What can be in a diplomatic bag?
(b) “diplomatic bag” also means the packages containing official correspondence, and documents or articles intended exclusively for official use, whether accompanied by a courier or not, which are used for the official communications referred to in article I of the present Protocol and which bear visible external marks …
What is a diplomatic seal on a package?
Diplomatic Shipments or Diplomatic Cargo are items that are consigned to government officials and employees of non-U.S. countries who have a diplomatic mission/duty in the United States. These cargo shipments have certain legal protection as they are considered official diplomatic correspondence.
Can Customs open diplomatic baggage?
Diplomatic bags shall not be opened or detained nor shall they be subject to duty or entry. (b) Consular bags. Consular bags must bear visible external marks of their character and their contents are restricted to official correspondence and documents or articles intended exclusively for official use.
Whats a diplomatic stamp?
(1) A seal in wax, metal or plastic affixed by the competent authority of the sending State or of the sending diplomatic mission; and.
Do diplomatic packages get searched?
Inviolability of Diplomatic Pouches As a result, the United States does not search properly designated and handled diplomatic pouches, either physically or electronically (e.g., by X-ray) and considers it a serious breach of the clear obligations of the VCDR for another country to do so.
Do diplomats deliver packages?
Diplomats can carry documents for embassies between countries without inspection, but they do not run any kind of courier service. Any talk of a diplomat coming to your doorstep to deliver a fortune is utter nonsense and a scam.
Do diplomats get their bags checked?
Diplomatic couriers enjoy personal inviolability and are not liable to any form of arrest or detention. However, a diplomatic courier’s person and personal baggage are subject to normal security screening and customs procedures.
How do diplomatic bags work?
In diplomatic life, the diplomatic bag is used to send correspondence or other material between the sending State and its embassies abroad. The key point is that it is immune from interference by the host state.
How does diplomatic courier work?
A diplomatic courier is an official who transports diplomatic bags as sanctioned under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Couriers are granted diplomatic immunity and are thereby protected by the receiving state from arrest and detention when performing their work.
How much does a diplomatic stamp cost?
If you pay $0.47 for a stamp to mail something within the continental United States, it only costs $0.47 to mail it overseas as long as you have an APO/FPO/DPO address and associated ZIP code.