The 192 members of the Universal Postal Union are listed below in alphabetical order, with the date of membership. Members are the Vatican City and the 193 UN members except Andorra, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. The newest member is South Sudan, which joined on 4 October 2011.
Before 10 July 1964, states became members of the UPU by ratifying the latest version of the Treaty of Bern. After this date, states become members by ratifying the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union, which incorporated the Treaty of Bern and added provisions to it. Three states which were party to the Treaty of Bern in 1964, and hence members of the UPU, and which have signed but never ratified the Constitution are the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Sudan. These states are deemed to have "tacitly ratified" the agreement due to their continued participation in the UPU. Also included as members are two "joint memberships" for dependent territories (one for the British overseas territories and one for the Caribbean constituent countries (Dutch: landen) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten), originally as Netherlands Antilles). Dependent territories are not permitted to ratify the UPU Constitution, but because the Treaty of Bern allowed for dependencies to join the UPU, listing these members separately as "Colonies, Protectorates, etc.", the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union grandfathered them when membership was restricted to sovereign states. However, neither the British nor the Dutch entities ratified the Treaty of Bern separate from the ratifications of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, respectively.
By virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution, other dependencies of UPU member states are covered by its membership. Territories covered by a sovereign member state are listed under that country.
A
Afghanistan – 1 April 1928
Albania – 1 March 1922
Algeria – 1 October 1907
Angola – 1 March 1977
Antigua and Barbuda – 20 January 1994
Argentina – 1 April 1878
Armenia – 14 October 1992
Australia – 1 October 1907
Norfolk Island
Austria – 1 July 1875
Azerbaijan – 1 April 1993
B
Bahamas – 24 April 1974
Bahrain – 21 December 1973
Bangladesh – 7 February 1973
Barbados – 11 November 1967
Belarus – 13 May 1947
Belgium – 1 July 1875
Belize – 1 October 1982
Benin – 27 April 1961
Bhutan – 7 March 1969
Bolivia – 1 April 1886
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 26 January 1993
Botswana – 12 January 1968
Brazil – 1 July 1877
Brunei – 15 January 1985
British overseas territories – 1 April 1877
Anguilla
Bermuda
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Montserrat
Pitcairn Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Dependencies of St Helena
Ascension
Tristan da Cunha
Turks and Caicos Islands
Bulgaria – 1 July 1879
Burkina Faso – 29 March 1963
Burundi – 6 April 1963
C
Cambodia – 21 December 1951
Cameroon – 26 July 1960
Canada – 1 July 1878
Cape Verde – 30 September 1976
Central African Republic – 28 June 1961
Chad – 23 June 1961
Chile – 1 April 1881
China – 1 March 1914
Hong Kong – 1 April 1877
Macau
Colombia – 1 July 1881
Comoros – 29 July 1976
Congo, Democratic Republic of the – 1 January 1886
Congo, Republic of – 5 July 1961
Costa Rica – 1 January 1883
Ivory Coast – 23 May 1961
Croatia – 20 July 1992
Cuba – 4 October 1902
Cyprus – 23 November 1961
Czechia – 18 March 1993
D
Denmark – 1 July 1875
Faroe Islands
Greenland
Djibouti – 6 June 1978
Dominica – 31 January 1980
Dominican Republic – 1 October 1880
E
Ecuador – 1 July 1880
Egypt – 1 July 1875
El Salvador – 1 April 1879
Equatorial Guinea – 24 July 1970
Eritrea – 19 August 1993
Estonia – 30 April 1992
Eswatini - 7 November 1969
Ethiopia – 1 November 1908
F
Fiji – 18 June 1971
Finland – 12 February 1918
Åland Islands
France – 1 January 1876
French Overseas Departments
French Guiana
Guadeloupe (including Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin)
Martinique
Reunion
Mayotte
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
French Polynesia (including Clipperton Island)
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
New Caledonia
Wallis and Futuna
G
Gabon – 17 July 1961
Gambia – 9 October 1974
Georgia – 1 April 1993
Germany – 1 July 1875
Ghana – 10 October 1957
Greece – 1 July 1875
Grenada – 30 January 1978
Guatemala – 1 August 1881
Guinea – 6 May 1959
Guinea-Bissau – 30 May 1974
Guyana – 22 March 1967
H
Haiti – 1 July 1881
Honduras – 1 April 1879
Hungary – 1 July 1875
I
Iceland – 15 November 1919
India – 1 July 1876
Indonesia – 1 May 1877
Iran – 1 September 1877
Iraq – 22 April 1929
Ireland – 6 September 1923
Israel – 24 December 1949
Italy – 1 July 1875
J
Jamaica – 29 August 1963
Japan – 1 June 1877
Jordan – 16 May 1947
K
Kazakhstan – 27 August 1992
Kenya – 27 October 1964
Kiribati – 14 August 1984
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of – 6 June 1974
Korea, Republic of – 1 January 1900
Kuwait – 16 February 1960
Kyrgyzstan – 26 January 1993
L
Laos – 20 May 1952
Latvia – 17 June 1992
Lebanon – 15 May 1946
Lesotho – 6 September 1967
Liberia – 1 April 1879
Libya – 4 June 1952
Liechtenstein – 13 April 1962
Lithuania – 10 January 1992
Luxembourg – 1 July 1875
M
Madagascar – 2 November 1961
Malawi – 25 October 1966
Malaysia – 17 January 1958
Maldives – 15 August 1967
Mali – 21 April 1961
Malta – 21 May 1965
Mauritania – 22 March 1967
Mauritius – 29 August 1969
Mexico – 1 April 1879
Moldova – 16 November 1992
Monaco – 12 October 1955
Mongolia – 24 August 1963
Montenegro – 26 July 2006
Morocco – 1 October 1920
Mozambique – 11 October 1978
Myanmar – 4 October 1949
N
Namibia – 30 April 1992
Nauru – 17 April 1969
Nepal – 11 October 1956
Netherlands – 1 July 1875
Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten – 1 July 1875
Aruba
Curaçao
Sint Maarten
New Zealand (including the Ross Dependency) – 1 October 1907
Cook Islands (Free Association with New Zealand)
Niue (Free Association with New Zealand)
Tokelau
Nicaragua – 1 May 1882
Niger – 12 June 1961
Nigeria – 10 July 1961
North Macedonia – 12 July 1993
Norway – 1 July 1875
O
Oman – 17 August 1971
P
Pakistan – 10 November 1947
Panama – 11 June 1904
Papua New Guinea – 4 June 1976
Paraguay – 1 July 1881
Peru – 1 April 1879
Philippines – 1 January 1922
Poland – 1 May 1919
Portugal – 1 July 1875
Q
Qatar – 31 January 1969
R
Romania – 1 July 1875
Russia – 1 July 1875
Rwanda – 6 April 1963
S
Saint Kitts and Nevis – 11 January 1988
Saint Lucia – 10 July 1980
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 3 February 1981
Samoa – 9 August 1989
San Marino – 1 July 1915
São Tomé and Príncipe – 22 August 1977
Saudi Arabia – 1 January 1927
Senegal – 14 June 1961
Serbia – 9 October 1874
Seychelles – 7 October 1977
Sierra Leone – 29 January 1962
Singapore – 8 January 1966
Slovakia – 18 March 1993
Slovenia – 27 August 1992
Solomon Islands – 4 May 1984
Somalia – 1 April 1959
South Africa – 22 August 1994
South Sudan – 4 October 2011
Spain – 1 July 1875
Sri Lanka – 13 July 1949
Sudan – 28 July 1956
Suriname – 20 April 1976
Sweden – 1 July 1875
Switzerland – 1 July 1875
Syria – 15 May 1946
T
Tajikistan – 9 June 1994
Tanzania – 29 March 1963
Thailand – 1 July 1885
Timor-Leste – 28 November 2003
Togo – 21 March 1962
Tonga (including Niuafo'ou) – 26 January 1972
Trinidad and Tobago – 15 June 1963
Tunisia – 1 July 1888
Turkey – 1 July 1875
Turkmenistan – 26 January 1993
Tuvalu – 3 February 1981
U
Uganda – 13 February 1964
Ukraine – 13 May 1947
United Arab Emirates – 30 March 1973
United Kingdom – 1 July 1875
The Crown dependencies of the United Kingdom are not members of the UPU, and are represented by the United Kingdom
Guernsey
Isle of Man
Jersey
United States – 1 July 1875
Territories coming within the UPU's jurisdiction by virtue of article 23 of the UPU Constitution
Guam
Puerto Rico
American Samoa
United States Virgin Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Uruguay – 1 July 1880
Uzbekistan – 24 February 1994
V
Vanuatu – 16 July 1982
Vatican City – 1 June 1929
Venezuela – 1 January 1880
Vietnam – 20 October 1951
Y
Yemen – 1 January 1930
Z
Zambia – 22 March 1967
Zimbabwe – 31 July 1981
Observer states
Palestine – Has special observer status to the UPU since 1999, West Bank mail delivered through Jordan since 2008. From up to 2010 Gaza strip mail was delivered through Israel. On 15 November 2018, the president of the State of Palestine signed documents to accede to the UPU as a full member. However, UPU member states did not approve the application.
States not participating in UPU activities
In general areas governed by organizations that are not members of the UPU, must have their international mail handled by a member state.
Andorra – mail routed through France or Spain.
Marshall Islands (mail transportation handled by the United States Postal Service)
Federated States of Micronesia (mail transportation handled by the United States Postal Service)
Palau (mail transportation handled by the United States Postal Service)
Entities not participating in UPU activities
Order of Malta mail routed through Italy. Additionally, its stamps are accepted by 57 UPU members.
States with limited recognition
These states need to have their mail routed through third countries as the UPU will not allow direct international deliveries.
Somaliland mail routed through Ethiopia
Northern Cyprus mail routed through Turkey
Kosovo mail routed through Serbia
Abkhazia mail routed through Russia
South Ossetia mail routed through Russia
Nagorno-Karabakh mail routed through Armenia
Transnistria mail routed through Moldova
Sahrawi Republic mail routed through Algeria
Taiwan (Republic of China) mail routed through Japan and the United States
Former member countries of the UPU
In the course of history a number of member countries of the UPU saw their membership lapse, due to political changes. Where there was an immediate successor state, membership would normally devolve on that state. In other cases membership lapsed.
Kingdom of Hawaii – 1 January 1882 – 14 June 1900 (organized as the Territory of Hawaii, an organized incorporated territory of the United States)
Orange Free State – 1 January 1898 – 31 May 1902
South African Republic – 1 January 1895 – 31 May 1902
Gold Coast – January 1879 – 1957 (became Ghana)
Czechoslovakia From 18 May 1920 – Slovakia and the Czech Republic ratified the treaty after Czechoslovakia dissolved in 1992. Wartime Slovakia (1939–1945) ratified the Universal Postal Treaty and all its protocols on 5/8/1941.
Yugoslavia (country ceased to exist in 1992)
Independent State of Croatia 1941–1945 (country ceased to exist)
Republic of China – 1 March 1914 – 1 October 1949 (politically ceased to exist; confined to Taiwan from 7 December 1949)
Korean Empire – 1 January 1900 – 29 August 1910 (annexed by Japan)
South Vietnam (country ceased to exist in 1975)
East Germany From 1 July 1875 (country ceased to exist in 1990)
South Yemen (country ceased to exist in 1990)
See also
List of postal entities, a list of the postal authorities and operators of UPU members.
Notes
References
Further reading
List of member countries of the Universal Postal Union: showing their contribution class, geographical group and legal situation with regard to the Acts of the Union. Bern: International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, 2005 13p.