What Countries Are Ineligible for USPS Service?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) delivers to more than 180 countries. However, not all countries and territories are currently eligible for USPS international services. Some countries are excluded due to U.S. government sanctions and legal restrictions, while service to others is temporarily suspended. Which countries are currently ineligible for USPS service?

Let’s start with comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions. Comprehensive sanctions prohibit any U.S. individual or entity from conducting transactions with these countries, including mail delivery. As of November 2025, it is illegal to send items to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and certain regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia, including Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Syria used to be on this list, but the United States lifted sanctions on Syria in May 2025 following the fall of the Assad regime.

Due to operational and transport restrictions, including unavailability of transportation, ongoing conflict, and U.S. sanctions against certain individuals, companies, and government entities (as opposed to comprehensive sanctions), the USPS has also temporarily suspended the acceptance of international mail items to certain foreign destinations.

As of November 2025, countries with a temporary suspension of USPS service include Afghanistan, Belarus, Haiti, Libya, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Yemen. In two countries, the service disruption is partial: Niue (only Priority Mail Express International is affected) and Bhutan (First-Class Mail International is unaffected, while the rest of USPS’s international services are affected). Despite being temporary, these suspensions have been in place for years.

In addition, more short-term service disruptions may occur due to unforeseen circumstances. For instance, in February 2022, Ukraine’s national postal service (Ukrposhta) halted deliveries due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, the USPS ceased accepting international items to Ukraine. However, as the situation in Ukraine stabilized and post offices reopened, the delivery of international postal items resumed, except in Russia-occupied territories.

Another example is the strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in November and December of 2024. The strike began on November 15, and two weeks later, the USPS suspended acceptance of international mail to Canada due to undelivered mail. The CUPW suspended the strike on December 17, but the USPS did not immediately resume delivery to Canada due to a backlog of unprocessed and undelivered mail. Acceptance of Canada-bound postal items finally resumed on January 6, 2025.

Additionally, the USPS may suspend the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International to certain destinations due to transportation issues. This means that items addressed to these destinations are accepted and delivered, but senders are not reimbursed if their items are delivered late.

Since temporary and partial service disruptions and suspensions may occur with little to no notice, check the USPS International Service Alerts page for the latest information on service disruptions before purchasing international shipping labels.