Post Office halts services to war-impacted countries

The South African Post Office (SAPO) suspended mail services to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from Wednesday.

This comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the West to implement a number of stringent sanctions against Russia and its allies.

In a statement, the Post Office indicated that airmail remains available to 33 countries, and surface mail to 51 countries.

‘Customers who order items from other countries should include their cellphone number with address details so the Post Office can send them an SMS when the item is ready for collection,’ said the Post Office.

SAPO reiterated its list of prohibited mail items including any arms, ammunition, explosives, liquids or items that could break and leak, and plant or animal material.

International items are delivered within an average of 10 working days.

For a quicker service, the Post Office offers an EMS service which delivers items within 24 hours of arrival in the destination country.

Customers can access electronic customs declaration forms on the Post Office website for quick clearance of parcels.

This can be found under ‘tools’ on the site www.postoffice.co.za South Africans are entitled to two tax-free gifts from abroad per year, provided the value of each gift is below R1 400.

For more information on this, visit the Sars website https://www.sars.gov.za/customs-and-excise/sending-or-receiving-goods-in-the-post/  

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