Mailing Services

REGISTRATION

ARTICLES WHICH CAN BE REGISTERED

• Letters
• Letter cards
• Postcards
• Book and pattern packets
• Blind literature packets
• Parcels and newspapers prepaid with postage at newspaper rates of postage may be registered at any post office

• Any parcel exceeding 4 kilograms in weight.
• Any insured article
• Any parcel addressed to a place for which a customs declaration is required.
• Any article containing the following stamps labels, cheque, hundi, bank note, bank post bill, bill-of-exchange, 
• Any article bearing the word “registered” on the cover.
• Any registered article which is re-posted after having been delivered.
• Any value-payable article

1. An article intended for registration must be presented at the window of the post office.
   A receipt will be given to the person who presents an article for registration at the post office window during the hours prescribed for posting registered article
2. No such article shall also be accepted for registration –
   (a) Where it contains words to the effect that it has been, or is intended to be insured for any specific sum, or that is may contain valuable contents unless it is also to be insured, or
   (b) where such words are scored out.  

PARCELS
Contents

1. Anything may be sent in a parcel excepting articles the transmission of which is prohibited. A parcel may contain a single written communication of the nature of a letter or having the character of a personal communication, addressed to the addressee of the parcel.
2. Save as provided in sub-clause (1) no written communication must be enclosed in a parcel.
3. If a parcel is suspected to contain any written communication other than the permitted by sub-clause (1), it will be forwarded to its destination marked “ For open delivery”. If on being opened in the office of delivery in the presence of the addressee or his authorized agent it is found to contain any written communication other than the one permitted by sub-clause (1), each such written communication shall be charged on delivery with double the letter postage. Any postage paid on the parcel shall not be taken into account in assessing this charge. If the addressee fails attend as required or refuse to pay the charge in full the parcel shall be returned to the sender from whom the charge will not be recovered.
    

Weight and Size

1. The weight of an un-registered parcel should not exceed 4 kilograms (4000 grams), the weight of a registered parcel should not exceed 
   (a) 10 kilograms it posted at or addressed to, a branch post office, and 
   (b) 20 kilograms in other cases.
2. The length of a parcel should not exceed 1 metre and the length and girth combined should not exceed 1.80 metres. No parcel shall be such that, by reason of its shape, manner of packing or any other feature, it cannot be carried by post without serious inconvenience or risk.

Packing

1. A parcel be packed and enclosed in a reasonably strong case wrapper, or cover fastened in a manner calculated to preserve the contents from loss or damage in the post, to prevent any tempering therewith, and to protect other postal articles from being damaged in any way thereby. If a parcel contains cloth or woolen material it must be packed in a strong wrapper with an outer covering of stout card-board or cloth. Parcels containing articles or great value like container or a wooden or a stout cardboard case according to the nature of the article.
2. Liquid and substances which liquefy easily must be dispatched in a double receptacle. Between the first receptacle (bottle, talks, box etc) and the second (which must be a box of metal or strong wood) some space must be left to be filled with saw-dust, bran or some other absorbing material in sufficient quantity to absorb all the liquid contents in the event of breakage.
3. Live-bees must be enclosed in suitable cases and so packed as to prevent all risk of injury to other postal articles in course of transmission by post or to officers of the Post Office.

Manner of Prepaying Postage  
The postage on a parcel, and also the registration fee if the parcel is to be registered must be prepaid fully. Postage stamps must be affixed to, or impressions of stamping machine taken in the cover of the parcel or and official label which can be obtained free at the post office. In cases where postage stamps are used the sender or his messenger must affix the stamps himself postal official being strictly forbidden to affix them. Should an official label be used it must be pasted to the parcel, and if the sender does not do this himself he is recommended to see it done in his presence before he leaves the post office.
NOTE:- If wax- cloth is used as an outer covering for protection and sufficient strong paper has not been securely fastened outside the wax-cloth (See clause 15), it is advisable that the postage stamps should always be affixed to an official label .

Manner of Posting

1. Every parcel (including service parcels) intended for transmission by post must be presented at the window of the post office. Any parcel found in a letter box will be treated and charged as a registered parcel.
2. If a parcel containing any of the articles mentioned in sub-clauses (2) and (3) of clause 147 and clauses 148 to 152 is not packed in the manner prescribed therein it will not be forwarded

INSURANCE

Articles may be insured at all post offices. Insurance covers all risks in course of transmission by post . The prepayment of all charges on insured articles namely postage, registration and insurance fee is compulsory. Postage stamps affixed to an insured article must be placed apart from one another so that they may not serve to conceal injuries to the cover of the letter or parcel.

What article can be insured?

• Registered letters, 
• Value Payable Registered Letters,
• Registered Parcels 
• Value-Payable Registered Parcels

Limit up to which You can Insure

• Insured up to the value of Rs 600 at branch post offices,  
• Insured up to the value of Rs 10,000 in other offices 
• Insured value shall not exceed the real value of the contents of the article insured. 
• The articles containing gold, coin or bullion government currency notes or bank notes or any combination of these shall be insured for the actual value of the contents.  

Cases in which Insurance is compulsory
Coin, bullion, platinum precious stones jewellery government currency notes or bank notes and articles of gold or silver may be sent by post only in insured letters, insured parcels.

Insurance is also compulsory for at least the amount specified for recovery from the addressee in the case of all value payable articles on which the amount specified for recovery exceeds Rs 100. (other than value payable letters containing Railway receipt, bills invoices, documents etc of no intrinsic value and value payable packets containing printed papers, books etc sent under book packet rates) 

Packing Size and other conditions

• Every letter tendered for insurance must be enclosed in a strong cover which must be securely fastened and sealed by means of identical seals in fine wax reproducing a private mark and affixed in sufficient number so that it cannot be opened without either breaking the seal or leaving obvious traces of violation.
• No label of any kind should be affixed by the sender to such a cover but cut out labels the maximum size of which is 1-1/2-2x3” (3.8 cb x 7.6cb.) with frank impressions as postage stamps on the cover of an insured articles may be accepted.
• An envelope with black or coloured border or a transparent panel must not be used.
• The seals must be placed over each flap or seam of the cover and if the cover is tied round with string or tape a seal must be placed on the ends where they are tied.
• As an additional precaution (if the contents admit of it) a thread should be passed through the cover and its contents and tied the knot being placed under the Central seal.
• If a parcel contains gold or silver bullion or coins it must be packed in a strong case of wood or metal with an outer covering of cloth or stout paper
  All the seals affixed to an insured article must be of the same kind of wax and must bear distinct impressions of the same private device. The device must not be that of a current coin or merely a serried of straight curved, or crossed lines.
  NOTE:- It is recommended that registration envelopes (sold at all post offices) be used for insured letters
  It should not be so small or so covered with writing or sealing wax on the address side, or otherwise made up in such a manner, as to render it impracticable to affix to the article the prescribed official labels of the Post Office.

Insurance Procedure

• An article intended for insurance must be presented at the window of the post office.
• Write in words and figures, the insurance value without erasure or correction, on the top of the address side of the cover.
  The name and address of the sender must also be written on the cover in the lower left-hand corner, or on a separate slip of paper, to be presented with the article should there be no room for his name and address on the cover.
• A receipt will be given to the person who presents an article for insurance at the post office window during the hours prescribed for posting insured articles.
• Any error or mistakes should be pointed out at once by the sender otherwise the Post Office will not be liable for any damages or compensation.
• The sender of the insured article is entitled to obtain free of charge and acknowledgement of its delivery signed by the addressee or his authorized agent.
• The sender may himself fill up the form of acknowledgement to be signed by the addressee and is recommended to do so.
  Responsibility of the Post Office 
• Compensation will be payable one month after the date on which intimation of loss is given by the sender to the Post Office, except in cases in which the Head of the Circle may consider that the circumstances demand the withholding of payment pending enquiry.  
• In the event of the loss of the postal article, or any of its contents, or for any damage caused to it in course of transmission by post the compensation will be paid to the sender and the compensation in no case exceeds the value of the article or any of its contents lost or the amount of the damage caused.
• In the case of loss, the sender furnishes full particulars of the contents of the postal article and their values.
• No compensation will be payable
• Where there has been mis-delivery arising out of incorrectness or incompleteness of the address written by the sender.
• Where there has been fraud on the part of the sender of addressee,
  Where the insured article has been delivered to the addressee, and he has signed and returned the receipt therefore,
  Where the sender has not given intimation of the loss within three months from the date of posting,
• Where the loss or damage was due to improper or insecure packing,
• Where there is no visible damage to the cover or seals it being understood
• that the sender must so pack the letter or parcel that its contents cannot be touched without visible damage as aforesaid being caused,
• Where the insured article contains Government currency notes, bank notes, gold coin or bullion or any combination of these, and has not been insured for the actual value of the contents,
• In the case of the loss of halves of currency notes,
• In the case of damage arising from the nature of the article insured or
• Where the insured article contained anything the transmission of which by post is prohibited
• If after compensation has been paid for the loss of a postal article or any portion of its contents, the contents or any portion thereof are subsequently recovered, the recovered contents will be dealt with as follows namely
• If the value of the recovered contents added to the amount of compensation paid is not in excess of the amount of loss, the recovered contents will be restored to the sender.
• If the value of the recovered contents added to the amount of compensation paid is in excess of the amount of the loss, the Post Office will be entitled either to restore the recovered contents to the sender on his repaying the amount of such excess or to retain and dispose of so much of the recovered contents as may be held by the Head of the Circle to represent such excess and restore the rest of the recovered contents, if any, to the sender

Value payable articles  
The value payable system is designed to meet the requirements of persons which wish to pay for articles sent to them at the time of receipt of the articles or of the bills or railway receipts relating to them, and also to meet the requirements of traders and others who wish to recover, through the agency of the Post Office the value of article supplied by them.

Registered : Parcels, registered letters, registered book packets and newspapers prepaid with postage of newspaper rates of postage and with registration fee may be transmitted by the inland post as value payable postal articles, provided that the amount specified for remittance to the sender in the case of any such postal article does not exceed Rs.1,000/- and provided that such parcels, letters and packets do not contain coupons, tickets, certificates of introduction designed for the sale of goods on what is known as the “Snowball System”.

Declaration:   No such postal article as aforesaid will be accepted at any post office for transmission by post as a value payable postal article unless the sender declares that it is sent in execution of a bona fide order received by him. At any post office notified from time to time in this behalf by the Director General, the sender will in addition be required to declare that the article is one the transmission of which by post as a value payable postal article is permitted. No postal article as aforesaid will be accepted at these offices without such further declaration.

EXPLANATION: An article may be sent by the value payable post even though it possesses no intrinsic value. Thus legal documents, bonds, policies of insurance, promissory note railway goods and parcel receipts, bills of leading or ordinary bills for collection may be sent as value payable postal articles. In the case of a railway receipt of bill of leading sent as a value payable postal article, it will be sufficient for the purposes of this rule if the article to which railway receipt of bill of leading relates has been sent n execution of a bona fide order. In the case of the other documents specified the documents must be sent in execution of a bona fide order to send the document itself.

Post Office from and to which V.P. article may be sent:  Value payable postal articles can be posted at any post office that is a money order office (with a few exceptions) for transmission to any other post office that is a money order office. All post offices are money order offices except those that are distinguished in the list of post offices given in Part-III of this Guide by the letter ‘D’ opposite their names.

Manner of Posting

1. Every postal article intended to be transmitted by post as a value payable postal article must be presented at the post office with the prescribed printed form in which the sender must specify the sum to be remitted to himself full in the required entries (in ink) and sign the declaration required by clause 188. The sender must also write clearly on the face of the article itself:
   (a) in the upper left hand corner the letters “VP” followed by an entry in figures and words of the amount for remittance to himself and
   (b) in the lower left hand corner – his own name and full address
   NOTE: The sender’s name and address may be indicated by clear impression of a stamp on the value payable articles.
2. Value payable articles will not be accepted unless the town of payment shown in the value payable money order form is the one where the article has been booked.
3. A receipt will be given to the person who preset the article.

Booking of value-payable articles in Bulk: A procedure similar to that indicated in clause 167 for registered articles is available for the convenience of firms and other institutions posting at least ten uninsured value payable articles daily. No extra charge will be levied for this facility. Enquiries of Post regard should be addressed to the local Superintendent of Post Offices.

Conditions: 

1. No article will be accepted at any post office for transmission by post as value payable postal article if it is so small or so covered with writing or sealing wax on the address side or otherwise made up in such a manner as to render it impracticable to affix to the article the prescribed official labels of the Post Office.
   EXPLANATION: This rule does not apply to an article which has an address labeled to it, provided that the label is not so small or covered with writing on the address side as to render it impracticable to affix to that side the prescribed official labels of the Post office.
2. No article on which the amount specified for recovery from the addressee exceeds Rs.100/- will be accepted at any post office for transmission by post as value payable postal article unless it is insured for at least the sum specified for remittance by the sender.
   EXPLANATION: This rule does not apply to value payable letters containing Railway receipts, bills, invoices, documents, etc. of no intrinsic value and to value payable packet containing printed papers, books, etc., sent under book packet rates.

Payment to Sender: When the amount due is recovered from the addressee, the sum for payment, to the sender will be remitted to him by means of money order.  

Detention in office of delivery and levy of demurrage: If the addressee of a value payable postal article omits to take delivery of it within 7 days following the date of its first presentation or the date of delivery to him or to his accredited agent of an intimation of its arrival, the article will be returned to the sender on the 8th day:

• Provided that if in the meantime the addressee has applied in writing to the post office for detention of the article for a further period not exceeding seven days beginning with the said 8th day and pays the prescribed fee the article shall not be returned to the sender until the expiration of the further period covered by the application. Any fee so paid shall in no circumstances be refunded.
• When a value payable Postal article is returned to the sender under sub clause (1) the sender will be required to pay any charges that may be due on it and to acknowledge receipt of the article by signing the form presented by the postman. In no circumstances will any fee or fees prepaid by the sender be refunded.
• Insurance of VP articles: The value declared for insurance need not correspond with the amount specified by the sender for remittance to himself. Thus in the case of a watch returned after repairs per value-payable post to its owner, the amount to be remitted to the sender of the watch would be only the cost of repairs while the sum insured would represent the value of the watch itself.

Complaints regarding value payable articles: 

1. Wherever the sender article addressee of a value payable postal article makes a complaint regarding the delivery of or payment for, the value payable postal article, he will be entitled to have an enquiry made by the post office on paying the prescribed fee. The fee will be paid by means of a postage stamps or stamps affixed to the letter of complaint. This fee will be refunded in cases where the complaint was found to be well grounded. The complaint will be required to furnish full particulars regarding each value payable article to which the complaint refers and to pay the prescribed fee in respect of each article. No complaint will be attended to unless made within six months of the date of posting of the value payable article. The result of the enquiry will be communicated by letter.
2. When a complaint is made regarding payment for a V.P. article the V.P. money order will not be produced unless and allegation of fraud or receipt practiced on the sender is put forward, and the V.P. money order will only be available for inspection at the post office at which the Department finds it convenient to permit examination.
3. If a complaint is made by the addressee immediately after the receipt of a value payable postal article, that it was sent dishonestly or fraudulently the Head of the Circle may if he is satisfied that there are prima facie grounds for believing that the value payable postal article was sent with the intention of defrauding the addressee, withhold the payment to the sender of the money recovered from the addressee. If after making such enquiries as may be necessary, he is fully satisfied that the value payable postal article was sent with this intention he may order the return of the article to the sender and refund to the addressee the sum of money recovered from him on delivery of the value-payable postal article.
   EXPLANATION: Impression of a stamping machine made be a competent authority shall be tantamount to affixing stamps of corresponding value.  

Responsibility of the Post Office: The Central Government shall not incur any liability in respect of the sum specified for remittance to the sender in respect of a value payable postal article unless and until that sum has been received from for remittance to the sender in respect of a value payable within six months from the date of posting of the article.