Here are instructions on how to send us a package from the U.S. to Papua New Guinea (we borrowed the outline of these instructions from some friends of ours – Ryan and Crystal Pennington). Hopefully it will answer all your questions, but feel free to ask if you would like any more help. To do that, email us: {Kurt and Johanna}. Also, if you learn any other tricks or if you’re asked to do something that we haven’t listed here, let us know so that we can include those in these instructions also!
Our mailing address is:
Kurt and Johanna Metzger
SIL Box 1 (161)
Ukarumpa EHP 444
Papua New Guinea
Letters
For small items that can just fit inside a letter-sized parcel, it should be fairly straight forward to just go to the counter and pay the correct postage to get it here.
Flat Rate Boxes through USPS:
USPS Flat rate boxes are probably the easiest and most economical way to send packages to PNG as you can pack up to a certain amount of weight in a box for a set price. For a list of boxes and prices you can visit USPS’s Website. You can also save a few bucks by printing your own postage for the flat rate boxes {Print Flat Rate Postage}. However, you can send any box you would like.
Customs Form:
You will have to fill out a customs form with the package at the Post Office. Each Post Office seems to require different forms and levels of detail on those forms. The one we have had success with is a white form (Form 2976-A) with carbon copies. You will have to list out the items you are sending, so I would recommend writing out a separate list of what you packed and taking it with you so you aren’t left guessing at the PO. Here are some tips on how to list things that you are sending:
- Food items should be listed as “culinary items”.
- If you send any kind of media (CD’s, DVDs, etc..), list it as “entertainment media” or something along those lines. It will be less likely to be confiscated this way.
- Group similar things under one heading (i.e., don’t list out all of the medicines individually, just label them “medical supplies” and write a quantity).
- General descriptions are fine, you don’t have to be super specific (although some Post Offices might be more demanding in this regard).
- Some Post Offices are more strict than others. It’s possible they will ask you to list individual weights next to each item. In that case, you should be able to just put down estimates that add up to the total weight of the box.
Other information for the Customs Form:
- All overseas mail is now airmail; you don’t have the option of sending by sea (rf. #6 on Form 2976-A)
- Check the box for “Gift” on the customs form to describe the contents (rf. #5 on Form 2976-A)
Other Tips
- Please pack any food items extra well, as rats often can get to it before we can, especially if it ends up sitting in a hangar or Post Office somewhere for awhile.
- Regardless of how fast you pay to have it shipped, there is no guarantee it gets here in that time frame. It will probably hit PNG shores in that amount of time, but once it is in country, who knows how long it takes! Packages tend to take 3-6 weeks to get to us. All that to say, please don’t spend extra money trying to get it here super fast!
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