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The countries between which the present Convention is concluded, as well as those which may adhere to it hereafter, form, under the title of Universal Postal Union, a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of correspondence between their Post Offices.

The stipulations of this Convention extend to letters, post cards, both single and with reply paid, printed papers of every kind, commercial papers, and samples of merchandise originating in one of the countries of the Union and intended for another of those countries. They also apply to the exchange by mail of the articles above-mentioned between the countries of the Union and countries foreign to the Union, whenever the services of two of the contracting parties at least are used for that exchange.

1. The Postal Administrations of contiguous countries or countries able to correspond directly with each other without availing themselves of the services of a third Administration determine, by common consent, the conditions of the conveyance of the mails which they exchange across the frontier or from one frontier to the other.

2. In the absence of any contrary arrangement, the direct sea conveyance between two countries by means of Packets or vessels depending upon one of them is considered as a third service; and this conveyance, as well as any performed between two Offices of the same country, by the medium of sea or territorial services maintained by another country, is regulated by the stipulations of the following Article.

1. The right of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union.

2. Consequently, the several Postal Administrations of the Union may send reciprocally through the medium of one or of several of them, either closed mails or articles in open-mail, according to the needs of the traffic and the convenience of the postal service.

3. Articles exchanged in closed mails between two Administrations of the Union, by means of the services of one or of several other Administrations of the Union are subject to the following transit charges to be paid to each