the basis of shipping the item from its origin to the Belleville ON address or to the Ship’s Halifax NS or Victoria BC address, as applicable.

Please refer to the applicable service chapter.