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Home > Delivery Services > Delivery options - International > Discounts on International mail > International Destination Sort™ >
 

International Destination Sort™


With International Destination Sort™ you can send all types of mail, personal and printed, as well as packages with commercial value.

Save money

You can save money if you’re sending printed material (such as newspapers and books) to a single address by using a labelled ‘M-Bag’. As this isn’t opened during transit, it reduces sorting, handling and costs.

Three delivery types

First you need to choose how quickly you’d like your packages to arrive. We have three delivery speeds to suit your budget and your deadlines – Priority, Standard or Economy. Take a look at the table below to see how long mail takes to get to each region.

Region Priority Standard Economy
Western Europe 3-5 days N/A 5-10 days
Rest of Europe 3-5 days N/A 10-15 days
North America 5-7 days 10-14 days 6-8 weeks
Middle East 5-7 days 10-14 days 8-12 weeks
Central and S. America 5-7 days 14-21 days 8-12 weeks
Africa and Asia 5-7 days 14-21 days 8-12 weeks
Far East and Australasia 5-7 days 14-21 days 8-12 weeks

Prepare your mail

Next you’ll need to prepare your mail making sure it’s addressed properly, with a Royal Mail Printed Postage Impression (PPI), and an Airmail sticker for Priority mail.

Sorting by area

Then you’ll need to sort and bag your mail according to which destination it’s going to, and again by town or postcode (for some destinations) using the International Destination Sort™ Sorting Lists below. To save time as well as money, we’ve created a unique database to help you electronically sort your mail free of charge – find out more at www.internationalmailtechnical.com


For Western European destinations, you will also need to sort your mail by format.
See table below to find out which countries qualify as Western Europe. Other European countries will be Rest of Europe:

A - H I - S
Austria Iceland
Belgium Ireland (Republic)
Denmark (inc Faroe Islands and Greenland) Italy (inc San Marino and Vatican City)
Finland Luxembourg
France The Netherlands
Germany Norway (inc Spitzberg)
Greece Portugal (inc The Azores and Madeira)
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland (inc Liechtenstein)

Sorting by format

You’ll need to know how to group your mail according to its size, thickness and weight. There are three categories – Letters, Flats or Packets:

Letters Flats Packets
Max size 245 x 165mm 381 x 305mm Max single dimension 600mm
Max Length + Width + Height 900mm
Max weight 100g 500g Up to 2000g
Max thickness 5mm 20mm -
Typical envelope size DL C6 C5 C4 C3

Sorting by format...the easy way

We want to make our service as easy as possible, so we’ve developed a formats calculator to work out the format for you. All you have to do is type in the length, height and breadth, and we’ll tell you whether it’s a Letter, Flat or Packet.

       
  (mm) Parcel showing Height, Length & Breadth axes
  (mm)
  (mm)
  (g)
   
Format:  

Labelling

Label your bags with their destination and complete your posting cheque, which you can do quickly and easily online with OBA,  You might also need to fill in a Customs Declaration form. You might also want to apply for the installation of Final Labelling software, which allows you to print off your own labels on demand (provided you have a compatible printer).  This convenient solution can help save time and effort when producing a large mailing.  Ask your account manager for more details.

Bundle Rate

Small amounts of mail (either to one destination, or as an excess left over after sorting) that do not meet the minimum bag weight of 1.5kg can still be sent through the Priority, Standard or Economy services, using the Bundle Rate. Special labelling procedures apply.

For more information, download the International Destination Sort™ User Guide from our document library


Document Library

Download product information, from application forms to user guides.

All the documents are available to download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. If you don't already have it you can download the free Acrobat Reader.

Application Form Last Updated
Destination Sort Label Order Form
Spreadsheet for ordering Destination Sort consumables. Simply fill out and email to labels@royalmail.com
Version 1, File Size 15 kb 		04/06/08
Technical Manual Last Updated
International Destination Sort Sorting Lists
Sorting lists for use with the International Destination Sort product - please see the Updates document for changes to the lists made after 11th June 2007
Version 11, File Size 810 kb 		26/03/08
Message Last Updated
International Destination Sort Sorting List Updates
This document highlights the recent changes made to the International Destination Sort Sorting List.
Version 9, File Size 57 kb 		16/07/08
Price List Last Updated
International Destination Sort Rate Card - April 2009
Destination Sort Rate Card Effective from the 6th April 2009
Version 1, File Size 161 kb 		04/03/09
International Destination Sort Rate Card - October 09
International No Sort Rate Card, effective from the 5th of October 2009.
Version 1, File Size 208 kb 		02/09/09
International Contract Services October 09 Summary
International Contract Services October 09 summary - details all changes to prices effective from 5th October 09
Version 1, File Size 29 kb 		03/09/09
User Guide Last Updated
International Destination Sort User Guide
User Guide for the International Destination Sort service
Version 11, File Size 1364 kb 		13/03/08
General Information Last Updated
Airmail Logos
These files are the airmail logos that you will need to apply to your overseas priority mail, supplied in multiple formats for ease of use.
Version 1, File Size 1291 kb 		03/10/07
International OBA Data Generator
Spreadsheet tool to aid users inputting mailing data into OBA - Automatically calculates average weights and inputs correct coding.
Version 2, File Size 334 kb 		18/02/08
Schedule Last Updated
International Services Specific Terms
Specific terms for international services, for use in conjunction with Royal Mail General Terms and Conditions (www.royalmail.com/termsandconditions)
Version June 2009, File Size 98 kb 		29/06/09