Support for Ukraine

Shipping of power stations and generators with no Customs payments in Ukraine

In connection with the critical situation of the supply of energy resources in Ukraine, which has arisen as a result of Russian attacks, Latvijas Pasts, referring to the call of the Ukrainian postal operator Ukrposhta, is organizing a service during which the company will also accept shipments containing batteries, accumulators, power banks, portable charging stations with lithium-ion components, generators, water filtering or purifying equipment to Ukraine.

These shipments for the support of Ukraine can be handed over to any post office.

How to make a delivery from Ukraine:

1. Send shipments from any of the Post offices of Latvijas Pasts to your receiver Ukraine. You should pay for the delivery before sending. Choose EMS express shipments to send accumulators, batteries, generators.
2. What can be sent?  The following conditions must be met when delivering or addressing parcels in support of Ukraine to Latvijas Pasts:

• Goods in the original packing up to 30 kg;
• Up to 10 000 EUR;
• The device must not have been previously used;
• One shipment may not contain more than three devices;
• Shipment must be formed as EMS (Express delivery);
• Information “Support for Ukraine” should be indicated on the shipment;

1. What should be mentioned at the customs documents while sending:

• Generator, HS code 8502 11/ 8502 20 Electric generating sets
• Batteries/ accumulators/ power banks/ portable charging stations with lithium-ion components, HS code 8507 60 00 00
• Starlinks, HS code 8517 69 90 00/ 8517 70 00 90
• Water filtering or purifying equipment, HS code 84212100

1. Receive items at the post offices of Ukrposhta in 10-14 days (courier delivery is provided in Regional centers).

The service Support for Ukraine at Latvijas Pasts will run until March 31, 2023.

#Glory to Ukraine

Exchange of postal items with Ukraine

Latvijas Pasts ensures the exchange of postal items with Ukraine: in cooperation with a Polish postal establishment, items are delivered to Ukraine by land. Items from Ukraine are delivered to recipients in Latvia in the same way. However, we ask customers to take into account the fact that it takes longer to deliver items by land when border crossing is involved. Due to the war in Ukraine, it is not possible to deliver and receive items in all areas. The Universal Postal Union has commended Latvia, Poland and Slovakia, whose postal services are currently working in cooperation with the Ukrainian Postal Service to ensure that the military action does not hinder international mail exchange with the country.

Simplified receipt of personal belongings for Ukrainian refugees

In order to provide support to Ukrainian citizens who have left their country due to the military conflict caused by Russia, a simplified procedure has been established for receiving postal items with personal belongings.

If a Ukrainian citizen is sent a postal item containing his or her personal belongings from Ukraine to Latvia, a notice regarding customs clearance of the item will be received from Latvijas Pasts, but the customs declaration will not have to be filled in and taxes will not have to be paid.

To receive such an item at a post office, the addressee will be asked to show a passport or other valid identity document – a Ukrainian ID or a temporary residence permit issued in Latvia, as well as to provide a mobile phone number for further communication with Latvijas Pasts. As soon as the State Revenue Service accepts the data, the recipient of the item will be notified of the delivery of the item exempt from service fee and commission.

The addressee will have the opportunity to wait on the spot at the post office until Latvijas Pasts and the State Revenue Service complete the necessary formalities for processing the item to make its delivery to the recipient possible, but it should be taken into account that this process may take up to half an hour or a little longer. Therefore, the second option is to present the necessary documents and information to the post office, wait for a message from Latvijas Pasts on the mobile phone saying that the item is ready for delivery, and then go to the post office to collect it.

Opening of accounts in the Postal Settlement System free of charge

Latvijas Pasts opens accounts for Ukrainian refugees in the Postal Settlement System free of charge. To open an account, an identity document is required: it can be a Ukrainian passport, a Ukrainian ID or a temporary residence permit issued in Latvia. Latvijas Pasts is a payment institution licenced by the Financial and Capital Market Commission, and a payment account with the Postal Settlement System is a convenient way to receive any type of payments, make transfers to the accounts of legal entities or private individuals at the post offices, as well as credit institutions in Latvia and abroad, deposit and withdraw cash from one’s account and pay bills at any post office.

Money orders and Western Union money transfers

Both money orders and Western Union money transfers to Ukraine are accepted. Meanwhile, Latvijas Pasts does not accept money orders and Western Union money transfers to Russia and Belarus and does not pay out money orders and transfers received from those countries.

Goods and press from Russia and Belarus are not delivered or sold

Latvijas Pasts has suspended the delivery of press published in Russia and Belarus to subscribers in Latvia since the first days of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, as well as removed newspapers and magazines issued in those countries from the range of products sold at the post offices. It is also not possible to purchase goods manufactured in Russia and Belarus at the post offices.

A stamp block in support of Ukraine: half of its sales are donated

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Latvijas Pasts has released a block of three stamps and a special envelope to support Ukraine. The selling price of the stamp block is nine euro, and 50% of the proceeds from the sales are donated to the charity fund Ziedot.lv programme in support of Ukraine. The philatelic releases dedicated to supporting Ukraine – stamps, a coupon and an envelope – form a single patriotic composition depicting the symbols of independence of both countries: the Independence Monument in Kiev and the Freedom Monument in Riga, the national flags of Ukraine and Latvia, and inscriptions in Ukrainian and Latvian: We Are with You! and Glory to Ukraine! The planned print run of the stamp block is 20,000 copies, and the print run of the envelope is 800 copies.

The face value of each of the stamps included in the block is €1.44, and it can be used to send an ordinary letter weighing up to 20 grams to the countries in Groups 2 and 4, as well as to combine stamps necessary to pay postage for other items.

The block of stamps released in support of Ukraine can be purchased here.