• Customer benefits
• Track & Trace
• Access
• Destinations and delivery aims
• How to post - requirements and mail supplies
• How to post - account customers
• How to post - non account customers
• Size and weight limits
• Customs requirements
• General restrictions and prohibitions
• Your compensation entitlement
• Customer services
• Useful links

• Fast - Airsure® receives priority handling in the UK and abroad and is generally a day faster than standard Airmail.
• Secure - Airsure® travels through a separate and secure network. Proof of posting is provided as standard. You can even post valuables, depending on which country you’re sending to.
• Reliable and consistent delivery - The International Post Corporation (IPC) provides regular independent quality of service performance checks. There is also an optional compensation guarantee of up to £500 for loss and damage.
• Cost effective - Airsure® offers an upmarket service at a cost effective price.
• Visible - Royal Mail Track & Trace provides peace of mind by tracking the item up to the point of delivery and providing delivery confirmation online.
• Return of undeliverables - Secure and free of charge return of undelivered items.
• Accessible - Airsure® can be purchased via your local Post Office®, franking machines and through your account manager.
• After sales service - Our dedicated international customer service team is at hand to help with all your queries.

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To ensure a fast, reliable and secure service, Airsure® items are scanned at 6 different points, from collection in the UK to delivery overseas.

• Post Office® (for those items paid for and posted at the Post Office® branch)
• Local mail centre
• Royal Mail International processing centre
• Office of Exchange overseas
• Mail Centre overseas
• Delivery Office overseas
   

Although Airsure® is not a guaranteed service, Royal Mail works closely with its overseas partners to continuously improve quality of service and reliability of Track & Trace information.

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Customers can buy Airsure®:

• At over 11,000 Post Offices® nationwide
• Online via Price Finder
• Via meter franking machine
• Via Online Business Account (OBA)

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Airsure® is available to selected destinations as it can only be operated to those countries with the necessary systems and infrastructure to support the product’s Track & Trace requirements.

Airsure® is generally a day faster than standard Airmail. Which means the aim is:
 

• 2 working days after posting to Western Europe
• 4 working days after posting to Eastern Europe and postal subsidiaries (Islands and Principalities)
• 6 working days after posting to the Rest of the World

The above standards are monitored by the independent and impartial International Post Corporation to ensure reliable and consistent delivery, which is why Airsure® is only available to selected countries. Please note that Airsure items cannot be posted to a PO box address or parcel station.

Please note that Airsure® is a fully tracked airmail service not a courier service. This means we cannot provide a guaranteed or certain delivery time, nor can we offer compensation for delays or missing Track & Trace information. If you do require an express or guaranteed service, then it’s best to visit  Parcelforce (new window)

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Please note that Airsure® can be posted together with International Signed For™ and domestic Special Delivery but please ensure that all documentation is completed correctly to avoid delays.

Business franking meter customers:
 

1. Ensure you apply the correct postage for each item using your franking machine. 
    
2. Apply Airsure® barcoded labels (P6522) to each item as well as CN22/CN23 customs declarations for non-EU items. Check the up to date list of Airsure® destinations.
    
3. Complete Despatch Receipt P6565 and place the upper copy in the priority service pouch or a grey bag.
    
4. Place all your Airsure® items in the priority service pouch (SS950) and secure with a blue tamper-proof seal (SS956) or a grey bag (MB8) which needs to be secured with a blue seal (SP61). Ensure that the despatch receipt matches the items in the bag/pouch. The collection driver signs the customer copy as a proof of posting.
    
5. Complete the customer collection receipt as proof of collection.
    
6. Should you choose to take your mail to the Post Office® counter directly, you should follow steps 1-4 but should not seal the bag. The Post Office® clerk will sign the P6565 despatch receipt as proof of posting.

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Airsure can be bought at any Post Office.  Airsure can also be purchased online, but items need to be taken to a Post Office for despatch in order that they can be scanned for Track & Trace and enter our secure network 

 

 

Summary of mail supplies for business users when posting Airsure®:
 

 

You can order mail supplies:
 

• Online
• By phoning: 08457 950 950

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Items in the form of a letter or packet
Minimum: One surface at least 90mm x 140mm
Maximum: Length plus depth plus width 900mm
No single side must be longer than 600mm.

Postcards
Minimum: 90mm x 140mm
Maximum: 120mm x 235mm
Non-rectangular postcards must be enclosed in an envelope and posted at the Airmail or Surface mail letter rate.

Items in the form of a roll
Minimum: length plus 2 x diameter should be at least 170mm
No single side can be shorter than 100mm.
Maximum: Length plus 2 x diameter should not be more than 1040mm. Length not over 900mm

There is a weight limit on Airsure® items of up to 2kg for letters and Small Packets (1kg for Airmail Small Packets to Saudi Arabia) and up to 5kg for Printed Papers.

Additional restrictions on Printed Papers:

• Worldwide - only books and pamphlets accepted up to 5kg
• Republic of Ireland - only books accepted up to 5kg
• Cambodia/Canada - the maximum weight allowable for all items is 2kg

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Customs authorities around the world are increasingly strict on mail arriving in their country without the required customs declarations correctly completed. If you’re posting packets or parcels outside the EU and fail to complete your CN22 or CN23 forms correctly, your items may be delayed, returned to you or even seized.

For everything you need to know on customs requirements, visit our customs page.

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1. The Royal Mail Keeping Mail Safe lists all the items that are restricted or prohibited in the UK or internationally.
    
2. Make sure that you label and pack your items correctly if they are classified restricted.
    
3. If your item doesn’t appear on the list, you can ask in person at your nearest Post Office® or call us on 08457 740740.

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Compensation can only be claimed in the event of loss or damage. Airsure® is not a guaranteed service so no compensation can be claimed in the event of delay or missing Track & Trace messages. Please use Parcelforce (new window) for a guaranteed service

Maximum compensation for loss or damage to an Airsure® item is £50 or the item value (whichever is the lesser)  unless extra compensation has been purchased. Extra compensation is available up to £500 (but please see exceptions for cash and mobile telephones below). Consequential Loss is not available for Airsure® items.

The maximum compensation payable when extra compensation has been purchased for items containing coins, banknotes or currency notes, securities or instruments payable to bearer (e.g. cheques; bankers drafts; travellers cheques) has been limited to £100 per item.

Extra compensation is not available for mobile telephones (including PDAs, Blackberries and etc) sent via Airsure®. Therefore, the maximum compensation payable for loss or damage to a mobile telephone is £50. Please note that when Airsure® is used to send a packet containing a mobile telephone together with other items, additional compensation can be purchased but this will only cover the other contents.

Items containing coins, banknotes or currency notes, securities or instruments payable to bearer (e.g. cheques, bankers drafts, travellers cheques), platinum, gold or silver (whether manufactured or not) and other precious stones, jewels and valuables must be sent by either Airsure® or International Signed For™ .

Please check to make sure that your particular destination will accept the items you are sending and to check whether there are any other requirements for sending valuables there.

When to claim
We allow 20 working days for items to arrive at European destinations and 25 working days for the rest of the world, so cannot accept a claim until after that time. All claims must be submitted by the sender within six months of posting and you can make a claim by visiting our Customer Service page or completing the P58 form for lost or damaged mail, which is available at Post Office® branches.
 

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If you are unable to find information you need, you can visit our Customer Service section where you will find additional information and who to contact for further assistance.

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• Wrapping and packaging advice
• Overseas addressing
• Sending money or other valuables

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From application forms to user guides...
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