Cuba resumes indirect letter mail service to US

Cuba has re-established limited, indirect letter mail service links with the United States, after nearly five months’ suspension. Under a US trade embargo since 1960, Cuba had been running indirect mail services to the US since 2009 via third-party countries.

Package delivery services came to a halt in November, in response to increased US security requirements for inbound mail following last year’s foiled terrorist campaign involving shipments from Yemen. Cuba extended its restrictions to all types of mail in January.

However, the Cuban Post Office, Correos de Cuba Enterprise, said it has resumed services from April 6 following an “easing” of the US Transport Security Administration security measures.

In a notice within the official Communist Party newspaper Granma, Correos de Cuba said letters bound for America would be accepted at post office branches or in mailboxes, up to 500 grams in weight.

However, restrictions on the sending of parcels to the US will remain in place “until further notice”.

Correos de Cuba said in its statement: “The decision by Correos de Cuba to reestablish its postal services to that country comes as a result of an easing of security measures announced by the U.S. Transport Security Administration (TSA) for all member countries of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).”

While relations between the US and Cuba appeared to be thawing in 2009 when indirect mail services resumed, little progress has been achieved since. President Obama extended the US embargo last September, to run until at least September 2011.

The US Postal Service currently advises that sending items to Cuba from the US is limited to letters, Braille letters for the blind, postcards and printed items sent as Priority Mail International Flat-Rate Envelopes, or as First-Class Mail International, International Priority Airmail (IPA) or International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) mailings.

Priority Mail parcel services are not available.