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Contact the BFPO Enquiries Team
Tel: 08457 69 79 78

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Royal Mail SmartStamp®

• What is Royal Mail SmartStamp®?
• As a BFPO customer serving overseas, can I use SmartStamp®?
• What are the reasons for BFPO's decision?
• Will BFPO reconsider its decision in the future?

What is Royal Mail SmartStamp®?

SmartStamp® is a relatively new concept designed by Royal Mail to allow its United Kingdom customer base the opportunity to print postage labels from the comfort of their own home without the need to visit the local Post Office.  It was designed for customers who regularly send large quantities of items like eBay users or small businesses.

As a BFPO customer serving overseas, can I use SmartStamp®?

BFPO have studied this initiative and considered if it could be incorporated by HM Forces personnel serving worldwide.  After extensive research it has been decided that at present it isn’t possible due to a range of contributing factors. 

What are the reasons for BFPO’s decision?

• Delivery Deadlines - All printed postage has an expiry date (24 hours after print) and if it has not been received into the Royal Mail® system the item would not be accepted and subsequently be returned to the Forces Post Office of origin.  Due to the vast amount of locations worldwide that BFPO provide a service for it would be impossible to ensure delivery times within the 24 hour period.

• Serving overseas and Software / Server Location - Royal Mail® state that only customers based in the United Kingdom will be able to access the SmartStamp® service due to internet server restrictions.  If for example your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is based abroad then Royal Mail® has the technical capability to identify your location and therefore restrict access to their service.

• Unavailable services to BFPO customers - SmartStamp® allows its customers to print postage for certain services that BFPO cannot offer due to location constraints such as Special Delivery™ Next Day and Special Delivery™ 9.00am.  This would prove confusing for new users and would be difficult for FPO staff to monitor with more and more users adopting the system.

Will BFPO reconsider its decision in the future?

Whilst at this stage it has been decided that SmartStamp® is not available to HM Forces personnel serving overseas we understand that some users despite restrictions, might still be able to access the system from abroad.  This is not a recommended process as it is very likely that any mail sent from a BFPO or international civil address using SmartStamp® will be returned to sender with no refund provided.  BFPO will continue to monitor this service and look at ways of developing the service to meet the needs of our customer but at present the service is not available to HM Forces personnel.