Shipping letters to the Holy Father

Updated June 20th

USPS may work best

Many who have inquired with DHL and FedEx about sending mail directly to Vatican City have run into issues. It might be related to specificity about the mailing address.

However, the USPS sends to Vatican City at a speed of 3-5 days, essentially as fast as the former two options. We have verified this procedure with the local USPS office.

For a two-pound shipment, it would cost $95.55 (North Carolina pricing). There is a USPS form (Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note [picture 1 and picture 2]) that needs to be completed with this shipment. They have those in stock there and can assist you.

Here is a link with additional details for filling out the Customs form and addressing the package to Vatican City properly: HERE

Try to ship the letters out early in the morning so there is a high chance they start heading to the Holy Father faster.

There could be some benefit in shipping the letters in envelopes instead of boxes. It might be good to ask. Customs may be easier for envelopes. However, if it is obvious that the contents are documents-only, that will help.

Be sure to indicate that these are documents-only: this helps with easier shipping through Customs.