Empire/Commonwealth Reduced Rate Countries

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.

(*) To the Indian border only