If you’re expecting Christmas packages, the Cayman Islands Postal Service (CIPS) has a couple of suggestions to speed up delivery.

There are two things that customers are can do to speed up the process: 1) ensure an invoice is available, so that Customs Department Officers can assess the duty and 2) submit a Watch for Request for any traceable item.

Customers can submit invoices via email to:  [email protected] or by fax to 345-945-6876. They should also include the following information:

a.         The item’s tracking number (13 character number in the format of XX000 000 000 XX). The tracking number is essential to match the invoice to the package.

b.         The addressee’s name and postal address

c.          The addressee’s email address (if available)

d.         The invoice

Deputy Postmaster General of Operations, Melissa Martinez-Ebanks, explained, “Without an invoice, the duty cannot be assessed. This means the customer will have to go to the Customs counter at the Airport Post Office, which is only open between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturdays, to clear the package.

The Watch For Request was intended for customers who realize their package did not have all the addressing elements required for delivery; namely, a post office box number and postcode.  However, the process can be used by any customer with a tracking number and, if the customer wishes, it offers the added benefit of receiving the notice via email within seconds of the item being processed.

“Our normal process is to send the notice to the customer’s mail box. In cases where the delivery address does not include a valid post office box number, this is not possible—often what we see is street addresses. However, we recognise that our normal process includes the time necessary to sort and deliver the hard copy of the notice. If customers wish, they may submit a Watch For Request for any item with a tracking number. If the request includes a valid email address, the notice will be emailed to the customer as soon as the item is ready for collection, thus allowing the customer to receive the notice quicker,” Ms Martinez-Ebanks added.

She noted that, “the Watch For Request is also good option for customers who share a post office box and may not have access to the post office box at their own discretion and it is the only alternative for receiving the notice for items that do not include a post office box.”

The Watch for Request forms are available at any post office and can also be downloaded from www.caymanpost.gov.ky/forms.  Alternatively, customers can telephone 945-6875 and provide the necessary information.