List of postal services abroad

Updated on Oct 01, 2024

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In the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, a number of countries maintained post offices in foreign countries, arranged by treaty. Most such offices were operated by European powers in the Middle and Far East. They were partly motivated by the desire to provide reliable postal service for merchants and other foreign nationals in major cities, and partly by suspicion of the local postal service. The currency in use could be either the local currency, or that of the home country.

Additionally, it became the practice of occupying military powers to establish postal services in the occupied country.

List

Austrian Post Abroad

Italy (Austrian Occupation) 1918 only Lombardy and Venetia 1850–1866 Montenegro (Austrian Occupation) 1917 only Romania (Austrian Occupation) 1917–1918 Serbia (Austrian Occupation) 1916 only Austro-Hungarian Post in China 1904–1919 Crete (Austro-Hungarian Post) 1903–1914 Austro-Hungarian Post in the Ottoman Empire 1867–1915 Austro-Hungarian Military Post 1915–1918 Palestine (Austrian Post Offices) 1854–1914

Belgian Post Abroad

Eupen and Malmedy (Belgian Occupation) 1920 only German East Africa (Belgian Occupation) 1916–1918 Germany (Belgian Occupation) 1919–1920

British Post Abroad

British post offices abroad British post offices in Africa various issues Baghdad (British Occupation) 1917 only Bangkok (British Post Office) 1882–1885 Batum (British Occupation) 1919–1920 British Levant 1885–1923 Bushire (British Occupation) 1915 only Cameroons (British Occupation) 1915 only China (British Railway Administration) 1901 only China (British Post Offices) 1917–1930 Crete (British Post Offices) 1898–1899 East Africa Forces 1943–1948 Eastern Arabia (British postal agencies) 1948–1966 Egypt (British Forces) 1932–1943 Eritrea (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952 German East Africa (British Occupation) 1917 only Iraq (British Occupation) 1918–1923 Japan (British Commonwealth Occupation Force) 1946–1949 Japan (British Post Offices) 1859–1879 Long Island (British Occupation) 1916 only Madagascar (British Consular Mail) 1884–1895 Mafia Island (British Occupation) 1915–1916 Malaya (British Military Administration) 1945–1948 Middle East Forces 1942–1947 Morocco Agencies 1898–1957 North Borneo (BMA) 1945 only Salonika (British Field Office) 1916 only Sarawak (British Military Administration) 1945 only Somalia (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1950 Tangier 1927–1957 Tripolitania (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952

Chinese Post Abroad

Chinese post offices in Tibet 1911–1912

Egyptian Post Abroad

Gaza (Egyptian Occupation) 1948–1967 Jaffa (Egyptian Post Office) 1870–1872

Finnish Post Abroad

Aunus (Finnish Occupation) 1919 only Eastern Karelia (Finnish Occupation) 1941–1944

French Post Abroad

Alexandria (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Andorra (French Offices) 1931 – Arad (French Occupation) 1919 only Beirut (French Post Office) 1905 only Castelrosso (French Occupation) 1920–1921 Cilicia (French Occupation) 1918–1921 Dedeagatz (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Ethiopia (French Post Offices) 1906–1908 Japan (French Post Offices) 1865–1880 Kavalla (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Klaipėda 1923 only Korce (Koritza) 1917–1919 Madagascar (French Post Offices) 1885–1896 Majunga (French Post Office) 1895 only Memel (French Administration) 1920–1923 Morocco (French Post Offices) 1862–1914 Port Lagos (French Post Office) 1893–1898 Port Said (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Syria (French Occupation) 1919–1924 Tangier (French Post Office) 1918–1942 Tientsin (French Post Office) 1903–1922 Vathy (French Post Offices) 1893–1914 Saar (French Administration) 1920–1935 French post offices abroad China (French Post Offices) 1894–1922 Crete (French Post Offices) 1902–1913 Egypt (French Post Offices) 1899–1931 Zanzibar (French Post Office) 1889–1904 French post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1885–1923 Postage of the Free French Forces in the Levant 1942–1946 Palestine (French Post Offices) 1854–1914

German Post Abroad

German Ninth Army Post 1918 only Albania (German Occupation) 1943–1944 Alsace-Lorraine (German Occupation) 1870–1871 Alsace (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Belgium (German Occupation) 1914–1918 Dalmatia (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Dorpat (German Occupation) 1918 only Estonia (German Occupation) 1941 only Laibach (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Latvia (German Occupation) 1941 only Lithuania (German Occupation) 1941 only Lorraine (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Luxembourg (German Occupation) 1940–1944 Macedonia (German Occupation) 1944 only Montenegro (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Ostland (German Occupation) 1941–1945 Poland (German Occupation WWI) 1915–1918 Poland (German Occupation WWII) 1939–1945 Romania (German Occupation) 1917–1918 Serbia (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Ukraine (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Zante (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Zanzibar (German Postal Agency) 1890–1891 China (German Post Offices) 1886–1917 Morocco (German Post Offices) 1899–1917 German post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1884–1914 Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWI) 1914–1918 Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWII) 1939–1945 Eastern Command Area 1916–1918 Western Command Area 1916–1918 Palestine (German Post Offices) 1898–1914

Germany (Allied Occupation)

Baden (French Zone) 1947–1949 Postage of Berlin-Brandenburg in the Russian Zone 1945 only Postage of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Postage of North West Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Saxony (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Postage of South East Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Thuringia (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Württemberg (French Zone) 1947–1949 American, British and Russian Zones 1946–1948 Anglo-American Zones (Civil Government) 1948–1949 Anglo-American Zones (Military Government) 1945–1946 French Zone (General Issues) 1945–1946 Postage of the Rhineland – Palatinate in the French Zone 1947–1949 Russian Zone (General Issues) 1948–1949 Saar (French Zone) 1945–1947

Greek Post Abroad

Greek Post Offices in the Turkish Empire 1861–1881 Albania (Greek Occupation) 1940–1941 Kavalla (Greek Occupation) 1913 only Khios (Greek Occupation) 1913 only Lemnos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913 Lesbos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913 Dodecanese Islands (Greek Occupation) 1947 only

Indian Overseas Forces

Gaza (Indian UN Force) 1965 only Indo-China (Indian Forces) 1954–1968 Korea (Indian Custodian Forces) 1953 only Mosul (Indian Forces) 1919 only Congo (Indian UN Force) 1962 only China Expeditionary Force 1900–1923 Indian Expeditionary Forces 1914–1922

Indo-Chinese Post in China

Canton (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1901–1922 China (Indo-Chinese Post Offices) 1900–1922 Hoi-Hao (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1902–1922 Kouang-Tcheou 1898–1943 Mong-Tseu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Pakhoi (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Tchongking (Indo – Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Yunnanfu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922

Israeli Post Abroad

Golan (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 – Sinai (Israeli Post Offices) 1967–1982 West Bank and Gaza (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 –

Italian Post Abroad

Albania (Italian Occupation) 1939–1943 Benghazi (Italian Post Office) 1901–1912 Cephalonia and Ithaca (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Constantinople (Italian Post Office) 1908–1923 Corfu and Paxos (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Corfu (Italian Occupation) 1923 only Dalmatia (Italian Occupation) 1919–1923 Durazzo (Italian Post Office) 1902–1916 Ethiopia (Italian Occupation) 1936 only Jannina (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Khania (Italian Post Office) 1900–1912 Lubiana (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Montenegro (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943 Pechino (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922 Salonika (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Saseno (Italian Occupation) 1923 only Scutari (Italian Post Office) 1909–1915 Smirne (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Tientsin (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922 Trentino (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919 Tripoli (Italian Post Office) 1909–1912 Valona (Italian Post Office) 1909–1916 Venezia Giulia (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919 Fiume and Kupa Zone 1941–1942 Ionian Islands (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943 Italian post offices in Africa Italian post offices in China Italian post offices in Crete Italian post offices in Egypt Italian post offices in the Turkish Empire 1873–1923 Palestine (Italian Post Offices) 1908–1914

Japanese Post Abroad

Brunei (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Burma (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Central China (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1944 Honan (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Hong Kong (Japanese Occupation) 1945 only Hopei (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Inner Mongolia (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1943 Japanese Taiwan (Formosa) 1945 only Java (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945 Kelantan (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Korea (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1901 Kwangtung (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Malaya (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Manchukuo 1932–1945 Mengkiang (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Nangking and Shanghai (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1945 North Borneo (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 North China (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Sarawak (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Shansi (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Shantung (Japanese Occupation) 1941 South China (Japanese Occupation) 1942 Sumatra (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945 Supeh (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Japanese post in occupied China 1941–1942 Philippines (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 China (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1922 Japanese Naval Control Area 1942–1943

Jordanian Post Abroad

Palestine (Jordanian Occupation) 1948–1967

North Korean Post Abroad

South Korea (North Korean Occupation) 1950 only

Polish Post Abroad

Central Lithuania (Polish Occupation) 1920–1922 Constantinople (Polish Post Office) 1919–1921 Danzig (Polish Post Office) 1924–1939 Polish post offices in the Turkish Empire Polish Army in Russia 1942 only Polish Corps in Russia 1918 only Polish Government in Exile 1941–1945

Romanian Post Abroad

Banat Bacska (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Constantinople (Romanian Post Office) 1896, 1919–1922/23 Debrecen (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Hungary (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Temesvar (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only Transylvania (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only Romanian post offices in the Turkish Empire 1896–1919

Russian Post Abroad

Palestine (Russian Post Offices) 1868–1914 Beirut (Russian Post Office) 1879–1910 Constantinople (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Kerrasunde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Mount Athos (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 Mytilene (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 North Korea (Russian Occupation) 1946–1948 Rizeh (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Salonika (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 Smyrne (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 South Lithuania (Russian Occupation) 1919 only Trebizonde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Dardanelles (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Russian post offices abroad China (Russian Post Offices) 1899–1920 Crete (Russian Post Offices) 1899 only Russian post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1863–1914

Serbian Post Abroad

Baranya (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only Hungary (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only Temesvar (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only

Spanish Post Abroad

Andorra (Spanish Offices) 1928 – Morocco (Spanish Post Offices) 1903–1914 Tangier (Spanish Post Offices) 1921–1957 Tetuan (Spanish Post Office) 1908–1909

Thai Post Abroad

Malaya (Thai Occupation) 1943–1945

Togo (Allied Occupation)

Togo (Anglo-French Occupation) 1914–1919

Turkish Post Abroad

Thessaly (Turkish Occupation) 1898 only

US Post Abroad

Guam (US Administration) 1899–1901 US post in Japan 1867–1874 Shanghai (US Postal Agency) 1919–1922 Philippines (US Administration) 1899–1945

References

List of postal services abroad Wikipedia

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