# Express mail

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Accelerated mail delivery service

1903 4d Express mail cover from Kendall-Bedford with red official [Royal Mail](/source/Royal_Mail) express label affixed. The vertical line also indicates that express service is required.

**Express mail** is an [expedited](/source/Expediting) [mail](/source/Mail) delivery service for which the customer pays a premium for faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic and international mail, and is in most nations governed by the country's own [postal administration](/source/Postal_administration). Since 1999, the international express delivery services have been governed by the EMS Cooperative.[1]

## Express Mail Service and the EMS Cooperative

Express Mail Service (EMS) service logo

Express Mail Service liveried aircraft at [London Stansted Airport](/source/London_Stansted_Airport) in 1993

Express Mail Service (EMS) is an international express postal service offered by postal administration members of the [Universal Postal Union](/source/Universal_Postal_Union) (UPU). These administrators created the EMS Cooperative in 1998, within the framework of the UPU, to promote the harmonization and development of postal services worldwide.[2] As of January 2015[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Express_mail&action=edit), EMS was offered by more than 190 countries and territories worldwide.[3]

An independent [auditor](/source/Auditor) measures the express delivery performance of all international EMS operators, and EMS Performance Awards are based on postal operators' performance, including service performance and tracking: gold, silver, or bronze certificates are awarded to EMS Cooperative members depending on their yearly performance.[4] These EMS award winners are recorded in the EMS Cooperative's Hall of Fame.[5]

## EMS Cooperative members

Main article: [List of EMS Cooperative members](/source/List_of_EMS_Cooperative_members)

EMS SpeedPost from India

Since its creation, 182 postal administrations have joined the EMS Cooperative, representing over 85% of EMS operators worldwide.[6]

## Other providers

Many transportation logistics firms offer similar accelerated services. [DHL Express ("DHL")](/source/DHL_Express), Federal Express ("[FedEx](/source/FedEx)"), and [United Parcel Service](/source/United_Parcel_Service) ("UPS") are the most popular alternatives. However, in many countries such alternative carriers' shipments have a different status for several legal purposes. For example, in Russia, shipments from abroad to individuals for private needs are exempt from [customs duties](/source/Customs_duties) if valued less than €1000 and sent via post or EMS, while when sent by other means the exemption applies to values below €250 only.[7] In some countries legal notification sent by post and EMS are deemed made on the date of dispatch, while for other couriers on the date of delivery only.[8]

## See also

- [Express mail in the United States](/source/Express_mail_in_the_United_States)

- [Gallows letter](/source/Gallows_letter)

- [Mail](/source/Mail)

- [Pony Express](/source/Pony_Express)

- [Postal administration](/source/Postal_administration)

- [S10 (UPU standard)](/source/S10_(UPU_standard))

- [Surface Air Lifted](/source/Surface_Air_Lifted) (SAL)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative"](http://www.ems.post/). *ems.post*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171110222639/http://www.ems.post/) from the original on 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2015-01-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["About EMS Cooperative"](http://www.ems.post/information-about-ems-cooperative). *ems.post*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171021042845/http://www.ems.post/information-about-ems-cooperative) from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["EMS Homepage"](http://www.ems.post/ems). *ems.post*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150120010557/http://www.ems.post/ems) from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["2013 EMS Performance Award Winners"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150120004946/http://www.ems.post/2013-ems-performance-award-winners). *ems.post*. Archived from [the original](http://www.ems.post/2013-ems-performance-award-winners) on 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2016-03-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["EMS Hall of Fame 2007-2011"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150120004027/http://www.ems.post/hall-fame-2007-2011). *ems.post*. Archived from [the original](http://www.ems.post/hall-fame-2007-2011) on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Members of the EMS Cooperative"](http://www.ems.post/members-ems-cooperative). *ems.post*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161220230232/http://www.ems.post/members-ems-cooperative) from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Moving-of-the-goods-by-physical-persons-for-a-private-use-through-customs-border-of-the-customs-union-and-fulfillment-of-the-customs-operations-connected-with-their-release"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170710040207/http://eng.customs.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:ab-the-ord&catid=37:moving-of-the-goods-by-physical-persons-for-a-private-use-through-customs-border-of-the-customs-union-and-fulfillment-of-the-customs-operations-connected-with-their-release&Itemid=1849&Itemid=1910). *customs.ru*. Federal Customs Service of Russia. Archived from [the original](http://eng.customs.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:ab-the-ord&catid=37:moving-of-the-goods-by-physical-persons-for-a-private-use-through-customs-border-of-the-customs-union-and-fulfillment-of-the-customs-operations-connected-with-their-release&Itemid=1849&Itemid=1910) on 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2014-07-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-russian-civil-code.com_8-0)** ["Civil Code of the Russian Federation"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180715110446/http://www.russian-civil-code.com/PartI/SectionI/Subsection5/Chapter11.html). *Russian-civil-code.com*. Archived from the original on 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-21.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Express mail](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Express_mail).

- [EMS Tracking](https://track365.org/carriers/ems). track365.org

- ["Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative"](http://www.ems.post/). *ems.post*.

- ["United States Postal Service (USPS), Priority Express Mail"](https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-express.htm). *usps.com*. (previously called "Express Mail")

- ["Universal Postal Union (UPU) EMS"](http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/ems-cooperative/about-the-ems-cooperative.html). *upu.int*.

- ["EMS Official Website"](https://www.ems.post/en). *ems.post*.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Express mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_mail) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_mail?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.