A quick postal question.

[HumanAfterAll]

Hello. :Wave:

I've read through a few of the posts about mail to the Philippines, but I wanted to clarify something.
There's mention that a visit to the post office is necessary in Philippines for the collection of mail.

Is this just for mail that requires a signature? Or all international mail?

I've posted 3 postcards, none of them have arrived. One was from Bohol, one from Singapore and one from England.
I'm going to try an international signed for letter next and wanted to know this detail.

Thank you all for your time and knowledge. :smile:

[jake]

My mother has been sending letters and packages to the kids for years and nothing has ever gone missing using the post office. On a couple of occasions letters and especially postcards have floated around for a few months.

Letters and postcards do not need a signature. If the item is a package the postie will come to the house and give you a slip to collect the item at the post office. You take the slip to the post office and pay i think 50 or 60 pesos and they will give you package.

How long ago did you send them? They still might arrive :smile:

[raynaputi]

All international mails/parcels going to the Philippines need to be collected at the post office. It would only arrive at the recipient's doorsteps if the mail/parcel was sent via a private courier (i.e. DHL, Fedex, etc.). There are very few postman in the Philippines now and the only thing they deliver are the local mails and the notice from post office that you have an international mail/parcel that you have to get in the post office stated.

[jake]

If you send an international signed letter from the UK they will not guarantee it once it lands in the Philippines.

If you have important documents i would use a secure postal system such as LBC,DHL, Fedex.

[jake]

All international mails/parcels going to the Philippines need to be collected at the post office. It would only arrive at the recipient's doorsteps if the mail/parcel was sent via a private courier (i.e. DHL, Fedex, etc.). There are very few postman in the Philippines now and the only thing they deliver are the local mails and the notice from post office that you have an international mail/parcel that you have to get in the post office stated.

Postie still delivers to our house if it is a letter. Like a lot of things in the Philippines it depends in which area you live.

[HumanAfterAll]

Thank you all for your responses. So quick! :smile:

I have nothing important to send, it's just nice to send something physical with a message.
My girlfriend lives in Malate, Manila, so I'm hoping this is to an advantage.

I sent the postcard from Bohol in March, Singapore in April and the one from the UK just a few weeks ago, so I still have a little faith in that arriving.

Thank you for resolving my query about the post office collection and a blessing on all your mail to and from Philippines. :biggrin:

[raynaputi]

Postie still delivers to our house if it is a letter. Like a lot of things in the Philippines it depends in which area you live.

Oh I didn't know that. :omg: We rarely get international mails (letters) other than notices of parcels that need to be picked up in the post office. Also, the letters/bills we get locally are delivered not by postman but by that company's (whoever sent it) messenger. The last postman I've seen that came to our house was when I was still a kid! :omg:

[jake]

My girlfriend lives in Malate, Manila, so I'm hoping this is to an advantage.


Living in manila may turn out to be a disadvantage :icon_rolleyes:
Always helps to give the postman a small Christmas present here in the provinces as he cycles 3km just to give me a letter that he could easily drop of at our house in town. Sometimes a little extra for good service goes a long way in the Philippines. :wink:

[jake]

Oh I didn't know that. :omg: We rarely get international mails (letters) other than notices of parcels that need to be picked up in the post office. Also, the letters/bills we get locally are delivered not by postman but by that company's (whoever sent it) messenger. The last postman I've seen that came to our house was when I was still a kid! :omg:

Where you still living in the province of laguna at the time? According to our guvnor we are the number 1 province in the Philippines!

[raynaputi]

Where you still living in the province of laguna at the time? According to our guvnor we are the number 1 province in the Philippines!

I'm from Manila :Rasp:

[sars_notd_virus]

All international mails/parcels going to the Philippines need to be collected at the post office. It would only arrive at the recipient's doorsteps if the mail/parcel was sent via a private courier (i.e. DHL, Fedex, etc.). There are very few postman in the Philippines now and the only thing they deliver are the local mails and the notice from post office that you have an international mail/parcel that you have to get in the post office stated.

thats how its done in Batangas too...It is always handy to have contact numbers of your local post office.

[lovejoy]

Me myself I normally send Christmas card, birthday cards to my family and always arrived it took only 3 weeks and my family live in Bukidnon, Mindanao... But saying that when we was living in Cebu my mother in law and auntie of my husband sending cards for us took ages to arrive or we're going to post office to ask about it.

[Terpe]

I think it's highly variable.
Letters/postcards/parcels etc are delivered no problem to Marikina.
Only 50/50 delievered Davao city (so far) but always arrive.

Outside of the cities well yes and no. That why we always use a courier service. Just to be sure.

[raynaputi]

Our house in Manila is just 5-10 mins away from the main office of Philpost. Mind you it's sometimes still a hassle picking up parcels from post office. If I go there at 9am after my work (I used to work on nightshifts), I often wait for 30 mins or so for the employees to get in for work! And if I go there before I go to work, expect that I'd be late for work because of plenty of people picking up their parcels to make it on their cut off time (5pm). :doh

But what I can recommend is their international courier service. I used Philpost to send my stuffs from the Philippines to UK. It cost me around Php12K+ for a 27kg parcel and it arrived so quick here in the UK (barely 2 weeks). It was way cheaper than what DHL, Fedex, LBC, etc. quoted me (Php15K+ for just around 10kg parcel). :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[HumanAfterAll]

My postcard arrived! :smile:
3 weeks from the UK.
With a big stamp on the front of the picture. :Cuckoo:

[Michael Parnham]

I never had a problem receiving mail in Dumaguete it was always delivered approx. 3 weeks after being posted in UK:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[keith britten]

Hmmmm,My bank used DHL to send a replacement debit card. It took 2 weeks to get here and even then I had to go and collect it from DHL office. Post from UK usually takes 4 weeks to get to me if it ever arrives, from here to UK is usually better.

[Michael Parnham]

Hmmmm,My bank used DHL to send a replacement debit card. It took 2 weeks to get here and even then I had to go and collect it from DHL office. Post from UK usually takes 4 weeks to get to me if it ever arrives, from here to UK is usually better.

Two weeks is very good Keith:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[jonnijon]

I had an important letter sent from state pension in january I received it 30th april, after it was returned to the uk twice address unknown :yikes: :cwm25:Postman to lazy to go to barangay hall.

[imagine]

Hmmmm,My bank used DHL to send a replacement debit card. It took 2 weeks to get here and even then I had to go and collect it from DHL office. Post from UK usually takes 4 weeks to get to me if it ever arrives, from here to UK is usually better.

oh thats good, cos i was somehow under the impression banks wouldnt do this, extra charges on top of the post for this?

[Terpe]

I had an important letter sent from state pension in january I received it 30th april, after it was returned to the uk twice address unknown :yikes: :cwm25:Postman to lazy to go to barangay hall.

Jonnijon, does DWP pay your pension into a local Philippine Bank ?
or into a UK bank and then you manage it yourself?

Much appreciate any info on this.

[Slip]

My fiancée is still waiting for her Christmas card I sent Mid November!

[Michael Parnham]

Jonnijon, does DWP pay your pension into a local Philippine Bank ?
or into a UK bank and then you manage it yourself?

Much appreciate any info on this.

Hi Peter, DWP will pay your pension into a Philippine bank if you choose, also you will still get your annual increases:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Michael Parnham]

My fiancée is still waiting for her Christmas card I sent Mid November!

Probably still at her local post office, has she checked?:Erm:

[jonnijon]

Mine is paid into BPI but DWP pays it to Citi Bank who in turn pay it to me, DWP pays it early to Citi Bank but being a thief like all banks are they hold it for days. Last month I got my money 11 days after it was issued.:cwm23:

[Slip]

she was home Christmas but back in Singapore now.... However her village is a good hours walk from the post office so whoever goes from the village picks up the mail for the whole village, it has yet to arrive!

[Terpe]

Hi Peter, DWP will pay your pension into a Philippine bank if you choose, also you will still get your annual increases:xxgrinning--00xx3:

:xxgrinning--00xx3:
Thank you Michael

[Terpe]

Mine is paid into BPI but DWP pays it to Citi Bank who in turn pay it to me, DWP pays it early to Citi Bank but being a thief like all banks are they hold it for days. Last month I got my money 11 days after it was issued.:cwm23:

Thanks Jonnijon :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[keith britten]

Jonnijon, does DWP pay your pension into a local Philippine Bank ?
or into a UK bank and then you manage it yourself?

Much appreciate any info on this.

DWP pays my pension into a UK bank and I collect it here by ATM the same day.

[Terpe]

DWP pays my pension into a UK bank and I collect it here by ATM the same day.

Hi Keith, does your UK bank insist on a UK residential contact address?
or are they sending correspondence to Philippines?
or are you totally online and 'paperless'
or something else ?

[jonnijon]

Im just closing my UK accounts and Philippine accounts with HSBC, their Advance accounts are of no use to me here. Ive gone to BPI, no bank charges and no minimum balance.

[Terpe]

Im just closing my UK accounts and Philippine accounts with HSBC, their Advance accounts are of no use to me here. Ive gone to BPI, no bank charges and no minimum balance.

Hmm, food for thought there. Thanks Jonnijon
Better do some more research I think.

[Michael Parnham]

Hmm, food for thought there. Thanks Jonnijon
Better do some more research I think.

My personal recommendation Peter is, keep your UK bank active and make sure you have a UK correspondence Address then you can use online banking and control your money yourself!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[keith britten]

Hi Keith, does your UK bank insist on a UK residential contact address?
or are they sending correspondence to Philippines?
or are you totally online and 'paperless'
or something else ?

Hi Terpe, They are sending all correspondence here to the Phils. Some gets here some does'nt, I can view statements online but if I have any problems I have to phone them in UK.

[Michael Parnham]

Hi Terpe, They are sending all correspondence here to the Phils. Some gets here some does'nt, I can view statements online but if I have any problems I have to phone them in UK.

Hi Keith, how come you can't print your statements off online? I printed mine off when we needed them for my wife's spouse visa!

[Terpe]

Hi Terpe, They are sending all correspondence here to the Phils. Some gets here some does'nt, I can view statements online but if I have any problems I have to phone them in UK.

Thanks for the information Keith, very useful.

[Terpe]

My personal recommendation Peter is, keep your UK bank active and make sure you have a UK correspondence Address then you can use online banking and control your money yourself!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thanks Michael, the correspondence address requirement would be a problem for me once I leave UK

[keith britten]

Hi Keith, how come you can't print your statements off online? I printed mine off when we needed them for my wife's spouse visa!
I can print statements online.

[Michael Parnham]

I can print statements online.

Thanks for that Keith, sorry! must have misinterpreted what you were saying:xxgrinning--00xx3: