USPS Domestic Service Updates

April 17, 2020: Expected Delivery Change for Priority and First-Class Service

U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail products and First-Class packages may require more time to be delivered due to limited transportation availability as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) impacts to the United States. 

Effective April 17, 2020:

The Postal Service’s flagship Priority Mail Express service, which guarantees overnight service, will not change.

Service commitments for local 1-day Priority Mail will not change.

Priority Mail’s two and three day service commitments now will be extended to three and four days respectively. Customers will continue to receive end-to-end visibility and improved product tracking, as well as up to $50 in free insurance. 

With the extra day extension, customers should expect delivery using Priority Mail Open and Distribute (PMOD) to range from two to four days nationwide.  

First-Class Package Service (FCPS) two and three day service commitments will also be extended to three and four days respectively. 

Global Express Guaranteed Services also have been altered.

USPS International Outbound Service Outages

International Service Impacts as of April 10, 2020

Effective April 10, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where the foreign postal operator has indicated that they are unable to process or deliver international mail or services originating from the United States. 

Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to the following countries, until further notice:

In addition, effective April 10, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where air and sea transportation is unavailable due to widespread cancellations and restrictions into the area. Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to any of the following countries, until further notice:

Countries Affected

Select one of the entries below to display disruption information for that location or event.

Services Affected

These disruptions affect the following services:

For already deposited items, other than GXG, Postal Service employees will endorse them “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place them in the mail stream for return. 

For any returned item bearing a customs form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service.

For all other returned items not bearing a customs declarations form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service, or the sender may re-mail them with the existing postage once service has been restored. When re-mailing under this option, customers must cross out the markings “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender.”

Military and Diplomatic Mail

Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.

FedEx Covid-19 Related Service Updates

Effective April 2, 2020 and until further notice, FedEx has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.

Starting April 6th, FedEx will be implementing a temporary surcharge on international parcel and freight shipments from the United States.  

As of April 2, 2020 and until further notice, FedEx will suspend its money-back guarantee for many services, including all FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight services.

FedEx will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. Recipients may be asked to verify their name, rather than sign for a parcel. Surcharges still apply for signature services, as FedEx is still collecting recipient information. In addition, Adult Signature still requires a government-issued photo ID, and a physical signature may still be required.

UPS Covid-19 Related Service Updates

Effective April 3, 2020 and until further notice, UPS has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations. Local regulations may further affect both domestic and international delivery.

Any parcels that cannot be delivered will be returned to the sender.

Starting April 5th, UPS will be implementing a temporary surcharge on international shipments from the United States to select countries.  

Effective March 26, 2020 and until further notice, UPS will suspend its UPS Money Back Guarantee (also known as UPS Service Guarantee).

UPS will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. To reduce person-to-person contact, drivers can sign for customers when packages require a signature. Parcels that cannot be signed for will be marked with the code CV19 plus 11 digits of the recipient's name as proof of delivery.

DHL Express Covid-19 Related Service Updates

Effective April 3, 2020 and until further notice, DHL Express has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.

Contact your account manager for the operational status of your country.

Effective April 1, 2020 and until further notice, DHL Express will assess an Emergency Situation Surcharge on all Time Definite International (TDI) shipments. Surcharges do not apply to Day Definite International (DDI) shipments, Time Definite Domestic (TDD) shipments, Life Science and Healthcare customers, nor DHL Medical Express (WMX) shipments.