Full compliance with the conditions in this chapter rests with the sender, therefore St. Lucia Postal Service will not accept responsibility for the return or seizure of any postal item through the failure of the sender to comply with the necessary conditions. Prohibited articles, if tendered for transmission, will be refused or, if detected in transit, detained or confiscated.
DEFINITIONS:
Prohibited Items
Items that are NOT allowed to be sent via the Post such as dangerous goods, certain drugs, certain items considered to be valuables and pornographic items.
Restricted Items
Items that are prohibited unless certain conditions are met. As an example, Barbados allows the postal transmission of plants and seeds only if accompanied by a permit from the sender’s Department of Agriculture.
Dangerous Substances
All countries prohibit the mailing of all dangerous substances. Therefore the sender must avoid posting dangerous substances, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), divided into 9 classes as follows:
Class 1. Explosives
Class 2. Gases compressed, liquefied or dissolved under pressure
Class 3. Flammable liquids
Class 4. Flammable solids: substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances, which on contact with water emit flammable gases.
Class 5. Oxidizing substances; organic peroxides
Class 6. Poisonous (toxic) and infectious substances
Class 7. radioactive materials, whether in solid, liquid or gaseous states
Class 8. Corrosives
Class 9. Miscellaneous dangerous drugs
INLAND POST
Dangerous/Injurious Articles
Any article which by its nature is liable to endanger or soil postal staff, property or other postal items are prohibited. These include:
Noxious, deleterious, or otherwise harmful substances.
Firearms and their components parts.
Sharp instruments not properly protected.
Pressurized containers; oiled paper and goods; paints, varnish, enamels and kindred substances which have a flash point below 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Illegal Materials
Articles infringing trade mark and copyright laws
Counterfeit bank or currency notes and postage stamps
Lottery tickets or advertisements, other than those that may be lawfully sent by post.
Living Creatures
St. Lucia prohibits the transmission of all living creatures through the Post.
Fraudulently-Stamped Materials
Items purporting to be prepaid with any stamp or impression of stamping machine, which had previously been used to prepay any other postal item or any other stamp duty.
Any item not qualified to be sent as government/official franked mail, that bears words, marks, or designs that indicate it is sent “On Service”
Perishable Biological Substances
Perishable biological substances are prohibited unless exchanged between laboratories approved by the appropriate health authority.
Perishable Articles/foodstuffs
Anything liable to become offensive or injurious through decay during the transmission time, is prohibited, unless it is packed in a hermetically sealed tin.
Food stuff and other articles attractive to rodents are prohibited, unless packed in receptacles which are rat proof and do not allow the smell of the contents to escape.
OVERSEAS POST
Living Creatures
Only two categories of living creatures are allowed in the Overseas Post as follows: (a) bees, leeches, and silk worms and (b) parasites and destroyers of pests where transmissible between recognized institutions for use in the control of pests.
NOTE: Parasites and destroyers of noxious insects are prohibited in the parcel post.
NARCOTICS
Dangerous drugs are prohibited, except the opium, morphine, cocaine and other narcotics may be sent for medical or scientific purposes to countries which admit them on those conditions.
Paints
Paints, varnish, enamels and kindred substances with flash point below 60.5 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) are prohibited.
Valuables
Coins or gold bullion exceeding US$30 in value are prohibited.
Paper valuables such as bank drafts, traveler’s checks, securities, insurance policies, and contracts are prohibited except in registered letters.
Import License
General Requirement.
Many countries require import licenses for specific categories and kinds of goods. Before trying to post commercial items, mailers should check with the addressee to ascertain requirements dictated by the destination country.
St. Lucia Requirement.
Importation of the following goods to St. Lucia is subject to the presentation of an Import License.
Plastic bags, shower curtains, toilet paper, shirt, nighties, and panties, brassieres, sheets, table cloths, hand towels, pillow cases, bath towels, bath mats.
Gift parcels: notwithstanding the above, Customs Officers have been given the authority to determine in the case of gift parcels whether or not import licenses are required.
When parcels are consigned to commercial enterprises and companies, Import Licenses should be obtained before parcels are delivered.