Artikel 16

1. Principle
1.1 Cases of exemption from postal charges, as meaning exemption from postal prepayment, shall be expressly laid down by the Convention. Nonetheless, the Regulations may provide for exemption from postal prepayment, transit charges, terminal dues and inward rates for letter-post items and postal parcels sent by member countries, designated operators and Restricted Unions and relating to the postal services. Furthermore, letter-post items and postal parcels sent by the International Bureau of the Union to Restricted Unions, member countries and designated operators shall be exempted from all postal charges. However, the member country of origin or its designated operator shall have the option of collecting air surcharges on the latter items.
2. Prisoners of war and civilian internees
2.1 Letter-post items, postal parcels and postal payment services items addressed to or sent by prisoners of war, either direct or through the offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and of the Postal Payment Services Agreement, shall be exempt from all postal charges, with the exception of air surcharges. Belligerents apprehended and interned in a neutral country shall be classed with prisoners of war proper so far as the application of the foregoing provisions is concerned.
2.2 The provisions set out under 2.1 shall also apply to letter-post items, postal parcels and postal payment services items originating in other countries and addressed to or sent by civilian internees as defined by the Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war, either direct or through the offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and of the Postal Payment Services Agreement.
2.3 The offices mentioned in the Regulations of the Convention and of the Postal Payment Services Agreement shall also enjoy exemption from postal charges in respect of letter-post items, postal parcels and postal payment services items which concern the persons referred to under 2.1 and 2.2, which they send or receive, either direct or as intermediaries.
2.4 Parcels shall be admitted free of postage up to a weight of 5 kilogrammes. The weight limit shall be increased to 10 kilogrammes in the case of parcels the contents of which cannot be split up and of parcels addressed to a camp or the prisoners’ representatives there (“hommes de confiance”) for distribution to the prisoners.
2.5 In the accounting between designated operators, rates shall not be allocated for service parcels and for prisoner-of-war and civilian internee parcels, apart from the air conveyance dues applicable to air parcels.
3. Items for the blind
3.1 Any item for the blind sent to or by an organization for the blind or sent to or by a blind person shall be exempt from all postal charges, with the exception of air surcharges, to the extent that these items are admissible as such in the internal service of the sending designated operator.
3.2 In this article: 3.2.1 a blind person means a person who is registered as blind or partially sighted in his or her country or who meets the World Health Organization’s definition of a blind person or a person with low vision;
3.2.2 an organization for the blind means an institution or association serving or officially representing blind persons;
3.2.3 items for the blind shall include correspondence, literature in whatever format including sound recordings, and equipment or materials of any kind made or adapted to assist blind persons in overcoming the problems of blindness, as specified in the Regulations.
3.2.1 a blind person means a person who is registered as blind or partially sighted in his or her country or who meets the World Health Organization’s definition of a blind person or a person with low vision;
3.2.2 an organization for the blind means an institution or association serving or officially representing blind persons;
3.2.3 items for the blind shall include correspondence, literature in whatever format including sound recordings, and equipment or materials of any kind made or adapted to assist blind persons in overcoming the problems of blindness, as specified in the Regulations.