As the market economy develops, businesses, communities and educational institutions engage internationally every day. Businesses may need to send documents and samples or export local and SME products. Students abroad may exchange food, books and other items with their parents, while overseas workers send goods and food to and from their families. These needs call for international mail and parcel services.
Myanmar Post provides International Mail and International Express Mail Service (EMS) for such customers.
For an ordinary letter, affix the appropriate postage for its weight and place it in the overseas-mail slot of a postbox outside a post office or along the street. For registered mail, obtain a receipt and tracking barcode at the counter. Registered mail enables customers to check delivery status.
S10 Barcode
The barcode contains 13 characters and allows tracking of delivery in the countries concerned. It consists of two initial letters, nine digits and a final country code. Mail sent from Myanmar has a code such as RRxxxxxxxxxMM. Domestic tracking uses QR codes, but international mail follows the S10 barcode standard used by Universal Postal Union member countries.
Letters require relatively few steps, while parcels involve additional procedures. Items must be permitted for export by Myanmar Post and must not be prohibited by the destination country. Check www.myanmarpost.com.mm, ask Myanmar Post through Facebook Messenger or call 067-3420888 about destination restrictions. Because prohibited items change over time, clearly announcing every permitted or prohibited item remains a challenge.
Electronic Advance Data (EAD)
After confirming that an item can be sent, its information must be entered into EAD. The system can be downloaded and completed at home before visiting the post office. Required information includes full sender and recipient addresses with ZIP codes, contact telephone numbers, email, HS codes for the contents, item values and countries of manufacture. The source gives 640110 as an example for footwear and notes that the system helps generate HS codes. Accurate completion is essential; errors may delay delivery or cause returns.
After completion, EAD generates a code comprising seven digits and the country code, such as xxxxxxxMM. Showing this at the counter can reduce waiting time. Although this time-saving process is used internationally, the article notes that it was not yet being practised in Myanmar.