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Home > Postal Services > Letter-Post Items > Comparison Table for Letter, Printed material, and Other related mail items
| 1.Relevant regulations: | |||
| Letter: A document containing messages delivered to an addressee or designated address, excluding postcards, aerogrammes and letter sheets, printed materials and documents for the blind. (Paragraph 2, Article 4 of the Postal Act). Easy determination method: Step 1. Is it a document? (Documents that are not articles and are printed or written on paper.) Step 2. Exclude postcards, aerogrammes and letter sheets, printed materials (only 4 types), and documents for the blind. Step 3. A letter is a document that is addressed to a designated person (or possible to know) or to a designated address. |
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Printed material: This refers to newspapers, magazines, books, catalogs, etc. (Paragraph 5, Article 4 of the Postal Act). Catalogs: This refers to documents printed in text, photo or picture format, containing more than 50% of the price, features, specifications and usage of a product or service. Books: This refers to a bound volume of printed sheets, other than newspapers, magazines, or catalogs, with the typical appearance of a book, (such as using hard paper for the covers), printing the author's name, publication date, and so forth. Small packet: This refers to small article with a weight not exceeding 1kg, which is delivered to an addressee or designated address. Printed material may also be posted as small packet. Parcel: This refers to all articles that can be delivered, apart from contraband stipulated by Regulations Governing the Handling of Mail or mail items that do not meet the specifications publicly announced by Chunghwa Post, may be posted as parcels. Printed material may also be posted as parcel. |
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| 2. It is a letter essentially, but it may be posted as other mail items. Notes: 1.It shall be a printed document for viewing. 2.The printing methods include printing by stencil, photocopying, printing, computer printing and so forth. |
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| Content of mail item | Essence of mail item | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Printed business cards, pictures, drawings, maps, posters, price lists, leaflets, labels, stickers | Letter | Printed Material | Large quantities must be sent in small packets or parcels. |
| 2.Printed lottery coupons, Vouchers, Complimentary tickets, Admission tickets, Freebie vouchers, Discount coupons, and other coupons. | Letter | Printed Material | 1.Those who have the above paragraph should send it by letter. 2.Leaflets inserted or printed in magazines are regarded as part of magazine advertisement space. |
| 3.Calendar, Monthly Calendar, Desk Calendar. | Letter | Printed Material | The upper and lower ends of the printed monthly calendar are both attached with a scroll or a letter of blessing words as well. |
| 4.Christmas card, Greeting card, Birthday card, Unfilled stock subscription form. | Letter | Printed Material | The Christmas cards, Greeting cards, and Birthday cards are written with etiquette idioms. The number of characters is not limited to ten characters, and the upper and lower ends of subtitles may be written. However, the words other than etiquette idioms still have to be sent as letters. |
| 5.A reference book for homework exercises is attached. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 6. The name of the recipient is specified in the printing application form, but not filled in. | Letter | Printed Material | 1. Since the printing application form which specifies the name of the recipient, but not filled in does not deliver certain message, it may still be posted as printed material. 2. The card number or name is printed in the credit card application form but not filled in. |
| 7.Photographs or albums with photographs pasted on them. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 8.Manuscripts, translation drafts or press releases. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 9.Music score. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 10.The original manuscript for proofreading use is posted along with the printed document. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 11.Student assignments sent or received from public or registered schools. (including essays, projects and reports) | Letter | Printed Material | Examination papers sent or received from public or registered schools may also be posted as printed material ; however it is still considered a letter. |
| 12.Calligraphy and paintings not embedded in mirror frames or mounted or glued, woven or embroidered. | Letter | Printed Material | Those embedded in mirror frames or mounted or glued, woven or embroidered shall be posted as small packet or parcel. |
| 13.Large calligraphy and painting, elegiac couplets, elegiac scrolls. | Letter | Printed Material | Items such as glued paper-cut characters, characters woven or embroidered items, mounted or framed items, or those with attached scrolls shall be posted as small packet or parcel. |
| 14.Student transcripts (including those from cram schools) and certificates of enrollment that have been filled out and be posted domestically. | Letter | Printed Material | Printed student transcripts and certificates of enrollment that have been filled out may be posted as printed material; however it is still considered a letter. |
| 15.First-day covers may be posted unsealed. | Letter | Printed Material | No document other than printed matter is enclosed in the First-day covers. |
| 16.Self-addressed stamped envelope. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 17.Aerogramme. | Letter | Printed Material | |
| 18.Invitation cards, invitation letters or promotional educational materials, wedding invitations, obituaries, and thank-you cards. | Letter | Printed Material | 1. The content of the invitation card is only to inform the necessary matters of attendance (such as time, date, place, etc.) and written in common etiquette phrases, it may be posted as printed material; however, when the content is for a specific addressee to deliver certain message, it should be posted as letter.2. Invitation letters or promotional educational materials with sign-offs (such as Directors, Executive Officers, and so forth) may be posted as printed material if the recipients are unspecified individuals. |
| 19.Notification (To whom it may concern) | Letter | Printed material or Letter | 1. The so-called " To whom it may concern " means that the name of the recipient is only a general term (such as sir/madam) and the content serves as a notification to an unspecified public.2. If the substance of the document is directed at a specific individual or can be conveyed to a specific group of people (such as members of a hometown association), even if the document has a general title ("To whom it may concern "), it shall still be posted as a letter. |
| 20.Small packets and parcels with notices related to the contents (such as item descriptions, itemized lists of goods, and shipping documents) | Letter | Small packet, Parcel or Printed material | Packets and parcels enclosing notices related to the contents may be posted as mixed mail. |
| 21.Examination papers for employees of institutions, companies, etc., as well as examination papers for cram schools. | Letter | Printed material , Small packet or Parcel | |
| 22.Engineering drawings (including blueprints and diazotypes). | Letter | Printed material , Small packet or Parcel | |
| 23.Postage stamp and revenue stamp. | Letter | Printed material , Small packet or Parcel | |
| 24.Paper with patterns or forms printed on it, such as envelopes, letterheads, forms, pamphlets, account books, exercise books, notebooks, and other writing materials. | Letter | Printed material , Small packet or Parcel | 1. Messages delivered to an addressee or designated address shall be posted as a letter.2. Blank form may be posted as printed material, small packet or parcel. |
| 25.Withholding (dividend) and Non-Withholding Tax Statement that conforms to the printing specifications set by the Ministry of Finance. | Letter | Printed Material | Those who do not meet the specifications shall be posted as a letter instead. |
| 3. It shall be posted as a letter (when writing a specific person or a specific address on the envelope to deliver a message). | |||
| Content of mail item | Essence of mail item | Rate | Note |
| 1.Meeting Notice | Letter | Letter | |
| 2.Photocopied letter | Letter | Letter | |
| 3.The Land Affairs Office has checked the landowner's information and has filled in the land description. | Letter | Letter | |
| 4.All kinds of confidential documents. | Letter | Letter | |
| 5.Bearer securities. (Such as bank notes, money orders, checks and other securities in recognition of private property rights) | Letter | Letter | It shall be posted as value-declared or insured letter-post items. |
| 6.Account books (invoice) booklets: (If the content is not filled in, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel.) | |||
| (1)All kinds of signed and unsigned refund notices, statements and the certificates, etc. | Letter | Letter | |
| (2)Financial Institution Deposit Payment Book | Letter | Letter | |
| (3)Opened account savings passbooks, fixed-term deposit certificates, signed deposit and withdrawal slips and separately posted giro deposit and withdrawal slips. | Letter | Letter | 1.Attachments to related item can be posted by paying the postage for the respective item. 2.Tuition bill for all levels of public and private schools that have been registered may be posted separately as printed material. |
| (4)Uniform invoices and receipts | Letter | Letter | 1.If the content is filled out or printed, it shall be posted as a letter；if the content is blank, it can be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel. 2.When combined with other mail items, blank uniform invoices, receipts, and accounting vouchers may be posted as the respective mail item. |
| (5)Accounting vouchers and books. | Letter | Letter | |
| 7.Forms and notices: (If the content is blank and not filled out, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel.) | |||
| (1)Payment receipts and stubs. | Letter | Letter | |
| (2)Bill of lading, Ship Hatch Manifest, Letter of Credit. | Letter | Letter | |
| (3)Military dependent supply certificates, Military food stamps, Veteran retirement pension payment certificates. | Letter | Letter | |
| (4)Insurance Documents and the copies of labor insurance payment notification form. | Letter | Letter | |
| (5)Labor insurance outpatient fee application form and labor insurance outpatient receipt sent by the designated hospital. | Letter | Letter | |
| (6)Vehicle license tax (Fuel tax)notices, driving license notices and violation notices. | Letter | Letter | |
| (7)The quotation has been filled in with price and signed. | Letter | Letter | |
| (8)Various schedules, detailed tables, application forms, notices and certificates. (such as Order sheets, Valuation sheets, Calculation books, Stock dividend distribution notices, Interest schedules, Detailed tables, Shipping notices, Payment notices, Tax notices, Long-distance call records, Indoor telephone installation applications, Insurance premiums certificate, Investment tax credit certificate, etc.) | Letter | Letter | |
| (9)The filled registration form, inspection form or application form. (such as resumes, letters of guarantee, physical examination forms and other forms with personal data) | Letter | Letter | |
| (10)Telephone change processing form, Telephone change form Error correction form, Long-distance call bill list, International call bill summary table, User equipment and Basic rental fee table, User payment list, and Table of frequency changes. | Letter | Letter | |
| (11)Water company, Electricity company, Gas company meter reading card. | Letter | Letter | |
| (12)Fines and tax bills. | Letter | Letter | |
| (13)Payment notices, Statements and Certificates of various financial, Insurance, Securities, Telecommunications, Video, Water, Electricity, Gas and other institutions. | Letter | Letter | |
| 8.Identification documents, bank cards, and credit cards: (If the information is blank and not filled out, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel) | |||
| (1)Certificates and licenses. (Such as Graduation certificates, Certificates of merit, Library cards, Marriage certificates, Driver's licenses, Business licenses, Registration permits, Medical certificates and other certification documents, as well as letter of appointment, VIP cards, Membership cards, General commodity warranty, class pass, Blood donation honor card, etc.) | Letter | Letter | |
| (2)Household registration and identification documents (including chip IC, QR code or photocopy) such as: National ID card, Student ID card, Military identity supplementary card, Passport, Household registration secondary card, Household register, Household registration transcript, Household Register card for police used, Police Criminal Record Card , Floating Population Registration Notification Form, Household Registration Case Notification Form, Card Notification Form, Fingerprint Card and Tourist Population Registration Form, Transcript of the Land Registration Transcript, etc. | Letter | Letter | |
| (3)All kinds of financial cards, credit cards, stored-value cards, computer IC cards or other electromagnetic records enclosing the holder's personal information. | Letter | Letter | |
| 9.Deeds and documents: | |||
| (1)Various contracts and copies. | Letter | Letter | If the content field is blank and not filled out, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel. |
| (2)Litigation dossier | Letter | Letter | |
| (3)Case files and official document attachments sent by government agencies. | Letter | Letter | |
| (4)Award-winning survey, public opinion survey and other forms. | Letter | Letter | If the content field is blank and not filled out, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel. |
| (5)Meeting minutes and investigation reports, and so forth. | Letter | Letter | If the content field is blank and not filled out, it may be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel. |
| 4. Others: | |||
| Content of mail item | Essence of mail item | Rate | Note |
| 1.Those related to the contents of audio correspondence course materials including cassette tapes, cards, CDs, and so forth. | Printed Material | Printed Material | Items that belong to the category of books can be posted as printed material, small packet, or parcel. |
| 2.Blank or pre-recorded audio tapes (cassettes), CDs, videotapes, USB drives, and other storage devices. | Small packet or Parcel | Small packet or Parcel | |
| 3.Exposed or unexposed photographic film and slides. | Small packet or Parcel | Small packet or Parcel | |
| 4.Empty cardboard boxes for the redemption of lottery tickets, prizes, souvenirs, and so forth. | Small packet or Parcel | Small packet or Parcel | Empty cardboard boxes are articles rather than documents for reading, and shall be sent in small packets or parcels. |
| 5.Stickers, labels, pads, handkerchiefs, towels, plastic bags (tapes), eyeglass wipes, etc., not printed on paper but on other fabrics and plastic materials with printed text. | Small packet or Parcel | Small packet or Parcel | |
| 6.Wooden cards with landscape designs printed on them. | Small packet | Printed Material | If the item has been written on, it should be posted as a letter. |
| 7.Blank forms or necessary subordinate items related to the printed matter are enclosed. | Printed Material | Printed Material | |
