Receiving Mail

Your mailing address
Your name
The Catholic University of America
Via Marcantonio Colonna 21a
00192 Roma
ITALY
telephone: your Italian cell phone number
fax: +39 06 3938 4209
email: your email

• Be sure to have your family and friends address their mail to you exactly as given. This will ensure that the mail gets to you in a timely manner.

• The address must include "The Catholic University of America".

• It should be addressed to you, and not to any of the program staff.

• Packages should include your cell phone number, the office fax number, and your email address.

• You may have letters and packages sent to your homestay address, but there may not be anyone there who will recognize that you are living there.

Important details

Remember that Italy is a different country than the US. Even though this may seem to be common sense, the implications of this for receiving mail are not always clear. Here are some general principles and suggestions.

• Shipping times: Average shipping times are as follows

  • Simple letter (paper only): 10-30 days

  • Shipping envelope: 2-6 weeks, depending on contents

  • Package: 1-2 months, depending on contents

  • Express envelope: 2-4 days, depending on shipping company

  • Express package: 4-6 days, depending on shipping company




• Customs

  All mail (letters and packages) entering the European Union and Italy must pass through Italian customs. This means (1) shipping times take longer than expected, 2) the recipient may have to pay a customs fee to receive the letter/package, (3) certain items will not be allowed into the country at all or will require extensive paperwork. This is not an Italian particularity, but is the case whenever anything is shipped over international boarders. Most Italian customs rules are also European rules.

  
  
  

  • Customs delay

    • Expect that any items other than papers and books will be stopped in customs. You will receive in the mail or by fax a form to complete indicating what is in the package and its value.

  • Customs fee

    • Italy may charge a 20% tax on the value of any goods coming into the country. If a package contains anything of value, you will have to pay this charge, particularly if the item is or looks new. Also, the value declared by the sender may also be used to calculate the customs fee.

    • For example: if your parents send you a necklace and indicate on the shipping forms that it is worth $200, you will probably be assessed a customs charge of about 50 euro, which includes the 20% tax, plus handling fees. This is above and beyond whatever shipping costs that your parents paid to ship it.

    • If you are receiving something for your own use that you owned prior to leaving for Italy, it may be possible to avoid a customs charge by having the shipper (for example, your parents) indicate on the customs form that they fill out when shipping the item: "Oggetto personale usato che appartiene già al destinatario. Sarà per il suo uso personale solo per il soggiorno in Italia e sarà riportato negli Stati Uniti alla fine del soggiorno (18 dicembre 2011). Il valore indicato e solo per fini assicurativi."

  • Medicines and other Problematic Items

    • Certain items may not be shipped into Italy. Certain medicines may be shipped, but only with specific and detailed paperwor. Please consult the Italian regulations on this before expecting to have them shipped.

  • Further Information

    • Further information can be found on the Italian Customs website. There is a brochure in English that may be of help.

  Last Revised 29-May-2011

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