The short answer
A Global Forever stamp costs $1.75 and pays the postage for a postcard or a 1-ounce letter from the US to any country. It never expires, so older Global Forever stamps still cover that price. Letters over 1 ounce, up to 3.5 ounces, cost more depending on the country’s price group; to Canada, a 2-ounce letter is $2.35.
What is a Global Forever stamp?
A Global Forever stamp is the USPS stamp for international mail. It pays the First-Class Mail International price for a postcard or a 1-ounce letter to any country, and USPS currently sells it for $1.75. The stamp doesn’t show a price. Like a domestic Forever stamp, it “never expires, even if the postage price goes up,” in USPS’s words, so a Global Forever stamp you bought at an older price still covers a 1-ounce international letter today.
First-Class Mail International is the USPS service it pays for. USPS calls it its most affordable international service, reaching more than 180 countries, and it covers postcards, letters up to 3.5 ounces, and large envelopes (flats) up to 15.994 ounces. The single $1.75 price applies only to postcards and to letters that weigh 1 ounce or less. Heavier, oversized, or oddly shaped envelopes cost more, depending on where they’re going.
A domestic Forever stamp is a different stamp. It pays for a 1-ounce letter within the United States, and its price is now $0.82. One domestic Forever stamp isn’t enough postage for a letter to another country.
USPS sells Global Forever stamps at Post Office counters and through The Postal Store on usps.com. If you can’t find one, any mix of stamps that adds up to at least $1.75 also works for a 1-ounce letter, as explained below.
How much is a Global Forever stamp in 2026?
A Global Forever stamp costs $1.75. That price took effect on July 12, 2026, and the USPS Notice 123 price list effective October 4, 2026 still shows $1.75 for a First-Class Mail International postcard or 1-ounce letter, whether it goes to Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else. The temporary prices that began October 4, 2026 apply to certain domestic package services, not to international letters or postcards.
The price has gone up by 5 cents in each of the last two July price changes. Because the stamp is nondenominated, any Global Forever stamps you already own still cover the current price.
| Effective date | Old price | New price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 13, 2025 | $1.65 | $1.70 | USPS newsroom, April 9, 2025 |
| July 12, 2026 | $1.70 | $1.75 | USPS newsroom, April 9, 2026 |
How much postage does an international letter over 1 ounce need?
Above 1 ounce, the price depends on the destination country’s price group. USPS assigns every country a price group: Canada is group 1, Mexico is group 2, and other countries fall in groups 3 through 9. First-Class Mail International is charged per ounce or fraction of an ounce, so a letter weighing 1.2 ounces pays the 2-ounce price.
A letter-size international piece can weigh up to 3.5 ounces. A letter that weighs more is charged the large-envelope (flat) price, which starts at $3.30 for 1 ounce. Here are the current retail letter prices from Notice 123.
To find a country’s price group, open its Individual Country Listing in the International Mail Manual. Weigh the sealed envelope with everything inside; USPS’s rule of thumb is that four sheets of regular printer paper in a business-size envelope come to about 1 ounce.
| Weight not over | Canada (group 1) | Mexico (group 2) | Groups 3–5 | Groups 6–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | $1.75 | $1.75 | $1.75 | $1.75 |
| 2 oz | $2.35 | $2.60 | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| 3 oz | $2.95 | $3.50 | $5.25 | $5.25 |
| 3.5 oz | $3.50 | $4.15 | $5.75 | $5.75 |
Do square or lumpy international envelopes cost extra?
Yes. A First-Class Mail International letter that can’t go through USPS sorting machines pays a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge on top of the weight-based price. The International Mail Manual lists the reasons a letter counts as nonmachinable, including an aspect ratio (length divided by height) below 1.3 or above 2.5, which takes in square envelopes; a plastic wrapper; or clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closures.
So a square greeting card to London that weighs under 1 ounce needs $1.75 plus $0.49, or $2.24 in postage. A standard rectangular envelope avoids the surcharge. A letter-size piece also has to measure at least 5-1/2 inches long, 3-1/2 inches high, and 0.007 inch thick.
Can I use regular Forever stamps for international mail?
Yes, as long as the stamps add up to enough postage. USPS says you can use a Global Forever stamp “or any other combination of stamps that adds up to $1.75.” A domestic Forever stamp sells for $0.82, so two of them come to $1.64, which is 11 cents short for a 1-ounce international letter. Add stamps worth at least 11 cents, or use three Forever stamps and accept that you’ve overpaid.
The same approach works for heavier letters. A 2-ounce letter to Canada needs $2.35: one Global Forever stamp ($1.75) plus 60 cents in other stamps covers it. USPS also accepts other payment methods for First-Class Mail International, such as postage meter stamps and postage validation imprinter labels from Post Office counters.
Does an international letter need a customs form?
Not if it holds only correspondence or documents. USPS says that if you’re sending only correspondence, or nonnegotiable documents that are “just paper; no cash, checks, or other items that have cash value,” you don’t need a customs form. That covers most personal and business letters.
Goods are a different matter. Merchandise isn’t allowed in First-Class Mail International letters or large envelopes, and USPS’s examples of items outside the plain-paper rule include trading cards, bookmarks, and stickers. The International Mail Manual also lists items that always need a customs declaration and a stated value, including books, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, artwork, commercial photographs, and printed educational material. Anything containing goods has to go as a package, using First-Class Package International Service or Priority Mail International, with an electronic PS Form 2976 or 2976-A customs form. Any item over 16 ounces needs a customs form no matter what it contains.
USPS’s Customs Form Indicator tool can tell you which form, if any, a specific item needs.
| What you’re sending | Mail class | Customs form |
|---|---|---|
| Letter or card with only correspondence or nonnegotiable documents | First-Class Mail International (letter or large envelope) | None |
| Books, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, artwork, or other goods | First-Class Package International Service or Priority Mail International (not a letter) | PS Form 2976 or 2976-A, generated electronically |
| Any item over 16 ounces | Varies by contents | Required regardless of contents |
How do you address a letter to another country?
Write the address in roman letters and arabic numerals, in ink or typed, never in pencil. The International Mail Manual says all lines of the delivery address should be in capital letters, the city should appear in capitals with its postal code, and the last line should show only the country name, written in full in capitals. Keep the address to five lines or fewer if you can.
The manual asks you to reserve at least the right half of the address side for the destination address, postage, labels, and postal notations, and to include a complete return address in roman letters and arabic numerals. If the destination address uses Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Japanese, or Chinese characters, add an English interline translation of the name and complete address, including the country.
USPS’s own examples show the pattern. A letter to the United Kingdom reads MR THOMAS CLARK / 117 RUSSELL DRIVE / LONDON W1P 6HQ / UNITED KINGDOM, and one to Mexico reads MS CRISTINA CRUZ / APARTADO 3068 / 46807 PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO / MEXICO. Notice that the postal code goes where that country puts it: after the city in London, before it in Puerto Vallarta. Copy the address exactly as the recipient gives it, then add the country in capitals on its own last line.
How much does it cost to mail a letter to Canada?
A standard letter to Canada weighing 1 ounce or less costs $1.75, which is one Global Forever stamp. Canada is in price group 1, so it has the lowest prices for heavier letters: $2.35 for up to 2 ounces, $2.95 for up to 3 ounces, and $3.50 for up to 3.5 ounces. A postcard to Canada is also $1.75. A domestic Forever stamp alone isn’t enough, even though Canada is next door.
Canadian addresses follow the international format with one exception: USPS says to leave two spaces between the province abbreviation and the postal code. Its example is MS HELEN SAUNDERS / 1010 CLEAR STREET / OTTAWA ON K1A 0B1 / CANADA. Use the standard two-letter province code (ON for Ontario, BC for British Columbia, QC for Quebec) and put CANADA alone on the last line.
Check the Canada country listing in the International Mail Manual before you send anything other than paper; it lists Canada’s prohibitions, restrictions, and size limits.
How long does international mail take?
USPS doesn’t publish a standard delivery time for First-Class Mail International. Its service page says only that “delivery varies by destination,” because once a letter leaves the United States, the destination country’s postal service handles it. Allow extra time for anything with a deadline.
If you need a mailing record, USPS sells Registered Mail with First-Class Mail International to most countries; ask at a Post Office counter for the current fee and whether your destination accepts it. Ordinary First-Class Mail International letters don’t come with a delivery date, so build in slack for birthday cards, holiday cards, and anything time-sensitive.
Can IRIS mail a letter to another country?
No. IRIS Postal Forms is an independent print-and-mail service, not USPS, and it mails only to US addresses. For a letter or postcard to another country, buy a Global Forever stamp from USPS and mail it yourself.
For mail within the United States, IRIS prints the US Letter-size PDF you upload and sends it by USPS First-Class Mail, with no stamps or envelope needed. A one-page black-and-white letter is $3.20, and full-color postcards with postage included start at $3.49. Domestic stamp and letter prices are covered in the guides linked below.
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective October 4, 2026)
- USPS: Sending international letters
- USPS: First-Class Mail International
- USPS newsroom: U.S. Postal Service Recommends New Prices for July (2026)
- USPS newsroom: U.S. Postal Service Recommends New Prices for July (2025)
- International Mail Manual 122: Addressing
- International Mail Manual 123: Customs Forms
- International Mail Manual 241: First-Class Mail International physical characteristics
- International Mail Manual 243: First-Class Mail International prices and postage payment
- International Mail Manual: Canada country listing
Published by IRIS Postal Forms, operated by Great Lakes Computing Office LLC. Send a correction.