International Incentive Letter-post™

1	What’s In This Chapter

The following sections are covered in this chapter:

2

What Is International Incentive Letter-post?

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International Incentive Letter-post provides Canadian-based mailers with a competitive, incentive-based premium, per item or standard service for mail destined to the United States and other international destinations. In order to access International Incentive Letter-post service and prices, a Customer must enter into an appropriate Agreement with Canada Post.

International Incentive Letter-post items are composed of paper or other material with the general characteristics of paper. These items must meet the requirements for International Incentive Letter-post, including size and weight.

International Incentive Letter-post must be posted in Canada for delivery outside of Canada.

There are three categories of International Incentive Letter-post. International Premium Incentive, International Per Item Incentive and International Standard Incentive.

International Premium Incentive and International Per Item Incentive include:

• letters, cards and postcards
• receipts, invoices and financial documents
• other printed matter that meets the service requirements.

International Standard Incentive includes printed matter that has been reproduced in several identical copies by means of a mechanical or photographic process such as:

• magazines
• newspapers and newsletters
• pamphlets and other promotional literature
• advertising and promotional postcards.

3

Unacceptable Items

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The following items may not be sent as International Incentive Letter-post:

• small packets
• goods
• film, audio or video recordings (diskettes, CD, DVD)
• items that do not meet the specifications for International Incentive Letter-post
• items prohibited by law or defined as dangerous goods in Canada (see the chapter “Non-mailable Matter” for more information)
• items prohibited by law or defined as dangerous goods in the destination country (see “Part H: International Destination Listing” for more information).

4

Enclosures

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Only enclosures which meet the requirements for International Incentive Letter-post are acceptable.

5

Size and Weight

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Each International Incentive Letter-post item must meet the size and weight specifications shown in Table 1.

All Short and Long items and postcards must be rectangular in shape. If a postcard is not in a rectangular shape, it must be enclosed in a rectangular envelope.

All Short and Long items or postcards that exceed any one of the applicable maximum dimensions become Oversize.

5.1

Format

Each item must bear the approved Canada Post Letter-post indicia, including the Customer’s Account Number. Each item must also bear on the front of the mail item in an area specified by Canada Post, the applicable service indicator as follows:

• International Premium Incentive and International Per Item Incentive: “AIR MAIL/PAR AVION”
• International Standard Incentive: “NON-PRIORITY”.

Transparent plastic envelopes (also referred to as polybags) are acceptable for movement of International Incentive Letter-post, noting that the polybag must be completely sealed for the movement of the International Premium Incentive and the International Per Item Incentive.

The maximum length to height ratio is 2.6 : 1 and the minimum is 1.3 : 1.

Window envelopes must be rectangular. The window must include a transparent cover and must run parallel to the envelope’s length. The address window must not interfere with the date-stamping process.

Visit www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/standards/default-e.asp for more information on window envelopes.

5.1.1

Sealing

International Premium Incentive and International Per Item Incentive items must be enclosed in a completely sealed envelope, with the exception of rectangular promotional postcards and self-mailers (without an attached pin-feed strip).

International Standard Incentive items should be securely closed (e.g., tabbed, spot-sealed or wrapped), but must be easy to open and close again so as to allow for inspection.

6

Pricing Information

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For pricing information, contact a Canada Post Sales Representative.

7

Payment Options

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7.1	Proofs of Payment

The following proof of payment is acceptable for International Incentive Letter-post items (some restrictions or conditions may apply):

• postal indicia.

7.2	Methods of Payment

The following methods of payment are acceptable for International Incentive Letter-post items (some restrictions or conditions may apply):

• account (Billing or Payment on Account)*
• business cheque
• cash
• credit card (where available)
• debit card (where available)**
• money order
• traveller’s cheque**

For more information, see section 4.6 “Pay for the Item” of the “ABCs of Mailing” chapter.

8

Service Standards at a Glance

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9

Features

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

9.1	Return to Sender

This feature applies to International Premium Incentive and International Per Item Incentive. All items that cannot be delivered or redirected will be returned to sender free of charge provided there is a Canadian return address on the outside of the mail item.

9.2	Redirection

All International Incentive Letter-post items will be redirected to the addressee based on the practices and requirements of the destination country’s postal administration.

9.3	On-demand Pick-up

On-demand Pick-up is available to International Incentive Letter-post (Premium, Per Item and Standard) Customers at no additional charge, in certain locations. For a list of available pick-up locations, Customers can visit www.canadapost.ca/ilpsupportdocuments or contact the Customer Relationship Support group at 1-888-550-6333.

10

Options

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There are no options available for International Incentive Letter-post.

11

Labels and Documentation Required

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A completed Order (Statement of Mailing) produced by the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST), or a manually-prepared Order (Statement of Mailing), is required for each single deposit of International Incentive Letter-post. A fee applies to manually prepared Orders (Statements of Mailing).

Two paper copies of the electronic Order, or the original hard copy Order (Statement of Mailing), must be given at the time of mailing to an authorized Canada Post employee at the Receipt Verification Unit (RVU) or at the postal facility approved by Canada Post.

International Premium Incentive, International Per Item Incentive and International Standard Incentive may not be combined on the same Order.

12

Addressing

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All items must be addressed to a specific person or company name, and bear the complete address, including the country of destination spelled in full in English or French, and printed alone on the last line, in capital letters. See the chapter “Addressing Guidelines” for complete details.

13

Mail Preparation and Presortation

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In locations where pick-up is available, the sender must separate the mail by destination and service category as follows:

• U.S.A. Premium Incentive
• International Premium Incentive
• U.S.A. Per Item Incentive
• International Per Item Incentive
• U.S.A. Standard Incentive
• International Standard Incentive.

14

Prior to Deposit of International Incentive Letter-post

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14.1	Scheduling

Canada Post requires a 24 hour notice for deposits of 20,000 items or more in order to arrange for necessary transportation.

15

Deposit of International Incentive Letter-post

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The Customer can deposit International Incentive Letter-post items at any one of the following locations:

• at a Receipt Verification Unit
• at a Canada Post approved postal facility.