International reply coupon
The purpose of the IRC is to allow a person to send someone in another country a letter, along with the cost of postage for a reply.
International reply coupons[1] (in French, Coupons-Réponse Internationaux) are printed in blue ink on paper that has the letters "UPU" in large characters in the watermark.
The reverse side of the coupon, which has text relating to its use, is printed in German, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian.
Under Universal Postal Union regulations, participating member countries are not required to place a control stamp or postmark on the international reply coupons that they sell.
The Istanbul Model was designed by graphic artist Nguyen Du (Vietnam) and features a pair of hands and a dove against an Arctic backdrop representing sustainable development in the postal sector.
Ten countries participated in the competition which was held 7 October 2016, during the UPU congress in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Abidjan Model, named for the 27th Congress held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from 9 to 27 August 2021, was designed by graphic artist Valeryia Tsimakhavets (Belarus) and features a Tree with New Leaves and Birds which represent the Eco-System and Climate Protection.
At the time an IRC could be exchanged for a single-rate, ordinary postage stamp for surface delivery to a foreign country, as this was before the introduction of airmail services.
In the United States in November 2012, the purchase price was $2.20[6] USD; however, the US Postal Service discontinued sales of IRCs on 27 January 2013 due to declining demand.
Previous editions of the IRC, the Beijing, Nairobi, Doha and Istanbul Models and all post-2000 versions, bear an expiration date.
As of July 2024[update], Australia Post still sells International Reply Coupons at a cost of $4.55 each.
[24] After the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, the Republic of China (Taiwan) lost its membership in the Universal Postal Union starting from April 13, 1972, and Chunghwa Post no longer issues IRCs since then.
The United States Postal Service stopped selling international reply coupons on 27 January 2013.
[27] In practice, the overhead on buying and selling large numbers of the very low-value IRCs precluded any profitability.
