Universal postal service

Universal postal service (UPS) refers to the permanent provision of quality basic postal services at all points in a member country’s territory, for all customers, at affordable prices, as defined in article 1.1.18 of the Universal Postal Convention. Furthermore, Universal Postal Union (UPU) member countries are required to provide such service in accordance with article 3 of the Convention, which sets out the universal service obli­gation (USO).

However, it falls within the sovereignty of member countries to define their own UPS, including but not limited to the scope, standards and financing mechanisms of the UPS.

In this context, the UPU International Bureau (IB) regularly conducts survey on the provision of the UPS by member countries. The information on the UPS of each member country is made available in the database.

Member countries are invited to inform the IB of any changes to their UPS provision by using the questionnaire below.

The database provides information on the main aspects of the UPS in each member country.