New Delhi | The Postal Department on Tuesday said certain outward international letter mail services, including registered small packet service, will be discontinued with effect from January 1, 2026.

The move aims to address challenges such as limited or no tracking in small packet services, longer delivery timelines, increasing customs and security requirements in destination countries, and reduced acceptance of such items by many foreign postal administrations, an official release said.

"...with effect from January 1, 2026, the following outward international letter mail services will be discontinued...Registered Small Packet service, in line with UPU (Universal Postal Union) decisions restricting registration to document-only; outward Small Packet service, including letter post items containing goods sent by Sea, SAL (Surface Air Lifted) or Air..." it said.

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

"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.

Post rationalisation, registration will continue to be available for documents only, booked in Air mode, under the categories of Letters, Post Cards, 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.

Department of Posts pointed out it already offers robust and reliable alternatives for sending goods abroad, 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.

The Postal Department said all concerned officers have been advised to ensure smooth implementation of these changes, and guide customers towards suitable alternative services.

"In line with global best practices and decisions taken by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Department of Posts has undertaken a forward-looking initiative to modernise and strengthen international letter post services," it 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.