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Empire/Commonwealth Reduced Rate Countries

Canada famously issued a stamp for the start of the new rate showing the current Empire territories in red!

A reduced "Empire" rate, with at least the basic rate equivalent to the current inland rate, was available between 25 December 1898 and 16 March 1975 to countries in the British Empire (as a "Commonwealth" rate in later years). Reduced rates were intended to apply between any two such countries.

In the table below an attempt has been made to give the correct dates when each named destination was extant. So if a place you would expect to be listed for a particular date seems to be missing, check its status at the time in question – it may be listed under a different name that was in use at the time (e.g. consider the numerous changes that led to the formation of modern-day Malaysia).

As a general rule of thumb, if a place is listed in the Stanley Gibbons "Part 1" catalogue, these rates will have applied to it for most or all of this period, and if it isn't, the standard UPU rates will have applied. However, there were a number of exceptions to this basic pattern:

  • Not all places in the Empire agreed to this arrangement immediately, so many have a later start date (e.g. as late as 1905 for Australia).
  • Likewise, towards the end of the period many countries gave notice that they wished to withdraw from the arrangement, eventually resulting in it being scrapped.
  • The reduced rate also applied to several "Empire-adjacent" places, such as Egypt and Sudan, British postal agencies (e.g. in the Persian Gulf), captured enemy colonies and subsequent Mandate territories, and places reached through India.
  • Ironically, it was also available to the United States from 1908-57, initially as the campaigned-for "Transatlantic Penny Post".

As always, if you spot an error, please let the know.

Country/territory From To Country/territory From To
Abu Dhabi 1963 (30 Mar) 1966 (31 Dec) Aden 1898 (25 Dec) 1968 (15 Sep)
Afghanistan (*) 1905 (Apr) 1928 (Mar) Anguilla 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Antigua 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Ascension 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Australia 1905 (1 Apr) 1973 (9 Sep) Bahamas 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Bahrain 1909 (3 Aug) 1965 (31 Dec) Bangladesh 1971 (16 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Banks Islands 1912 (29 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar) Barbados 1898 (25 Dec) 1974 (23 Jun)
Basrah 1915 (2 Mar) 1922 (31 Mar) Basutoland 1899 (1 Sep) 1966 (3 Oct)
Bechuanaland Protectorate 1906 (3 Apr) 1966 (29 Sep) Belize 1973 (1 Jun) 1975 (16 Mar)
Bermuda 1898 (25 Dec) 1974 (23 Jun) Bhutan c.1965 1971 (30 Jun)
Botswana 1966 (30 Sep) 1975 (16 Mar) British Cameroons 1917 (10 Jul) 1961 (30 Sep)
British Central Africa Protectorate 1898 (25 Dec) 1907 (5 Jul) British East Africa 1898 (25 Dec) 1920 (22 Jul)
British Guiana 1898 (25 Dec) 1966 (25 May) British Honduras 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (31 May)
British Indian Ocean Territory 1965 (8 Nov) 1975 (16 Mar) British New Guinea 1905 (1 Apr) 1906 (31 Aug)
British Virgin Islands 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep) Brunei 1911 (11 Aug) 1975 (16 Mar)
Burma 1937 (1 Jan) 1957 (30 Sep) Bushire 1915 (26 Oct) 1915 (20 Dec)
Canada 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep) Cape Colony 1899 (1 Sep) 1910 (30 May)
Cayman Islands 1899 (24 May) 1975 (16 Mar) Ceylon 1898 (25 Dec) 1972 (21 May)
China (Weihaiwei) 1902 (1 May) 1930 (23 Sep) China (Other British POs) 1902 (1 May) 1916 (30 Sep)
Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep) Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep)
Cook Islands 1901 (27 Aug) 1975 (16 Mar) Cyprus 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Dominica 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Dubai 1909 (3 Aug) 1963 (14 Jun)
Egypt 1905 (15 Dec) 1957 (30 Sep) Falkland Islands 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Fanning Island 1905 (1 Apr) 1975 (16 Mar) Fiji 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Gambia 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Gaza and Khan Yunis 1926 (15 Feb) 1957 (30 Sep)
German East Africa 1916 (28 Nov) 1920 (9 Jan) Ghana 1957 (6 Mar) 1975 (16 Mar)
Gibraltar 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1908 (20 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar)
Gold Coast 1898 (25 Dec) 1957 (5 Mar) Grenada 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Guyana 1966 (26 May) 1975 (16 Mar) Hawaii 1909 (1 Apr) 1957 (30 Sep)
Hong Kong 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) India 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep)
India (French) 1910 (Oct) 1954 (31 Oct) Iraq 1915 (2 Mar) 1922 (31 Mar)
Israel 1948 (14 May) 1957 (30 Sep) Jamaica 1899 (24 May) 1973 (9 Sep)
Johore 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar) Jordan / Transjordan 1938 (26 Jul) 1957 (30 Sep)
Kedah 1910 (1 Feb) 1946 (31 Mar) Kelantan 1910 (1 Feb) 1946 (31 Mar)
Kenya 1920 (23 Jul) 1975 (16 Mar) Kuwait 1915 (2 Mar)
1941 (24 May)
1924 (11 Mar)
1959 (31 Jan)
Lagos 1898 (25 Dec) 1906 (Feb) Lesotho 1966 (4 Oct) 1973 (9 Sep)
Malawi 1964 (6 Jul) 1975 (16 Mar) Malaya 1946 (1 Apr) 1963 (15 Mar)
Malaysia 1963 (16 Mar) 1975 (16 Mar) Maldive Islands c.1958 c.1965-66
Malta 1899 (1 Apr) 1975 (16 Mar) Mauritius 1899 (24 May) 1975 (16 Mar)
Montserrat 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Morocco (British PO Tangier) 1908 (15 Jun) 1957 (19 Apr)
Morocco (Other British POs) 1908 (15 Jun)
1934 (1 Oct)
1921 (1 Mar)
1956 (31 Dec)
Muscat 1909 (3 Aug) 1966 (29 Apr)
Natal 1898 (25 Dec) 1910 (30 May) Nauru 1915 (2 Mar) 1975 (16 Mar)
Negri Sembilan 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar) Nepal 1898 (25 Dec) 1957 (30 Sep)
Nevis 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Newfoundland 1898 (25 Dec) 1949 (31 Mar)
New Guinea (Territory) 1915 (2 Mar) 1949 (30 Jun) New Hebrides 1912 (29 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar)
New Zealand 1901 (1 Jan) 1975 (16 Mar) Niger (Company) Territories 1898 (25 Dec) 1899 (31 Dec)
Niger Coast 1898 (25 Dec) 1899 (31 Dec) Nigeria 1914 (1 Jan) 1973 (9 Sep)
Norfolk Island 1905 (1 Apr) 1973 (9 Sep) North Borneo 1899 (24 May) 1963 (15 Mar)
Northern Nigeria 1900 (1 Jan) 1913 (31 Dec) Northern Rhodesia 1924 (1 Apr) 1964 (23 Oct)
Nyasaland 1907 (6 Jul) 1964 (5 Jul) Orange River Colony 1900 (1 Dec) 1910 (30 May)
Pahang 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar) Pakistan 1947 (14 Aug) 1972 (30 Sep)
Palestine 1926 (15 Feb) 1948 (13 May) Papua 1906 (1 Sep) 1973 (9 Sep)
Papua New Guinea 1949 (1 Jul) 1973 (9 Sep) Perak 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar)
Perlis 1910 (1 Feb) 1946 (31 Mar) Qatar 1909 (3 Aug) 1963 (22 May)
Pitcairn Island 1909 (23 Mar) 1975 (16 Mar) Rhodesia (general) 1906 (3 Apr) 1975 (16 Mar)
St Kitts 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) St Lucia 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
St Helena 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) St Vincent 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Samoa / Western Samoa 1915 (2 Mar) 1975 (16 Mar) Sarawak 1898 (25 Dec) 1963 (15 Mar)
Selangor 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar) Seychelles 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Sharjah c.1938 1963 (9 Jul) Sierra Leone 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar)
Singapore 1946 (1 Apr)
1965 (9 Aug)
1963 (15 Mar)
1973 (9 Sep)
Solomon Islands 1908 (20 Oct) 1973 (9 Sep)
South Africa 1910 (31 May) 1962 (31 May) Southern Nigeria 1900 (1 Jan) 1913 (31 Dec)
Southern Rhodesia 1923 (1 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar) South West Africa 1917 (23 Jan) 1962 (31 May)
Sri Lanka 1972 (22 May) 1973 (9 Sep) Straits Settlements 1898 (25 Dec) 1946 (31 Mar)
Sudan 1905 (15 Dec) 1957 (30 Sep) Swaziland c.1902 1975 (16 Mar)
Tanganyika 1920 (10 Jan) 1964 (25 Apr) Tanzania 1964 (26 Apr) 1975 (16 Mar)
Tibet c.1903 1957 (30 Sep) Togo 1915 (2 Mar) 1920 (30 Sep)
Togo (British Sphere) 1920 (1 Oct) 1957 (5 Mar) Tonga 1908 (20 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar)
Torres Islands 1912 (29 Oct) 1975 (16 Mar) Transvaal 1900 (1 Dec) 1910 (30 May)
Trengganu 1910 (1 Feb) 1946 (31 Mar) Trinidad and Tobago 1898 (25 Dec) 1973 (9 Sep)
Tristan da Cunha 1900 (11 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) Turks and Caicos Islands 1898 (25 Dec) 1915 (16 Mar)
Uganda 1898 (25 Dec) 1975 (16 Mar) USA 1908 (1 Oct) 1957 (30 Sep)
Zambia 1964 (24 Oct) 1973 (9 Sep) Zanzibar 1899 (1 Feb) 1964 (25 Apr)

(*) To the Indian border only