Postal Service Center
Sign Up For Email Notifications | Requesting a mail box | Address format | Forwarding Mail and Putting Mail On Hold | Deploying Personnel | Spouses of Deployed Personnel | Returning from deployment | Sending mail “In Care Of” | Local Nationals | PCS/ETS and requesting an extension of P.O. Box privileges | Unit/Organization Mail | Care Packages from Organizations | Mail from countries other than the U.S. or Italy | Private Business & CMR | Private Mail Carriers
The Postal Service Center is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. During the Christmas holidays, it is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on Federal holidays.
Patrons can check their mailboxes 24 hours a day.
Soldiers and self-sponsored civilian employees can request a P.O. Box prior to arriving at Camp Ederle. To request a box, personnel must be within 60 days of reporting to Vicenza.
If possible, a newcomer’s sponsor should request the mailbox in person at the Postal Service Center. Incoming personnel can talk to ACS at the installation they are departing to request a sponsor in Vicenza. If a local sponsor cannot request a mailbox in person, incoming personnel can send a copy of the orders showing assignment to Caserma Ederle to usag-vicenza.postalservicecenter@us.army.mil and a staff member will respond and assign a receptacle. Civilian government employees must provide a letter of employment issued by the Civilian Personnel Office.
Government contractors must provide a copy of their contract indicating they are authorized logistical support. Some government contractors are not authorized logistical support.
If you send boxes to this location prior to your arrival, you must be prepared to claim those items immediately upon arrival in Italy. Unfortunately, the Postal Service Center does not have the space or man power to provide long term storage.
Only sponsors are authorized a mail box and must share the box with their Family members. Family members who have documentation from the Civilian Personnel Office showing that they are their own sponsors can get their own box. For more information, call DSN 634-7430 or civilian 0444-71-7430.
Your mailing address for receiving personal correspondence will follow this format:
Name
CMR 427 BOX xxxx (4 digit box number)
APO AE 09630-xxxx (4 digit zip code suffix)
Do not add Vicenza, Italy, to your address. APO addresses are within the U.S. postal system and postal rates are the same as sending items within the United States. People stationed at Vicenza are urged to explain this to their families who may be sending mail. Writing “Italy” will delay mail and may cause people to pay extra for international shipping.
All mail delivered at a CMR address must have a complete delivery address and full return address (EUCOM Regulation 210). Mail should have first and last names, and should not use nicknames. Items that cannot be easily identified will be returned to sender.
Be aware that mail being sent from the states to Italy at the “SAM” rate can take up to 1 ½ months to arrive.
Forwarding Mail and Putting Mail On Hold
Notify the mail room to forward or hold mail by filling out DD Form 2258.
Held mail will be placed in the box even after it’s placed on hold because the box is the holding location. Completing DD Form 2258 will prevent packages from being returned to the sender while you are away.
When your box becomes too full, the mail will be removed and placed in a different location until claimed. A package slip will then be placed in your mail box indicating that there is mail or a package waiting to be claimed at the Customer Service Window.
Upon your return, you must first go to your box and retrieve all package slips before coming to the Customer Service Window.
To request forwarding for mail, the sponsor must provide a valid forwarding address, a start date and stop date, and an email address where the sponsor can be reached.
Note: Under normal conditions, the maximum amount of time for you to place your mail on hold is five (5) months. More than five months require management approval.
To forward or put mail on hold, fill out Form 2258, available at the post office. A forward order requires a current address and a start and stop date.
Do not mail things back to yourself if you have a forwarding order in place.
If it becomes necessary to mail something to yourself, please indicate on the package “HOLD UNTIL (DATE MONTH and YEAR) in this format: xx month 20xx. Spell out the month so your desires are easily understood.
If you mail packages to this location and they do not move, but letter mail is being removed from your receptacle, that receptacle will be blocked and no mail will be delivered until the packages are removed.
High dollar items should be mailed with insurance. Sensitive, hard-to-replace high dollar Items should be registered.
Due to space limitations (especially during deployments), deployed service members or civilians should mail packages DIRECTLY to a person who is in the Vicenza area who can claim those packages. Other people will not be allowed to pick up your mail unless they have proper documentation.
Soldiers can also mail packages directly to their unit, using the below format:
COMMANDER
Unit (example: A-B-C Company, 1st or 2nd /503rd
Attn: (POC’s name, for example SFC John Doe), Unit 31401 box xxxx
APO AE 09630-xxxx
Mail addressed to a specific box number cannot be released to the unit for storage.
Spouses can pick up mail for the deployed service member as long as they have their military ID. Others may not pick up a service member’s mail. For more information or special circumstances, speak with the post office staff.
All spouses must notify the mail room prior to departing Vicenza for an extended period of time (more than 30 days).
The Mail Room will consider a mail box abandoned if the mail does not move out of the box and the box backs up with old mail. These receptacles will be closed without notice. Upon the sponsor’s return, he/she will have to open a new mail box. The same mail box may no longer be available.
A spouse cannot open a closed mail box. A power of attorney will not be accepted.
If you depart Vicenza for an extended period of time and have valid forwarding order in place, do not send packages to yourself. It will be returned.
If it becomes necessary to send packages here, please indicate on the package itself, “HOLD UNTIL (date) in this format: 19 APRIL 20XX”. This tells the mail room to keep that package here and not forward it back to you.
Do not mail packages here for storage. Storage space will be very critical because of the deployment. Send those packages addressed to a friend that can pick them up for you.
If your sponsor is down range and mails you packages, you must claim them immediately. If those items do not move, but letter mail is being removed from your receptacle, that receptacle will be blocked and no mail will be delivered until the packages are removed.
High dollar items should be mailed with insurance. Sensitive, high dollar items should be registered.
Mail being sent from the states to Italy at the “SAM” rate can take up to 1 ½ months to arrive. The mail room staff can do nothing to speed up this process.
For personnel returning from deployment, magazine subscriptions should be changed to your Vicenza box number at least 3 months before you leave the down-range area. This will allow the magazines enough time to change your address and for you not to miss any subscriptions.
Soldiers should start terminating unnecessary postal service to the down range area at least 30-45 days prior to returning to Vicenza.
Addresses must be on the package in a manner that it won’t come off. Write the name and address on a large piece of cardboard inside the box so that if the name does come off, the items won’t get lost.
Mail must be addressed to the mail box holder or anyone else whose name is listed on the box (ie: spouse, family members). Mail sent to another person not listed on the box, such as “In Care Of” mail, will be returned to sender.
Mail addressed to a local national is not authorized even with a power of attorney. Local nationals are not authorized to receive mail without the proper military I.D. card. (A base pass does not count as a military I.D.)
Mail addressed to a local national “In Care Of” someone else will be returned to sender.
PCS/ETS and requesting an extension of P.O. Box privileges
Upon ETS or PCS the mail box must be closed. To keep the box open after PCS or ETS is called extended logistical support. The approving authority is the Garrison Commander. To request extended logistical support, the sponsor should report to the U.S. Army Garrison-Vicenza Director of Human Resources to initiate the request at least 15 duty days prior to the expiration of normal authorized privileges.
Even if the sponsor is military and has a job due to start immediately after ETS, he or she must go to United States to process passport and visa applications. During this time, he or she he must close the current box and reopen a new box upon return or get authorized extended logistical support. Typically, this support will not exceed 90 calendar days.
Merchandise purchased with a government impact card or any other government credit card may not be shipped to a personal mail box. These items may be returned to sender without notice to the intended recipient.
These should be sent to the office or unit’s official address such as :
Commander
1/503 A Company
Attn Supply NCOIC
APO AE 09630.
Multiple boxes of the same item or any one package with multiple like items inside stand out and have the appearance of being official mail. These items should not be sent to a person or personal mail box as it has the appearance of circumventing Installation Property Book and proper accountability of government merchandise.
Care Packages from Organizations
Care packages from organizations must be addressed to the unit in this format:
COMMANDER
Unit designation (example A-B-C Company 1st or 2nd /503)
Attn: POC’s name (for example SFC John Doe)
UNIT 31401 BOX xxxx
APO AE 09630.
If there is a different commander, care packages can still be delivered to the unit.
Do not have organizational Care Packages sent to an individual person.
Packages that are sent to an individual person become that person’s personal mail. If that person is hurt and/or leaves the Down Range Area, those packages must follow him/her to their next destination. If the individual is deceased those packages must be forwarded to the Next Of Kin.
Please note, this is for care packages from organizations only, not from spouses, family, friends, etc.
Mail from countries other than the U.S. or Italy
Mail coming to Vicenza, Italy, from a country other than the United States or Italy should be addressed as:
NAME
CMR 427 BOX _______
APO AE 09630 USA
This will cause your mail to return to the United States and then be sent to you here in Italy. Currently there is no direct exchange in place locally that will allow this mail to come directly to your PO Box.
Correspondence and bills should be sent to your on-post mail box rather than your Italian postal box at your physical address. Official correspondence for work should be sent to your office/unit/organization’s mail box.
Private Business & CMR
You cannot use your CMR Box to conduct any type of private business.
All private carriers (FED EX, UPS, DHL, Airborne Express, etc.) are currently prohibited from delivering personal mail to the Postal Service Center. Please do not have your things sent through private carriers as these private couriers can not deliver mail to the post office for you to claim.
When a service member is placed in military confinement, it is the unit’s responsibility to clear the Soldier from the mail room. Soldiers in confinement are authorized to receive letter mail. If the Soldier is returning to Vicenza after the confinement period, the unit must provide the mail room with this information.
Commanders are required to notify the mail room once a Soldier has been declared a deserter. At that time, the Soldiers’ mail box will be closed and all mail returned to sender per chapter 3, page 87, paragraph C3.4.6.3 of DOD Postal Manual 4525.6 M.
This Mail Room will consider a mail box abandoned if the mail does not move out of the box and the box backs up with old mail. These receptacles will be closed without notice. Upon return, the individual will have to open a new mail box. The same mail box may no longer be available.
Even if a Soldier is in a military school, deployed, or in the hospital, it is the service member’s responsibility to inform the mail room of their status. Failure to notify the mail room can cause you problems with your mail delivery. The Mail Room does not have the resources to locate individuals who do not claim their mail.
FSG’s are no longer authorized access to the mail room to stuff boxes. Family support groups must prepare their items to be stuffed and bring them to the Official Mail Room located in BLDG 304 behind the Post Exchange.
These items must have the complete delivery address as well as a complete return address.
The Post Office cannot process express mail.
For claims, size and weight restrictions, prohibited item information please contact the P.S.C. staff at DSN 634-7430,634-8548,634-8266.
Many items may not be shipped, and attempting to ship them or falsifying a customs forms may result in fines and other penalties. A list of some of the items that may not be shipped are below, but this list is not all-inclusive. Check with the post office before shipping.
Alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, liquor) may not be shipped, and boxes displaying such markings are also prohibited
Hazardous materials cannot be shipped. If a material or substance can cause harm to someone or something, it can be considered a hazardous material. This includes many common household and consumer products.
Some examples of commonly-used items restricted or considered hazardous under USPS regulations include:
- Perfumes
- Nail polish
- Flee collars or flee sprays
- Aerosols
- Bleach
- Pool chemicals
- Paints
- Matches
- Fuels or gasoline or items that previously contained fuel
- Airbags
- Dry ice
- Batteries
- Mercury thermometers
- Cleaning supples
- Glues
- Fireworks
Some items, such as olive oil, can be shipped but it must be packed in a particular way. Talk to the post office staff for information on shipping such items.
Reusing boxes or packing is only acceptable when all marking and labels have been removed or completely marked out so they cannot be read.
There are several methods to have complaints heard and processed. To identify a problem area or make a suggestion for improvement in service, poor customer service or to identify a clerk for good service rendered please click on the link below.
More general information about the post office, shipping costs, tracking and confirmation and other information can be found the U.S. Post Office’s web site http://www.usps.com/.