iMail

Delivery of iMail to overseas destinations in 4 to 24 working days (subject to situation of flight availability, customs clearance, aviation security check, force majeure events, etc.)
Sundays and public holidays are excluded for the purpose of determining the date of posting or arrival in Hong Kong for all mail items and for performance measurement under the performance pledges.

For delivery standards of individual destinations, please refer to "Postage Rates and Services" – Pos 15 Supplement.

Maximum Weight

• Each mail bag: 30 kg (20 kg for United Kingdom and Switzerland)

Minimum Weight

• Each posting: 2 kg

Maximum Weight

• Each item: 2kg

Minimum Weight

• The average weight per item in the same posting must be no less than 100g

Permit Mailing

A Permit Number shall appear on the top right-hand corner of the envelop. The impression (40mm wide by 20mm high) is shown below.

Please apply to the Postmaster General (Financial Services Division, Hongkong Post Headquarters, 2 Connaught Place, Hong Kong) for the permit mail service beforehand. Please click here to obtain the application forms for iMail service.

Customers should prepare “Posting Statement of iMail Service” (Pos 487R) on EC-Ship Online Portal before posting. Printing of an extra copy of Pos 487R and “Certificate of Posting of iMail Service” (Pos 20(iMail)) is available for record purpose.

Permit mailing account on the posting statement and imprinted on mail items are used for identification as the same posting. For example, mail items sent in different consignments bearing the same permit mailing account will be counted as the same posting.

Permit Deposit Account, Cash, EPS, credit cards or cheques (by prior arrangement with Financial Services Division). Payment by postage stamp or postage label purchased from Postage Label Vending Machine (PLVM) is not applicable.

For payment by Permit Deposit Account, customers should maintain sufficient deposit for immediate postage settlement upon posting.

Please refer to the terms & conditions of EC-Ship on the payment terms.

Customers are required to segregate mail items by destination, i.e. each mail bag should contain items to the same destination.

With effect from 1 March 2019, posting arrangement for “residual bag” is discontinued.

If mailbags are found containing items to mixed destinations, Hongkong Post reserve the right to return the whole lodgement to senders.

All-in-one address labels including sender's and addressee's addresses, item barcode, permit number impression, customs declaration form (CN22/CN23) and air mail impression shall be printed through the EC-Ship Online Portal and affixed onto the front cover of each item. Please print your address labels with a laser printer to ensure readability of the barcode.

The design of the address label is as follows:

Using address labels NOT generated from EC-Ship Online Portal may subject to delay on mail handling and processing of compensation if applicable.

Mail should not bear a non-Hong Kong return address or enclose mail sent on behalf of other senders in Hong Kong.

Please print the all-in-one address labels according to the following specifications:

The "Posting Statement of iMail Service" (Pos 487R) is required for acceptance on bag level. The acceptance process has not yet completed until mailbags are subsequently forwarded to the processing centre of Hongkong Post, where the mailbags are opened and acceptance on item level is performed. Postings not complying with iMail service posting Terms & Conditions would be returned to senders.

Bag Weight & No. of Item

• The postage payable will be final subject to
  1. actual bag weight shown on the electronic scale of Hongkong Post;
  2. actual number of items checked by Hongkong Post;
  3. the prevailing (i) postage charge in kg; and (ii) the handling fee per item of the destination.
• In the event that the paid amount fall short of the total postage payable, the sender shall make up the difference immediately. When the paid amount is in excess of the total postage payable, the sender shall complete and submit an "iMail Service Refund Application" form to the Financial Services Division of Hongkong Post for refund.

An “Acceptance Report for iMail Service” containing the confirmed total weight, charges and details of the posting items will be uploaded to the EC-Ship Online Portal after successfully scanning by the processing centre of Hongkong Post. The “Acceptance Report for iMail Service” will be uploaded within 3 working days (non-peak periods) or 7 working days (peak periods) after the date of posting.

Same as the size of normal air mail letters and packets

Please click here for details