Franking

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Franking comprises all devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced. Types of franks include uncanceled and precanceled postage stamps (both adhesive and printed on postal stationery), impressions applied via postage meter (via so-called "postage evidencing systems"), official use "Penalty" franks, Business Reply Mail (BRM), and other permit Imprints (Indicia), manuscript and facsimile "franking privilege" signatures, "soldier's mail" markings, and any other forms authorized by the 192 postal administrations that are members of the Universal Postal Union. [1]

Contents

Types and methods

An 1832 stampless single-sheet "Liverpool Ship Letter" pen franked "Paid 5" by a U.S. postal clerk in Philadelphia, PA Liverpool Ship Letter Phila 1832.jpg
An 1832 stampless single-sheet "Liverpool Ship Letter" pen franked "Paid 5" by a U.S. postal clerk in Philadelphia, PA

While all affixed postage stamps and other markings applied to mail to qualify it for postal service is franking, not all types and methods are used to frank all types or classes of mails. Each of the world's national and other postal administrations establishes and regulates the specific methods and standards of franking as they apply to domestic operations within their own postal systems. [2] Although there are differences in the manner that the postal systems of the 192 nations [3] that belong to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) apply and regulate the way their mails are franked, most mail types fall under one (and sometimes more) of four major types and/or methods of franking: postage (stamps, etc.), privilege, official business, and business reply mail.

Modern postal clerk script franking with CDS (Ukraine) Ukraine PO Script Franking with CDS.jpg
Modern postal clerk script franking with CDS (Ukraine)

Any and all conflicts that might arise affecting the franking of mail types serviced by multiple administrations which result from differences in these various postal regulations and/or practices are mediated by the UPU, a specialized agency of the United Nations which sets the rules and technical standards for international mail exchanges. [4] [5] The UPU co-ordinates the application of the regulations of postal systems of its member nations, including as they relate to franking, to permit the servicing and exchange of international mail. [6] Prior to the establishment of the UPU in 1874, international mails sometimes bore mixed franking (the application of franking of more than one country) before the world's postal services universally agreed to deliver international mails bearing only the franking of the country of origin.

Postage (stamps, etc)

1840 (UK) Penny black.jpg
1840 (UK)
Postally franked German Air Mail cover (Berlin-Buenos Aires via D-LZ127 Graf Zeppelin (1934)) D-LZ127 First South America Flight 1934.jpg
Postally franked German Air Mail cover (Berlin-Buenos Aires via D-LZ127 Graf Zeppelin (1934))

"Postage" franking is the physical application and presence of postage stamps, or any other markings recognized and accepted by the postal system or systems providing service, which indicate the payment of sufficient fees for the class of service which the item of mail is to be or had been afforded. Prior to the introduction to the world's first postage stamps in Britain in 1840 ("Penny Black") and 1841 ("Penny Red"), pre-paid franking was applied exclusively by a manuscript or handstamped "Paid" marking and the amount of the fee collected. [7] The first US postage stamp was the red brown Five cent Franklin (SC-1) issued in 1847.

1847 (US) Franklin SC1 1847.jpg
1847 (US)
Machine printed postal frank (India) Freimachung-IND.jpg
Machine printed postal frank (India)

In addition to stamps, postage franking can be in the form of printed or stamped impressions made in an authorized format and applied directly by a franking machine, postage meter, computer generated franking labels or other similar methods ("Postage Evidencing Systems"), [8] any form of preprinted "Postage Paid" notice authorized by a postal service permit ("Indicia"), [9] or any other marking method accepted by the postal service and specified by its regulations, as proof of the prepayment of the appropriate fees. Postal franking also includes "Postage Due" stamps or markings affixed by a postal service which designate any amount of insufficient or omitted postage fees to be collected on delivery. [10] Some countries allow senders to purchase one-time codes online that can be hand-written onto the piece of mail, such as the Netherlands' Postzegelcodes introduced in 2013. [11]

Franking privilege

Machine cancelled U.S. Congressional frank Congressional Frank 1921 T.S. Butler.jpg
Machine cancelled U.S. Congressional frank

"Privilege" franking is a personally pen-signed or printed facsimile signature of a person [12] with a "franking privilege" such as certain government officials (especially legislators) and others designated by law or postal regulations. This allows the letter or other parcel to be sent without the application of a postage stamp. In the United States this is called the "Congressional frank" which can only be used for "Official Business" mail. [13] [14]

WWI pen franked "Soldier Mail" WWI Pen Franked "Soldier Mail" Cover.jpg
WWI pen franked "Soldier Mail"

In addition to this type of franking privilege, from time to time (especially during wartimes) governments and/or postal administrations also authorize active duty service members and other designated individuals to send mail for free by writing "Free" or "Soldier's Mail" (or equivalent) on the item of mail in lieu of paid postal franking, or by using appropriate free franked postal stationery. In the United States, unless otherwise designated, such mail is serviced by both the military and civil postal systems that accept them as First Class letter mail. [15]

"Official Business"

"Penalty Mail Stamp" US Penalty Mail Stamp.jpg
"Penalty Mail Stamp"
"Official Business" franking from Great Britain (c. 1978) Official Paid Scan.jpg
"Official Business" franking from Great Britain (c. 1978)

"Official Business" franking is any frank printed on or affixed to mail which is designated as being for official business of national governments (i.e. governments which also have postal administrations) and thus qualify for postal servicing without any additional paid franking. [16] In Commonwealth countries the printed frank reads "Official Paid" and is used by government departments on postmarks, stationery, adhesive labels, official stamps, and handstruck or machine stamps.

In Canada, the monarch, the Governor General, members of the Senate of Canada, members of the House of Commons, the Clerk of the House of Commons, Parliamentary Librarian, Associate Parliamentary Librarian, officers of parliament, and the Senate Ethics Officer all have franking privilege, and mail sent to or from these people are sent free of charge. Bulk mail from members of the House of Commons is limited to four mailings per year and to the member's own electoral district. Individuals may send letters to any of the above office-holders without charge. [17]

US "Penalty" frank Penalty Franking.jpg
US "Penalty" frank

In the United States such mails are sent using postal stationery or address labels that include a "Penalty" frank ("Penalty For Private Use To Avoid Payment of Postage $300") [18] printed on the piece of mail, and/or is franked with Penalty Mail Stamps (PMS) of appropriate value. [19] Such mails are generally serviced as First Class Mail (or equivalent) unless otherwise designated (such as "bulk" mailings).

"Business Reply Mail"

BRM franking (US) Business Reply Mail.svg
BRM franking (US)

"Business Reply Mail" (BRM) franking is a preprinted frank with a Permit number which authorizes items so marked to be posted as First Class Mail with the authorizing postal service without advance payment by the person posting the item. (International Reply Mail may specify Air Mail as the class of service.) Postage fees for BRM are paid by the permit holder upon its delivery to the specified address authorized by the permit and preprinted on the item of business reply mail. Governments also use BRM to permit replies associated with official business purposes. [20] [21]

History of the "franking privilege"

A limited form of franking privilege originated in the British Parliament in 1660, with the passage of an act authorizing the formation of the General Post Office. By 1772, the abundance of franked letters represented lost revenue of more than one third the total collections of the Post Office. [22] In the 19th century, as use of the post office [23] increased significantly in Britain, it was expected that anybody with a Parliament connection would get his friends' mail franked.

In the United States, the franking privilege predates the establishment of the republic itself, as the Continental Congress bestowed it on its members in 1775. The First United States Congress enacted a franking law in 1789 during its very first session. Congress members would spend much time "inscribing their names on the upper right-hand corner of official letters and packages" until the 1860s for the purpose of sending out postage-free mail. Yet, on January 31, 1873, the Senate abolished "the congressional franking privilege after rejecting a House-passed provision that would have provided special stamps for the free mailing of printed Senate and House documents." Within two years, however, Congress began to make exceptions to this ban, including free mailing of the Congressional Record , seeds, and agricultural reports. Finally, in 1891, noting that its members were the only government officials required to pay postage, Congress restored full franking privileges. Since then, the franking of congressional mail has been subject to ongoing review and regulation.

The phrase franking is derived from the Franks, a Germanic tribe that conquered Gallia—modern-day France—during the last days of the Western Roman Empire. The Franks held more legal rights than the Gallo-Roman natives. To be a Frank was to be "free" under the law. Another use of that term is speaking "frankly", i.e. "freely". Because Benjamin Franklin was an early United States Postmaster General, satirist Richard Armour referred to free congressional mailings as the "Franklin privilege."

A U.S. Congressional franked mailing Franked.jpg
A U.S. Congressional franked mailing

The use of a franking privilege is not absolute but is generally limited to official business, constituent bulk mails, and other uses as prescribed by law, such as the "Congressional Frank" afforded to Members of Congress in the United States. This is not "free" franking, however, as each member is appropriated a budgeted amount to compensate the USPS for servicing the mail.

A six-member bipartisan Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, colloquially known as the "Franking Commission," is responsible for oversight and regulation of the franking privilege in the Congress. [24] Among the Commission's responsibilities is to establish the "Official Mail Allowance" for each Member based proportionally on the number of constituents they serve. Certain other persons are also accorded the privilege such as Members-elect and former presidents and their spouse or widow as well. A president who is convicted in the Senate as a result of an impeachment trial would not have a franking privilege after being forced to leave office. [25] The sitting president does not have personal franking privileges but the vice president, who is also President of the Senate, does.

In Italy, mail sent to the President was free of charge until this franking privilege was abolished in 1999. [26]

In New Zealand, individuals writing to a Member of Parliament can do so without paying for postage. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Postal Service</span> Independent agency of the U.S. federal government

The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, its insular areas and associated states. It is one of a few government agencies explicitly authorized by the Constitution of the United States. As of 2023, the USPS has 525,469 career employees and 114,623 non-career employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mail</span> System for transporting documents and other small packages

The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal systems have generally been established as a government monopoly, with a fee on the article prepaid. Proof of payment is usually in the form of an adhesive postage stamp, but a postage meter is also used for bulk mailing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overprint</span> Layer of text or graphics added to a banknote or postage stamp

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Registered mail</span> Postal service

Registered mail is a postal service in many countries which allows the sender proof of mailing via a receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Depending on the country, additional services may also be available, such as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personalised stamp</span>

A personalised (or personalized) stamp is a postage stamp on which, for a fee, an image and/or text of the purchaser's choosing may be placed. The stamps vary from country to country, and while some are normal stamps with a personalised label on the left attached by perforations, elsewhere the stamps are more properly regarded as one-piece personalised meter stamps with a colourful design next to the indicia. Stamps produced by Zazzle.com for the United States, for instance, are one-piece, self-adhesive with die cut margins to emulate perforations, and visually very similar to normal United States postage stamps, except for the addition of an information-based indicia (IBI) encoded by little black and white squares along one edge. A serial number appears next to the IBI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of United States postage rates</span>

The system for mail delivery in the United States has developed with the nation. Rates were based on the distance between sender and receiver in the nation's early years. In the middle of the 19th century, rates stabilized at one price regardless of distance. Rates were relatively unchanged until 1968 when the price was increased every few years by a small amount. Comparing the increases with a price index, the cost of a first-class stamp has been steady. The seal of the Post Office Department showed a man on a running horse, even as railroads and, later, motorized trucks and airplanes moved mail. In 1971, the Post Office became the United States Postal Service, with rates set by the Postal Regulatory Commission, with some oversight by Congress. Air mail became standard in 1975. In the 21st century, prices were segmented to match the sorting machinery used; non-standard letters required slightly higher postage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postage meter</span> Machine for printing proof of postage payment

A postage meter or franking machine is a mechanical device used to create and apply physical evidence of postage to mailed items. Postage meters are regulated by a country's postal authority. A postage meter imprints an amount of postage, functioning as a postage stamp, a cancellation and a dated postmark all in one. The meter stamp serves as proof of payment and eliminates the need for adhesive stamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freepost</span> Postal service paid for upon receipt

Freepost is a postal service provided by various postal administrations, whereby a person sends mail without affixing postage, and the recipient pays the postage when collecting the mail. Freepost differs from self-addressed stamped envelopes, courtesy reply mail, and metered reply mail in that the recipient of the freepost pays only for those items that are actually received, rather than for all that are distributed. Freepost of preprinted cards issued by businesses is also different from postal stationery sold by postal administrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Facing Identification Mark</span>

The Facing Identification Mark, or FIM, is a bar code designed by the United States Postal Service to assist in the automated processing of mail. The FIM is a set of vertical bars printed on the envelope or postcard near the upper edge, just to the left of the postage area. The FIM is intended for use primarily on preprinted envelopes and postcards and is applied by the company printing the envelopes or postcards, not by the USPS.

Metered reply mail, or MRM, is a type of mail in which a business sends pre-printed, self-addressed envelopes or postcards to customers, with postage prepaid on the envelopes or postcards with a postage meter. It is thus similar to courtesy reply mail with a postage stamp already affixed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-denominated postage</span> Type of postage stamp

Non-denominated postage is a postage stamp intended to meet a certain postage rate, but printed without the denomination, the price for that rate. They may retain full validity for the intended rate, regardless of later rate changes, or they may retain validity only for the original purchase price. In many English-speaking countries, it is called non-value indicator or non-value indicated (NVI) postage. They are used in many countries and reduce the cost of printing large issues of low-value make up stamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Official mail</span>

Official mail is mail sent from, or by, an authorized department of government, governmental agency or international organization and normally has some indication that it is official; a certifying cachet, return address or other means of identity, indicating its user. In some countries, postage stamps have been issued specifically for official mail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free frank</span>

A free frank was a mark applied by means of a hand-stamp to parliamentary mail in Britain to indicate that the mailed item did not require postage. The privilege of free franking was granted to four different classes: Members of Parliament; peers sitting in the House of Lords; office-holders, largely as stipulated by Acts of Parliament; and to archbishops and bishops sitting in the House of Lords. Requirement for free franking were that the mailed cover had to be signed by the official sender. As a result, free franks were avidly sought during the first three decades of the nineteenth century for autograph collections. This was accomplished by cutting out the front panels of the envelope which carried the inscriptions which were required under the use of this privilege. These panels are referred to by collectors as free fronts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postage stamps and postal history of Bhutan</span>

The first postage stamps of Bhutan were issued in 1962, the same year that the first motorable road was opened. Before that there was a mail delivery system in place for official mail using mail runners, and between 1955 and 1962 revenue stamps were accepted as payment for internal mail. With the opening up of Bhutan in the early 1960s, a formal postal system was introduced.

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Yemen.

References

  1. ↑ "Postage Payment Methods U.S. Postal Service". Pe.usps.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  2. ↑ ""Status and Structures of Postal Administrations" Universal Postal Union (June, 2006)" (PDF). Upu.int. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-12. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  3. ↑ "Member Countries". Upu.int. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. ↑ "The UPU". Universal Postal Union. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  5. ↑ "UPU Technical Standards". Upu.int. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  6. ↑ "Universal Postal Union Standards for effective postal operations and interconnecting the global postal network". Upu.int. Archived from the original on 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  7. ↑ Miller, Rick The evolution of franking: different ways to indicate postage was paid Archived 2008-06-24 at the Wayback Machine Linn's Stamp News
  8. ↑ ""Postage Evidencing Systems" USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  9. ↑ "Permit Imprint (Indicia) USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  10. ↑ "Insufficient or Omitted Postage USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  11. ↑ "Postzegel niet meer nodig met app" (in Dutch). NOS. 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  12. ↑ "Official Mail (Franking Privilege) USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.gov. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  13. ↑ ""Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change" U.S. Congressional Research Service Report RL34247, December, 2007" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  14. ↑ 39 U.S.C.   § 3210
  15. ↑ "39 U.S.C. 3401(a) U.S. Postal Service Armed Forces & Free Postage". Frwebgate.access.gpo.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  16. ↑ "Official Business (Penalty) USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Frwebgate.access.gpo.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  17. ↑ "Government Mail Free of Postage". Canada Post. 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  18. ↑ ""Penalty" USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.gov. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  19. ↑ "Penalty Mail: Stamps used for official government mail". USPS. 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Business Reply Mail" USPS Quick Service Guide (505) July 28, 2014
  21. ↑ "Business Reply Mail USPS Domestic Mail Manual". Pe.usps.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  22. ↑ Craik, George Lillie (1844). The History of British Commerce  . Vol. 2. p. 164 – via Wikisource.
  23. ↑ "Brief History of the Royal mail". Archived from the original on 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  24. ↑ "Regulations on the Use of the CONGRESSIONAL FRANK By Members of the House of Representatives and RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS Before the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards" (PDF). House of Representatives Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards. June 1998. pp. VII–VIII. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  25. ↑ Former Presidents: Federal Pension and Retirement Benefits Congressional Research Service
  26. ↑ Attuazione della direttiva 97/67/CE concernente regole comuni per lo sviluppo del mercato interno dei servizi postali comunitari e per il miglioramento della qualità del servizio Archived March 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ "Contact an MP - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
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