Title 39 — Postal ServiceRelease 119-73
§3217 Correspondence of members of diplomatic corps and consuls of countries of Postal Union of Americas and Spain
Title 39 › Part PART IV— - MAIL MATTER › Chapter CHAPTER 32— - PENALTY AND FRANKED MAIL › § 3217
Summary
Diplomats of Postal Union countries of the Americas and Spain who are in the United States may send official domestic mail without postage or registration and receive no payment if it is lost; consuls and vice consuls have the same right.
Full Legal Text
Title 39, §3217
Postal Service — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Correspondence of the members of the diplomatic corps of the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain stationed in the United States may be reciprocally transmitted in the domestic mails free of postage, and be entitled to free registration without right to indemnity in case of loss. The same privilege is accorded consuls and vice consuls when they are discharging the function of consuls of countries stationed in the United States, for official correspondence among themselves, and with the Government of the United States.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective July 1, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71–9 of the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title. Free Mailing Privileges Continue Unchanged Pub. L. 109–435, title V, § 505(c), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 3236, provided that: “Nothing in this Act [see Tables for classification] or any amendment made by this Act shall affect any free mailing privileges accorded under section 3217 or sections 3403 through 3406 of title 39, United States Code.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
39 U.S.C. § 3217
Title 39 — Postal Service
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73