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The deadline for meeting new mail regulations has been pushed back by the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) by a month – until 4 May.
The BFPO introduced new import and export regulations on 1 January 2021 to ensure that mail addressed to overseas BFPO numbers or BF1 postcodes complied with international mail import or export rules.
The original enforcement date was 5 April, but this has been moved back until 4 May to allow more UK businesses to implement the necessary changes.
Anyone sending items to overseas BFPO addresses will be required to complete customs declarations forms in more detail than before and in particular, ensure the contents and value of the mail items are clear.
An announcement on the Government website said some businesses and commercial partners were still struggling to make the necessary changes.
It said: “In our discussions with UK businesses and commercial courier partners it is clear that meeting the regulations introduced on 1 January 2021 is proving a significant challenge.
“Therefore, in order to mitigate the impact on our customers, BFPO have made the decision to extend the enforcement date, previously set at 5 April 2021, for returning non-compliant mail back to senders.
“BFPO anticipates that this decision will allow for more UK businesses to embed the necessary changes into their processes and allow us to continue to service the requirements of the overseas locations.”
From 4 May, non-compliant mail items will either be refused at the point of direct delivery at the BFPO Northolt site or returned at the first opportunity back into the Royal Mail system.
BFPO customers have been told to direct any inquiries regarding regulations or tax payments through their local Chain of Command, as they are not able to advise or comment on tax matters.
