List of postal services abroad

In the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, a number of countries maintained post offices in foreign countries, arranged by treaty. Most such offices were operated by European powers in the Middle and Far East. They were partly motivated by the desire to provide reliable postal service for merchants and other foreign nationals in major cities, and partly by suspicion of the local postal service. The currency in use could be either the local currency, or that of the home country.

Additionally, it became the practice of occupying military powers to establish postal services in the occupied country.

List

Austrian Post Abroad

Italy (Austrian Occupation) 1918 only

Lombardy-Venetia 1850–1866

Montenegro (Austrian Occupation) 1917 only

Romania (Austrian Occupation) 1917–1918

Serbia (Austrian Occupation) 1916 only

Austro-Hungarian Post in China 1904–1919

Crete (Austro-Hungarian Post) 1903–1914

Austro-Hungarian Post in the Ottoman Empire 1867–1915

Palestine (Austrian Post Offices) 1854–1914

Austro-Hungarian Military Post 1915–1918

Belgian Post Abroad: Eupen and Malmedy (Belgian Occupation) 1920 only; German East Africa (Belgian Occupation) 1916–1918; Germany (Belgian Occupation) 1919–1920

British Post Abroad: British post offices abroad; British post offices in Africa various issues; Baghdad (British Occupation) 1917 only; Bangkok (British Post Office) 1882–1885; Batum (British Occupation) 1919–1920; British Levant 1885–1923; Bushire (British Occupation) 1915 only; Cameroons (British Occupation) 1915 only; China (British Railway Administration) 1901 only; China (British Post Offices) 1917–1930; Crete (British Post Offices) 1898–1899; East Africa Forces 1943–1948; Eastern Arabia (British postal agencies) 1948–1966; Egypt (British Forces) 1932–1943; Eritrea (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952; German East Africa (British Occupation) 1917 only; Iraq (British Occupation) 1918–1923; Japan (British Post Offices) 1859–1879; Japan (British Commonwealth Occupation Force) 1946–1949; Long Island (British Occupation) 1916 only; Madagascar (British Consular Mail) 1884–1895; Mafia Island (British Occupation) 1915–1916; Malaya (British Military Administration) 1945–1948; Middle East Forces 1942–1947; Morocco Agencies 1898–1957; North Borneo (BMA) 1945 only; Salonika (British Field Office) 1916 only; Sarawak (British Military Administration) 1945 only; Somalia (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1950; Tangier 1927–1957; Tripolitania (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952

Chinese Post Abroad: Chinese post offices in Tibet 1911–1912

Egyptian Post Abroad: Gaza (Egyptian Occupation) 1948–1967; Jaffa (Egyptian Post Office) 1870–1872

Finnish Post Abroad: Aunus (Finnish Occupation) 1919 only; Eastern Karelia (Finnish Occupation) 1941–1944

French Post Abroad

Andorra (French Offices) 1931 –

Arad (French Occupation) 1919 only

Castelrosso (French Occupation) 1920–1921

Cilicia (French Occupation) 1918–1921

Ethiopia (French Post Offices) 1906–1908

Japan (French Post Offices) 1865–1880

Klaipėda 1923 only

Korce (Koritza) 1917–1919

Madagascar (French Post Offices) 1885–1896

Majunga (French Post Office) 1895 only

Memel (French Administration) 1920–1923

Morocco (French Post Offices) 1862–1914

Syria (French Occupation) 1919–1923

Tangier (French Post Office) 1918–1942

Saar (French Administration) 1920–1935

French post offices abroad

China (French Post Offices) 1894–1922

Tientsin (French Post Office) 1903–1922

Crete (French Post Offices) 1902–1913

Egypt (French Post Offices) 1899–1931

Alexandria (French Post Office) 1899–1931

Port Said (French Post Office) 1899–1931

Zanzibar (French Post Office) 1889–1904

Ottoman Empire (French Post Offices) 1885–1923

Beirut (French Post Office) 1905 only

Dedeagatz (French Post Office) 1893–1914

Kavalla (French Post Office) 1893–1914

Port Lagos (French Post Office) 1893–1898

Vathy (French Post Offices) 1893–1914

Palestine (French Post Offices) 1854–1914

Postage of the Free French Forces in the Levant 1942–1946

German Post Abroad: German Ninth Army Post 1918 only; Albania (German Occupation) 1943–1944; Alsace-Lorraine (German Occupation) 1870–1871; Alsace (German Occupation) 1940–1941; Belgium (German Occupation) 1914–1918; Dalmatia (German Occupation) 1943–1945; Dorpat (German Occupation) 1918 only; Estonia (German Occupation) 1941 only; Laibach (German Occupation) 1943–1945; Latvia (German Occupation) 1941 only; Lithuania (German Occupation) 1941 only; Lorraine (German Occupation) 1940–1941; Luxembourg (German Occupation) 1940–1944; Macedonia (German Occupation) 1944 only; Montenegro (German Occupation) 1943–1945; Ostland (German Occupation) 1941–1945; Poland (German Occupation WWI) 1915–1918; Poland (German Occupation WWII) 1939–1945; Romania (German Occupation) 1917–1918; Serbia (German Occupation) 1941–1944; Ukraine (German Occupation) 1941–1944; Zante (German Occupation) 1943–1945; Zanzibar (German Postal Agency) 1890–1891; China (German Post Offices) 1886–1917; Morocco (German Post Offices) 1899–1917; German post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1884–1914; Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWI) 1914–1918; Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWII) 1939–1945; Eastern Command Area 1916–1918; Western Command Area 1916–1918; Palestine (German Post Offices) 1898–1914

Germany (Allied Occupation): Baden (French Zone) 1947–1949; Postage of Berlin-Brandenburg in the Russian Zone 1945 only; Postage of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Russian Zone 1945–1946; Postage of North West Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946; Saxony (Russian Zone) 1945–1946; Postage of South East Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946; Thuringia (Russian Zone) 1945–1946; Württemberg (French Zone) 1947–1949; American, British and Russian Zones 1946–1948; Anglo-American Zones (Civil Government) 1948–1949; Anglo-American Zones (Military Government) 1945–1946; French Zone (General Issues) 1945–1946; Postage of the Rhineland – Palatinate in the French Zone 1947–1949; Russian Zone (General Issues) 1948–1949; Saar (French Zone) 1945–1947

Greek Post Abroad: Greek Post Offices in the Turkish Empire 1861–1881; Albania (Greek Occupation) 1940–1941; Kavalla (Greek Occupation) 1913 only; Khios (Greek Occupation) 1913 only; Lemnos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913; Lesbos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913; Dodecanese Islands (Greek Occupation) 1947 only

Indian Overseas Forces: Gaza (Indian UN Force) 1965 only; Indo-China (Indian Forces) 1954–1968; Korea (Indian Custodian Forces) 1953 only; Mosul (Indian Forces) 1919 only; Congo (Indian UN Force) 1962 only; China Expeditionary Force 1900–1923; Indian Expeditionary Forces 1914–1922

Indo-Chinese Post in China: Canton (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1901–1922; China (Indo-Chinese Post Offices) 1900–1922; Hoi-Hao (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1902–1922; Kouang-Tcheou 1898–1943; Mong-Tseu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922; Pakhoi (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922; Tchongking (Indo – Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922; Yunnanfu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922

Israeli Post Abroad: Golan (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 –; Sinai (Israeli Post Offices) 1967–1982; West Bank and Gaza (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 –

Italian Post Abroad

Albania (Italian Occupation) 1939–1943

Benghazi (Italian Post Office) 1901–1912

Cephalonia and Ithaca (Italian Occupation) 1941 only

Corfu and Paxos (Italian Occupation) 1941 only

Corfu (Italian Occupation) 1923 only

Dalmatia (Italian Occupation) 1919–1923

Ethiopia (Italian Occupation) 1936 only

Lubiana (Italian Occupation) 1941 only

Montenegro (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943

Saseno (Italian Occupation) 1923 only

Trentino (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919

Tripoli (Italian Post Office) 1909–1912

Venezia Giulia (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919

Fiume and Kupa Zone 1941–1942

Ionian Islands (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943

Italian post offices in Africa

Italian post offices in China

Pechino (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922

Tientsin (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922

Italian post offices in Crete

Khania (Italian Post Office) 1900–1912

Italian post offices in Egypt

Italian post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1873–1923

Constantinople (Italian Post Office) 1908–1923

Durazzo (Italian Post Office) 1902–1916

Jannina (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911

Salonika (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911

Scutari (Italian Post Office) 1909–1915

Smirne (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911

Valona (Italian Post Office) 1909–1916

Palestine (Italian Post Offices) 1908–1914

Japanese Post Abroad: Brunei (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Burma (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Central China (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1944; Honan (Japanese Occupation) 1941; Hong Kong (Japanese Occupation) 1945 only; Hopei (Japanese Occupation) 1941; Inner Mongolia (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1943; Japanese Taiwan (Formosa) 1945 only; Java (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945; Kelantan (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Korea (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1901; Kwangtung (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Malaya (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Manchukuo 1932–1945; Mengkiang (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Nangking and Shanghai (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1945; North Borneo (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; North China (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Sarawak (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; Shansi (Japanese Occupation) 1941; Shantung (Japanese Occupation) 1941; South China (Japanese Occupation) 1942; Sumatra (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945; Supeh (Japanese Occupation) 1941; Japanese post in occupied China 1941–1942; Philippines (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945; China (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1922; Japanese Naval Control Area 1942–1943

Jordanian Post Abroad: Egypt and Jordan 1948–1967

North Korean Post Abroad: South Korea (North Korean Occupation) 1950 only

Polish Post Abroad: Central Lithuania (Polish Occupation) 1920–1922; Constantinople (Polish Post Office) 1919–1921; Danzig (Polish Post Office) 1924–1939; Polish post offices in the Turkish Empire; Polish Army in Russia 1942 only; Polish Corps in Russia 1918 only; Polish Government in Exile 1941–1945

Romanian Post Abroad: Banat Bacska (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920; Constantinople (Romanian Post Office) 1896, 1919–1922/23; Debrecen (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920; Hungary (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920; Temesvar (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only; Transylvania (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only; Romanian post offices in the Turkish Empire 1896–1919

Russian Post Abroad

North Korea (Russian Occupation) 1946–1948

South Lithuania (Russian Occupation) 1919 only

Russian post offices abroad

China (Russian Post Offices) 1899–1920

Crete (Russian Post Offices) 1899 only

Russian post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1863–1914

Beirut (Russian Post Office) 1879–1910

Constantinople (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Dardanelles (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Kerrasunde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Mount Athos (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914

Mytilene (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914

Rizeh (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Salonika (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914

Smyrne (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Trebizonde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910

Palestine (Russian Post Offices) 1868–1914

Serbian Post Abroad: Baranya (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only; Hungary (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only; Temesvar (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only

Spanish Post Abroad: Andorra (Spanish Offices) 1928 –; Morocco (Spanish Post Offices) 1903–1914; Tangier (Spanish Post Offices) 1921–1957; Tetuan (Spanish Post Office) 1908–1909

Thai Post Abroad: Malaya (Thai Occupation) 1943–1945

Togo (Allied Occupation): Togo (Anglo-French Occupation) 1914–1919

Turkish Post Abroad: Thessaly (Turkish Occupation) 1898 only

US Post Abroad: Guam (US Administration) 1899–1901; US post in Japan 1867–1874; Shanghai (US Postal Agency) 1919–1922; Philippines (US Administration) 1899–1945

References

Bibliography

Stanley Gibbons Ltd, various catalogues
Stanley Gibbons Ltd, Europe and Colonies 1970, Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 1969
Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. The Stamp Atlas. London: Macdonald, 1986. ISBN 0-356-10862-7
XLCR Stamp Finder and Collector's Dictionary, Thomas Cliffe Ltd, c.1960

External links

List

See also

References

Bibliography

External links