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The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
: Union postale universelle) is an international organization
International organization

An intergovernmental organization is an organization comprised primarily of Sovereignty State , or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called International_organization, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization such as international non-profit organizations...
 that coordinates postal policies among member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties. Universal Postal Union's headquarters are located in Berne
Berne

The city of Berne or Bern is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland and, with 128,041 people , the fifth most populous city in Switzerland ....
, Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
.

Overview
Prior to the establishment of the UPU, a country had to conclude a separate postal treaty with each other country that it wished to carry international mail to or from.






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The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
: Union postale universelle) is an international organization
International organization

An intergovernmental organization is an organization comprised primarily of Sovereignty State , or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called International_organization, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization such as international non-profit organizations...
 that coordinates postal policies among member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties. Universal Postal Union's headquarters are located in Berne
Berne

The city of Berne or Bern is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland and, with 128,041 people , the fifth most populous city in Switzerland ....
, Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
.

Overview


Prior to the establishment of the UPU, a country had to conclude a separate postal treaty with each other country that it wished to carry international mail to or from. The United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 called for an international postal congress, which was held in 1863. This led Heinrich von Stephan
Heinrich von Stephan

Heinrich von Stephan was a general post director-general for the German Empire who reorganized the German postal service. He was integral in the founding of the Universal Postal Union in 1874, and in 1877 introduced the telephone to Germany....
, Royal Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
 and later German Minister for Posts, to found the Universal Postal Union, the third oldest international organization (after the Rhine Commission
Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine

The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine is an international organisation whose function is to encourage European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for navigation of the Rhine and environs....
 and the ITU
International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is the second-oldest international organization still in existence , established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications....
). It was created in 1874, under the name "General Postal Union", as a result of the Treaty of Berne signed on 9 October 1874. In 1878, the name was changed to "Universal Postal Union".

The UPU established that
  1. there should be a more or less uniform flat rate to mail a letter anywhere in the world;
  2. postal authorities should give equal treatment to foreign and domestic mail; and
  3. each country should retain all monies it collected for international postage.


One of the most important results of the UPU treaty was that it ceased to be necessary, as it often had been previously, to affix the stamps
Postage stamp

A postage stamp is adhesive paper evidence of a fee paid for Mail services. Usually a small rectangle attached to an envelope, the stamp signifies the person sending it has fully or partly paid for delivery....
 of any country through which one's letter or package would pass in transit; the UPU provides that stamps of member nations are accepted for the whole international route.

After the foundation of the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
, the UPU became a specialized agency in the UN.

In 1969 the UPU introduced a new system of payment by which fees were payable between countries according to the difference in the total weight of mail between the respective countries. These fees were called terminal dues. The new system was fairer when traffic was heavier in one direction than the other. As this affected the cost of the delivery of periodicals, the UPU devised a new "threshold" system, which was implemented in 1991.

The system sets separate letter and periodical rates for countries which receive at least 150 tonnes of mail annually. For countries with less mail, the original flat rate has been maintained. The United States has negotiated a separate terminal dues formula with thirteen Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an countries that includes a rate per piece plus a rate per kilogram, and has a similar arrangement with Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. The UPU also operates the system of International Reply Coupon
International reply coupon

An international reply coupon is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter of up to twenty grams sent to another Universal Postal Union member country....
s and addresses concerns with ETOEs
Extraterritorial Office of Exchange

An Extraterritorial Office of Exchange is a commercially-oriented office or facility operated by or in connection with a postal operator in a country other than its parent country....
.

Philatelic activities


The Universal Postal Union, in conjunction with the World Association for the Development of Philately
Philately

Philately is the study of revenue stamp and postage stamp stamps. This includes the design, production and uses of stamps after they are authorized for issue, usually by government officials such as Postal Authorities....
 (WADP), has developed the WADP Numbering System (WNS), launched on 1 January 2002. The web site (www.wnsstamps.ch/en/) has entries for some 160 countries and emitting postal entities, with over 25,000 registered stamps since 2002. Many of them have images, which generally remain copyrighted by the issuing country, but which the UPU and WADP permit to be downloaded.

UPU Standards

Standards are important prerequisites for effective postal operations and for interconnecting the global network. The UPU's Standards Board develops and maintains a growing number of international standards to improve the exchange of postal-related information between postal operators and promotes the compatibility of UPU and international postal initiatives. It works closely with postal handling organisations, customers, suppliers and other partners, including various international organisations. The Standards Board ensures that coherent standards are developed in areas such as Electronic Data Interchange
Electronic Data Interchange

Electronic Data Interchange refers to the structured transmission of data between organizations by electronic means. It is used to transfer electronic documents from one computer system to another from one trading partner to another trading partner....
 (EDI), mail encoding, postal forms and meters. UPU standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in Part V of the and are published by the UPU International Bureau in accordance with Part VII of that publication.

UPU Congresses

  • 1st UPU Congress: 1874 in Bern, Switzerland
    Switzerland

    Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
  • 2nd UPU Congress: 1878 in Paris
    Paris

    Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • 3rd UPU Congress: 1885 in Lisbon
    Lisbon

    Lisbon is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the Lisbon and capital of the Lisbon region. Its municipalities of Portugal, which matches the city proper excluding the larger continuous conurbation, has a municipal population of 564,477 in , while the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in total has around 2.8 million inha...
    , Portugal
    Portugal

    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
  • 4th UPU Congress: 1891 in Vienna
    Vienna

    Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
    , Austria-Hungary
    Austria-Hungary

    Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Kaiserlich und k?niglich Monarchy was a state in Central Europe ruled by the House of Habsburg, constitutionally a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary....
  • 5th UPU Congress: 1897 in Washington, DC, United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  • 6th UPU Congress: 1906 in Rome
    Rome

    Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
    , Italy
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
  • 7th UPU Congress: 1920 in Madrid
    Madrid

    Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
    , Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
  • 8th UPU Congress: 1924 in Stockholm
    Stockholm

    is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
    , Sweden
    Sweden

    Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
  • 9th UPU Congress: 1929 in London
    London

    London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
  • 10th UPU Congress: 1934 in Cairo
    Cairo

    Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
    , Egypt
    Egypt

    Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
  • 11th UPU Congress: 1939 in Buenos Aires
    Buenos Aires

    Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of the R?o de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent....
    , Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
  • 12th UPU Congress: 1947 in Paris
    Paris

    Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • 13th UPU Congress: 1952 in Bruxelles, Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
  • 14th UPU Congress: 1957 in Ottawa
    Ottawa

    Ottawa is the Capital of Canada. The city has population of 812,000, the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population municipality in the country and second largest in Ontario....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • 15th UPU Congress: 1964 in Vienna
    Vienna

    Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
    , Austria
    Austria

    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
  • 16th UPU Congress: 1969 in Tokyo
    Tokyo

    , officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
    , Japan
    Japan

    Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
  • 17th UPU Congress: 1974 in Lausanne
    Lausanne

    Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French language-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva , and facing ?vian-les-Bains and with the Jura mountains to its north-west....
    , Switzerland
    Switzerland

    Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
  • 18th UPU Congress: 1979 in Rio de Janeiro
    Rio de Janeiro

    Rio de Janeiro , is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind S?o Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind S?o Paulo and Buenos Aires....
    , Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
  • 19th UPU Congress: 1984 in Hamburg
    Hamburg

    Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
    , West Germany
    West Germany

    West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
  • 20th UPU Congress: 1989 in Washington, DC, United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  • 21st UPU Congress: 1994 in Seoul
    Seoul

    Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
    , South Korea
    South Korea

    South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
  • 22nd UPU Congress: 1999 in Beijing
    Beijing

    is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
    , People's Republic of China
    People's Republic of China

    The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
  • 23rd UPU Congress: 2004 in Bucharest
    Bucharest

    Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
    , Romania
    Romania

    Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
  • 24th UPU Congress: 2008 in Geneva
    Geneva

    Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie . Situated where the Rh?ne River exits Lake Geneva , it is the capital of the Canton of Geneva....
    , Switzerland
    Switzerland

    Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....


Member countries

The United Nations member states
United Nations member states

This article lists the member states of the United Nations . There are currently 192 UN member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly....
 may all become member countries of the UPU. The 192 United Nations member states are all UPU member countries except Andorra
Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France....
, Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands , is a Micronesian island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator....
, the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. The country is a sovereign state in Associated state with the United States....
 and Palau
Palau

Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an borderless country in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles south of Tokyo....
 whose situation with regard to the UPU has not yet been settled. A non-member state of the United Nations may also become a UPU member if two-thirds of the UPU member countries approve its request. Vatican City
Vatican City

Vatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a Landlocked country sovereignty city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the Capital of Italy....
 is a UPU member country and a non-member state observer of the United Nations (as the Holy See
Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church....
).

The UPU has 191 member countries, including the Dutch territories of the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles , previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles and consists of two island group in the Caribbean Sea: Cura?ao and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan coast, and Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten, located southeast of the Virgin Islands....
 and Aruba
Aruba

Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguan? Peninsula, Falc?n State, Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Cura?ao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles....
 as a single UPU member, and the British overseas territories
British overseas territories

The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself....
, which are not independent states. The newest member is Montenegro
Montenegro

Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
, which joined on 26 July 2006.

The Republic of China
Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
 joined the UPU on 1 March 1914. After the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 was founded, the Republic of China continued to represent China in the UPU, until the UPU decided on 13 April 1972 to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative. This results in International Reply Coupon
International reply coupon

An international reply coupon is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter of up to twenty grams sent to another Universal Postal Union member country....
s not being available for Taiwan. Mail addressed to Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
 will still be delivered there, albeit routed through a third country. Various other non-recognized countries such as Somaliland
Somaliland

Somaliland is an autonomous region, which is part of the Somalia located in the Horn of Africa. The Republic of Somaliland considers itself to be the successor state of the former British Somaliland protectorate....
 and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , commonly called Northern Cyprus , is a de facto independent republic located in the north of Cyprus....
 (TRNC) need to have their mail routed through third countries as the UPU will not allow direct international deliveries (The TRNC's mail goes via Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 and Somaliland's mail via Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
). Other entities without direct UPU representation are the Palestinian Authority (although this may soon change ) and the Sahrawi Republic / Western Sahara
Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west....
.

The members are listed below by alphabetical order in their ISO 3166
ISO 3166

ISO 3166 is a three-part standardization published by the International Organization for Standardization , and defines codes for the names of country, dependent territory, and special areas of geographical interest, and their principal country subdivision ....
 English names, with the date of entering the UPU (multiple entry dates for some countries). Territories covered by a sovereign member country are included under that country.

A

  • - 1 April 1928
  • - 1 March 1922
  • - 1 October 1907
  • - 1 March 1977
  • - 20 January 1994
  • - 1 April 1878
  • - 14 October 1992
  • - 1 October 1907


  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 1 April 1993

B

  • - 24 April 1974
  • - 21 December 1973
  • - 7 February 1973
  • - 11 November 1967
  • - 13 May 1947
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 1 October 1982
  • - 27 April 1961
  • - 7 March 1969
  • - 1 April 1886
  • - 1 July 1892; 26 January 1993
  • - 12 January 1968
  • - 15 January 1985
  • - 1 July 1877
  • - 1 July 1879
  • - 29 March 1963
  • - 6 April 1963


C

- 21 December 1951 - 26 July 1960 - 1 July 1878 - 30 September 1976 - 28 June 1961 - 23 June 1961 - 1 April 1881 - 1 March 1914
- 1 April 1877
- 1 July 1881 - 29 July 1976 Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo , is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest list of African countries in order of geographical area....
 - 1 January 1886 Congo, Republic of
Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo , also known as Congo-Brazzaville or the Congo, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda , and the Gulf of Guinea....
 - 5 July 1961 - 1 January 1883 - 23 May 1961 - 20 July 1992 - 4 October 1902 - 23 November 1961 - 18 May 1920; 18 March 1993

D

  • - 1 July 1875


  • - 6 June 1978
  • - 31 January 1980
  • - 1 October 1880


E

  • - 1 July 1880
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 1 April 1879
  • - 24 July 1970
  • - 19 August 1993
  • - 7 July 1922; 30 April 1992
  • - 1 November 1908


F

  • - 18 June 1971
  • (including the Åland Islands) - 12 February 1918
  • - 1 January 1876
French Overseas Departments
  • (including Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin
    Saint Martin (France)

    Saint Martin , officially the Collectivity of Saint Martin , is an overseas collectivity of France located in the Caribbean. It came into being on February 22, 2007, encompassing the northern parts of the Saint Martin and neighbouring islets, the largest of which is ?le Tintamarre....
    )
Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
  • (including Clipperton Island
    Clipperton Island

    Clipperton Island is a nine-square-kilometre coral atoll in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico and west of Costa Rica, at . It has no permanent inhabitants....
    )


G

  • - 17 July 1961
  • - 9 October 1974
  • - 1 April 1993
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 10 October 1957
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 30 January 1978
  • - 1 August 1881
  • - 6 May 1959
  • - 30 May 1974
  • - 22 March 1967


H

  • - 1 July 1881
  • - 1 April 1879
  • - 1 July 1875


I

  • - 15 November 1919
  • - 1 July 1876
  • - 1 May 1877
  • - 1 September 1877
  • - 22 April 1929
  • - 6 September 1923
  • - 24 December 1949
  • - 1 march 1957


J

  • - 29 August 1963
  • - 1 June 1877
  • - 16 May 1947


K

  • - 27 August 1992
  • - 27 October 1964
  • - 14 August 1984
  • Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
    North Korea

    North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
     - 1 January 1900; 6 June 1974
  • Korea, Republic of - 1 January 1900
  • - 16 February 1960
  • - 26 January 1993


L

  • - 20 May 1952
  • - 1 October 1921; 17 June 1992
  • - 12 May 1931; 15 May 1946
  • - 6 September 1967
  • - 1 April 1879
  • - 4 June 1952
  • - 13 April 1962
  • - 1 January 1922; 10 January 1992
  • - 1 July 1875


M

  • - 2 November 1961
  • - 25 October 1966
  • - 17 January 1958
  • - 15 August 1967
  • - 21 April 1961
  • - 21 May 1965
  • - 22 March 1967
  • - 29 August 1969
  • - 1 April 1879
  • - 16 November 1992
  • - 12 October 1955
  • - 24 August 1963
  • - 26 July 2006
  • - 1 October 1920
  • - 11 October 1978
  • - 4 October 1949


N

  • - 30 April 1992
  • - 17 April 1969
  • - 11 October 1956
  • - 1 July 1875
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba - 1 July 1875
  • (including the Ross Dependency
    Ross Dependency

    The Ross Dependency comprises an area of Antarctica claimed by New Zealand. It is defined by a Circular sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160th meridian east to 150th meridian west, and terminating at latitude 60th parallel south....
    ) - 1 October 1907


  • - 1 May 1882
  • - 12 June 1961
  • - 10 July 1961
  • - 1 July 1875


O

  • - 17 August 1971


P

  • - 10 November 1947
  • - 11 June 1904
  • - 4 June 1976
  • - 1 July 1881
  • - 1 April 1879
  • - 1 January 1922
  • - 1 May 1919
  • - 1 July 1875


Q

  • - 31 January 1969


R

  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 6 April 1963


S

  • - 11 January 1988
  • - 10 July 1980
  • - 3 February 1981
  • - 9 August 1989
  • - 1 July 1915
  • - 22 August 1977
  • - 1 January 1927
  • - 14 June 1961
  • - 1 July 1875; 24 December 1921; 18 June 2001
  • - 7 October 1977
  • - 29 January 1962
  • - 8 January 1966
  • - 18 May 1920; 18 March 1993
  • - 24 December 1921; 27 August 1992
  • - 4 May 1984
  • - 1 April 1959
  • - 1 January 1893; 22 August 1994
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 13 July 1949
  • - 28 July 1956
  • - 1 May 1877; 20 April 1976
  • - 7 November 1969
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 12 May 1931; 15 May 1946


T

  • - 9 June 1994
  • - 29 March 1963
  • - 1 July 1885
  • - 12 July 1993
  • - 28 November 2003
  • - 21 March 1962
  • (including Niuafo'ou
    Niuafo'ou

    Niuafoou is the most northerly island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is a volcano rim island of 15 km? and with a population of approximately 750....
    ) - 26 January 1972
  • - 15 June 1963
  • - 1 July 1888
  • - 1 July 1875
  • - 26 January 1993
  • - 3 February 1981


U

  • - 13 February 1964
  • - 13 May 1947
  • - 30 March 1973
  • - 1 July 1875
Acceded automatically as Crown dependencies of the United Kingdom
British overseas territories
British overseas territories

The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself....
 - 1 April 1877
Dependencies of St Helena
  • Ascension
    Ascension Island

    Ascension Island is an isolated island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa, and from the coast of South America....


  • - 1 July 1875
Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
  • (including Saipan
    Saipan

    Saipan is the largest island and Capital of the United States Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of 115.39 km? ....
     and Tinian
    Tinian

    Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands . It is perhaps best known for being the base from which the United States atomic bomb attacks on Japan during World War II were launched....
    )
  • - 1 July 1880
  • - 24 February 1994


V

  • - 16 July 1982
  • - 1 June 1929
  • - 1 January 1880
  • - 20 October 1951


Y

  • - 1 January 1930


Z

  • - 22 March 1967
  • - 31 July 1981


UN member countries whose situation with regard to the UPU has not yet been settled

  • *

Former member countries of the UPU

In the course of history a number of member countries of the UPU saw their membership lapse, due to political changes. Where there was an immediate successor state, membership would normally devolve on that state. In other cases membership lapsed.

- 1 January 1898 – 31 May 1902 - 1 January 1895 – 31 May 1902

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