Hi,
I would like to help a Gambia Postcrosser who want to send more cards. What is the Postage required on a postcard from Gambia to the US? Does it differ if they send to Europe?
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effective since 2019 postcards are 50 Dalassis postage inland and worldwide. Letters start with 350 (!!!) Dalassis. Official exchange rates get close to 60 Dalassis on the US$, sometimes changing rapidly, not long ago was 50 Dalassis on one US$…
@JimUSA Maybe you can send to the Postcrosser in Gambia some International Reply Coupon (IRC).
This is a postal whole that can be exchanged for postage abroad in a country other than the one in which it was issued, provided that the two countries have signed an agreement on the matter (I usually think they are part of the Universal Postal Union). Consequently, its use is to pay the reply to a correspondent in a foreign state, if you do not have any revenue stamps valid in that state. The purpose of the IRC is to allow a person to send a letter to someone in another country, along with the cost of shipping for a response. If the recipient is within the same country, an IRC is not required because a postage-paid envelope (SASE) or return postcard will suffice; but if the recipient is in another country, an IRC eliminates the need to purchase foreign postage or send appropriate currency.
As far as I know, UPU member postal services are obliged to exchange an IRC for postage, but are not obliged to sell them.
The IRC can be marked by a post office in the issuing country (“control mark”) before being included in correspondence. The recipient will go to the local post office, whose employees are required to stamp and collect the IRC, and will receive that country’s minimum postage in return for priority shipping - unregistered - or by air to any foreign destination.
From 01.01.2022 the current IRC series is “Abidjan”, to be exchanged until 31.12.2025.
Thank you for all of your responses.
I did check into IRC and they are no longer valid for the US.