International Recorded/Registered Rates 1993-2002

The overseas registration service in practice was very similar to inland recorded delivery, with little actual tracking and only the basic compensation available. For extra the insured service was needed. This consideration appears to have been behind the 1993 rebranding of registration as "International Recorded" and insured mail as "International Registered".

Unfortunately however, the UPU terms for these services still had to be used on the actual packets. This meant that the "International Recorded" mail had a label saying "Registered", and "International Registered" mail bore a label inscribed "Insured / Valeur Déclarée" ... which seems more confusing than was strictly necessary. So when checking a rate from this period, it is important to make sure you are looking at the right service!

In addition, from 1996 separate rates were quoted for each service when used in combination with Swiftair (at a discount from the combined rates), and distinct half-and-half labels were used. Until 1999 the Post Office Scheme (although not the rates leaflets) quoted cheaper Swiftair prices for packets "collected by an officer of the Post Office" rather than posted at a Post Office – these were presumably for contract services, but are shown in italics inside brackets below for reference.