Overseas Parcel Shipping (Morale Mail)

Tip: As you pack your care package, keep a list of the items you include. This will make it easier to complete your customs form and provide the required description of contents on the outside of your parcel.
 

Items to Include and Avoid

Care packages are a meaningful way to send a little piece of home to CAF members serving abroad. When preparing your package, consider including items that are useful, personal, or bring comfort, such as:

• Clothing and personal items
• Toiletries
• Non-perishable food and snacks
• Small games or activities
• Notes, letters, or messages from home
• Small electronics
• Other items that may help your loved one feel connected to home

When choosing items, please remember that packages must follow shipping and safety requirements. As a general guideline, do not include anything that you would not be permitted to travel with on an airplane.
To help ensure your package can be shipped safely, please do not include the following items:

• Alcohol or tobacco products
• Weapons or explosives
• Perishable food items
• Obscene materials
• Lighters
• Any other restricted or prohibited items

Please ensure a brief description of the package contents is written on the outside of the parcel. 
The sender’s phone number should also be included on the outside of the package in case Calgary MFRC or Canada Post needs to contact the sender regarding questions, missing information, or a potential return.
 

Review Shipping Requirements

To ensure your care package can be shipped through Canada Post, all packages submitted through Calgary MFRC must meet the following size and weight requirements:

• Length: 15.5 inches
• Height: 10.5 inches
• Width: 11.5 inches
• Maximum weight: 20 kg (44 lbs)

If a box is needed, Calgary MFRC has spare shipping boxes available free of charge.

Packages that exceed these size or weight requirements may need to be repackaged before they can be shipped. Calgary MFRC may be able to provide an appropriately sized box or assist with repackaging when possible. Packages that cannot be adjusted to meet shipping requirements may not be accepted.

Please note: Calgary MFRC’s package size requirements differ from the national Morale Mail guidelines because packages submitted through our location are shipped through Canada Post before entering base mail.

Complete the Customs Form

As all Morale Mail packages are shipped outside Canada, a customs form must also be completed before your package can be shipped.

The customs form requires information about the sender, recipient, and package contents. The form can be completed online through Canada Post or completed at the Calgary MFRC office. If completed online, please bring a copy with you when dropping off your package. Calgary MFRC can print your completed form if needed.

For more information or to complete your customs form online, please visit:

• Canada Post Customs Form 
• Canada Post Online Customs Form FAQ 

 

Address Your Care Package

To help ensure your care package reaches the intended recipient, please include the following information on the package:

LAND:
 
For PO Box Numbers by Operation, please visit: 

• Instructions for Mailing Overseas

Due to the high volume of CAF members currently deployed to Latvia, we recommend including both the operation name and the member’s unit whenever possible

SHIPS: 

The Royal Canadian Navy assigns its ships to a “home port” to either the Atlantic Fleet in Halifax or the Pacific Fleet in Victoria. Mail for these ships is addressed as follows:
 

Your care package is now ready to make its way to your deployed loved one! Drop off your completed package to a Calgary MFRC office during regular business hours.

Before dropping off your package, please ensure it is:

• Properly addressed 
• Within the required size and weight limits 
• Accompanied by a completed customs form 
• Labelled with a brief description of the package contents

 
If you need a box, Calgary MFRC has spare shipping boxes available free of charge.