Why is La Poste refusing to send my letter to the US?

Reader Question: I wanted to send a letter to the US but my local post office refused to take it, citing customs rules. I am sure letters are not affected by these rules, can you tell me why they said no? 

Several readers have contacted The Connexion explaining that their local La Poste office has refused to send a letter to the United States. 

In these cases, workers have blamed the issue on new customs rules introduced in the US last summer. 

These rules saw new levies introduced on all incoming parcels to the US, and in turn saw La Poste temporarily suspend certain mail services to the country. 

In February 2026, La Poste resumed its ‘Colissimo’ services for small objects sent to the US.

However, as we stated in an article reviewing the subject, letters are in theory not affected by the changing rules.

When contacted by The Connexion, La Poste confirmed this. 

Any suspensions to services “do not affect letters and documents, which remain accepted and can be sent,” a spokeswoman said. 

“Sending documents (without monetary value) using stamps and prepaid postage,” is an acceptable method for letters, La Poste added. 

Indeed, the La Poste website also includes information on how to send letters to the US.

Letters can be sent without going to office

If your local La Poste has refused to send a letter based on the customs rules, they may have misinterpreted the rules. 

Providing there is absolutely nothing else in the letter - anything that could be considered an additional object or gift etc should be sent via Colissimo or another parcel service - you should be able to send them. 

If employees still refuse to send the letter, you may need to go to an alternative post office. 

You can register a complaint about a post office here. 

Depending on the type of letter you are sending you can simply use a postbox to send it without the need to go to a post office.

It is only possible to pay for registered mail for an international address (lettre recommandée internationale) in-person at a post office, which is recommended for the most important documents.

However, you can use the Mon Timbre en Ligne service to set up a tracked international letter (lettre suivie internationale), print the relevant information and then post the letter in a postbox. 

You can also use this service to purchase and print standard international stamps or to buy stamps online and have them sent to you. International stamps can also be purchased at a La Poste office and subsequently used from home.

More information on these services is available on the La Poste website.