Shipping APO is a PAIN
I recently wrote of my experiences packing for Iraq. Today I had the pleasure of actually hauling my personal effects to the post office for shipment.
I had a total of roughly 60 pounds of stuff in four boxes, which all shipped priority mail for roughly $70. A few observations:
- You use the big white form, PS 2976-A. You don’t need to fill out PS 2976 at all.
- The customs form is affixed to the outside of the package by the postal clerk. Thus, you can seal your packages before you bring them to the post office
- I checked ‘gift’ as the type, and entered the ‘Certified to be bona fide gift…’ text from my previous post in the Description of Contents. Whether this will pass customs muster or not remains to be seen.
- You can’t use the shipping kiosk to send stuff APO.
- Know the weight and value of each package before you show up; you’ll need both bits of information for the customs forms.
What will be even more fun is sending all this stuff back to the US once I complete my deployment. Oh well; if it wasn’t a hardship, everyone would do it.
Packing for Iraq
I’ve been advised repeatedly to travel to Iraq with no more than one carry-on bag. Since I’ll have to bring my laptop, this means either lugging two bags around, or getting a backpack which can accomodate a laptop. My inclination is towards the latter.
In either case, the majority of the stuff I’m bringing will need to be shipped ahead of me via APO (Army/Air Force Post Office) mail.
I’m still working on my Iraq packing list, but I’d better hurry; I have just been advised by one of the team on the ground that I need to send it ASAP if it’s to arrive before I do, on or about 16-Jan-06. It seems absurd that a shipment to an APO would take a month, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk it. From the 2005 International and Military Mail Christmas Mailing Dates page, parcel post should be shipped by Nov 12 (!!) to arrive by Christmas. Priority Mail needs to ship by Dec 5; 20 days seems a long time, but oh well.
Setting aside the fact that I’ve not finished my packing list, there’s an additional complication: I don’t know anything about shipping APO.
I got the address, including the APO zip code, from the team. However, I’ve no idea what the rules are for APO mail. Turns out USPS has a hard-to-find, deeply-buried publication on the subject, Overseas Military Mail section of the postal bulletin pb22101. This document is from back in 2003, but it’s the most recent I could find.
I looked up my APO zip code in the table, and cross-referenced it with the shipping restrictions. Some worth noting include:
B1. PS Form 2976 or 2976-A is required. Articles are liable for customs duty and/or purchase tax unless they are bona fide gifts intended for use by military personnel or their dependents. When the contents of a parcel meet these requirements, the mailer must endorse the customs form, “Certified to be a bona fide gift, personal effects, or items for personal use of military personnel and dependents,” under the heading, Description of Contents. Exceptions: All other exceptions listed in restriction B above are applicable to this restriction.
(Obviously, I’d be shipping personal effects, and wouldn’t be liable for duties. USPS has a mostly-worthless guide to customs declaration forms, and you can see scanned copies of PS-2976 and PS-2976-A courtesy NCSU)
C1. Obscene articles, prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc., and horror comics and matrices are prohibited.
(Lame. When they say ‘hardship post’, they aren’t kidding!)
E2. Any matter depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or nonauthorized political materials is prohibited. Although religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith are prohibited in bulk quantities, items for the personal use of the addressee are permissible.
(So, my copy of Pat Robertson’s ‘Kill the Infidel’ is only ‘permissible’? Quagmire!)
H1. Pork or pork by-products are prohibited.
(Wow, that sucks. Good thing I’m a chicken man, myself)
R1. Materials used in the production of alcoholic beverages (i.e., distilling material, hops, malts, yeast, etc.) are prohibited.
(Bogus. I’ll have to buy my own alcohol!?)
So, having said all that, a few moderately-sized boxes with clothes, keyboard, trackball, books, etc, shouldn’t be a problem. I obviously have to use Priority Mail, so I’m a bit concerned about the cost, but maybe it’s reimbursable.