[Purley]

TORONTO -- A Christmas card addressed simply to Grandma won't make it across the border now and writing her address in crayon isn't going to cut it either. The rules on incoming international mail are being tightened. "Mail coming into Canada, particularly from the States, that doesn't have a complete address is being sent back," Canada Post spokesman John Caines said yesterday. Caines said Canada Customs has started implementing an international agreement which states all mail from abroad must bear the complete name and address of both sender and recipient.

The U.S. Postal Service this week alerted customers mailing items to Canada that they must comply with strict Canadian customs and postal administration addressing requirements. All postal items, except postcards, that do not display the complete name and address of both the sender and recipient -- in roman letters (A,B,C) and Arabic numerals (1,2,3) -- are being denied entry into Canada. Sender identification such as "Grandma" or recipient information such as "Resident," for example, are unacceptable and are among the causes of mail being returned. The alert reflects heightened security measures. Addresses of Canadian recipients should be printed in ink or typewritten in capital letters. The last line of the address must show only the country name, written in full and in capital letters. When a Canadian postal delivery zone number is included in the address, mailing requirements allow that number to appear as the last line of the address. Also, complete and legible customs declarations, along with required import documentation, must be provided to identify the contents of any package. A backlog of incoming postal items containing incomplete or inaccurate information has been reported. According to Canadian officials, these items will be returned to their points of origin for correction by the sender as soon as practical

Hopefuly that might cut down the crappy junk mail we get

[Purley]

Actually, I thought it was a bit odd seeing that in England so far as I know, nobody puts their return address on the envelope. My nephew's daughter writes to my granddaughter all the time and she never even puts a postal code on but it always gets to its destination. Hopefully that will continue. I figure its because they can tell its a child's writing.