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Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102

§1724 Postage on Mail Delivered by Foreign Vessels

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 83 — POSTAL SERVICE › § 1724

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Postal Service can require any steamship to carry mail between the United States and a foreign port and must pay the amount set by law, unless a treaty or international agreement says otherwise. If the ship’s captain refuses to take the mail when it is offered by the Postal Service or its agent, the port official who clears ships must hold up the ship’s clearance until the Postal Service tells them the captain accepted the mail or the Postal Service no longer needs the ship to carry it.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1724

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Except as otherwise provided by treaty or convention the Postal Service may require the transportation by any steamship of mail between the United States and any foreign port at the compensation fixed under authority of law. Upon refusal by the master or the commander of such steamship or vessel to accept the mail, when tendered by the Postal Service or its representative, the collector or other officer of the port empowered to grant clearance, on notice of the refusal aforesaid, shall withhold clearance, until the collector or other officer of the port is informed by the Postal Service or its representative that the master or commander of the steamship or vessel has accepted the mail or that conveyance by his steamship or vessel is no longer required by the Postal Service.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 326 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 203, 35 Stat. 1127; Feb. 6, 1929, ch. 157, 45 Stat. 1153).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1970—Pub. L. 91–375 substituted “Postal Service” and “Postal Service or its representative” for “Postmaster General” and “Postmaster General or his representative”, respectively, in two places. 1951—Act Sept. 25, 1951, repealed former first paragraph relating to penalties for failure to pay postage on or unlawful conveyance of mail to or from any part of the United States by foreign vessels.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1724

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102