India to discontinue select outward international letter mail services from Jan 1, 2026

The Department of Posts on Tuesday said certain outward international letter mail services that offer limited or no tracking will be discontinued from January 1, 2026.

Under the rationalisation, the department will discontinue the registered small packet service, outward small packet services including letter post items containing goods sent by sea, surface air lifted (SAL) or air.

The list also includes Surface Letter Mail Service and Surface Air Lifted (SAL) Letter Mail Service for outward letter post items.

The move is in line with global best practices and decisions taken by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to improve service reliability, trackability, customs compliance and security amid the growth of cross-border e-commerce, according to the ministry of communications.

"It is emphasised that this rationalisation is a positive step towards improving service quality and not to affect options for exporters or customers," the release said.

The ministry said the step addresses challenges such as longer delivery timelines, limited tracking, rising customs and security requirements in destination countries, and reduced acceptance of such items by several foreign postal administrations.

It clarified that the changes are aimed at improving service quality and will not curtail options for exporters or customers.

Post rationalisation, registration will continue to be available for documents only, booked in air mode, under categories such as letters, postcards, printed papers, aerograms, blind literature and M-bags.

"Existing UPU provisions for Blind Literature and M-bags will continue unchanged. Items of Blind Literature sent by or addressed to a blind person or an organisation for the blind remain exempt from postal charges, except applicable air surcharges, subject to destination country regulations," it said.

The Department of Posts said it already offers robust and reliable alternatives such as the International Tracked Packet Service (ITPS) and other international parcel services to support exporters, MSMEs and individual customers.

"Customers are encouraged to use the International Tracked Packet Service (ITPS) and other international parcel services, which provide end-to-end tracking and visibility, faster and more reliable delivery, better compliance with customs and adhere to security norms and a competitive and transparent pricing structure, especially for small exporters and e-commerce sellers," the department said.

Such reforms are aimed at enhancing customer experience, service reliability, trackability, customs compliance and security, while aligning postal offerings with evolving global e-commerce standards.

"As part of this service improvement exercise, the Department of Posts has decided to rationalise certain international letter post services, particularly those without or limited tracking features, and to promote more efficient, accountable and customer-friendly alternatives," it added.