The Constitution of the Universal Postal Union is the fundamental Act containing the organic rules of the Union. It is a diplomatic Act, ratified by the competent authorities of each member country. Amendments to it can be made only at Congress and are recorded in an Additional Protocol, which is also subject to ratification.
The common rules applicable to the international postal service and the provisions concerning the letter-post and parcel-post services are given in the Convention and its Regulations. The Regulations of the Convention are agreements concluded by the national postal administrations elected by the Congress to the Postal Operations Council (POC). The POC has the authority to amend the Regulations at its annual sessions. The Convention and its Regulations are binding on all member countries.
The Postal Payment Services Agreement and its Regulations are binding only on the countries that are parties to the Agreement.
The current Constitution dates from the 1964 Vienna Congress; there have been 7 Additional Protocols. The provisions relating to the application of the Constitution and the operation of the Union are contained in the General Regulations that are revised at each Congress.