Mail containing goods (boxes with gifts or appliances, for example) will have to be sent via International Blue Mail, which also provides priority treatment and global traceability, although it is considered less secure due to fewer receipts or even insurance in case of loss, damage or total theft (fraud). The delivery time is the same: about three working days for Europe and five for the rest of the world.

CTT – Correios de Portugal explains that the change, which covers tangible and transportable objects or those with commercial value, is due to a regulation from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a United Nations agency that coordinates postal services between almost all countries.

“International Registered Mail will now have traceability in all UPU countries, as they make the Track & Trace service available in their territory, and will be exclusive to the sending of documents,” details the postal operator led by João Bento, in a statement sent to the media.

The measure is part of a broader UPU strategy to “simplify and modernise the product portfolio, focusing the type of service on the content: documents or goods” and “align postal services with the growing needs of e-commerce, which requires specific security and customs controls for goods,” according to the same CTT statement.

From next year, with the entry into force of the new rules, it will also be possible to opt for the postal parcel format in the case of goods weighing up to 30 kg. Regarding the submission of documents, the model currently in effect remains in place, and documents are considered to be manuscripts, drawings, printed materials or information recorded in digital format and without commercial value, including identification documents, Christmas cards, ATM cards or reports.