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In this chapter we discuss how the postal system works in the Cayman Islands: Where you can receive your mail, what the postage rates are, how to properly address mail to Cayman (with the correct postal code etc), and then we list the courier companies and finally how you can import general shopping into Cayman that has been purchased overseas.
POSTAL SERVICES
Local postal services in Cayman are fast and efficient, with turnaround time for local mail usually being 24 hours. There are nine post offices and many blue mailboxes located throughout the Islands for the posting of stamped mail. Most hotels also offer postal services for guests. Post office opening hours at the main branch offices at the Airport (called APO) and in central George Town (GT) are 8.15am-5pm Monday-Friday, and Saturday 9am-12.30pm. The Seven Mile Beach (SMB) office is open 8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday, and Saturday 9am-12.30pm. You can even pay bills such as electric, garbage and telephone at the post office, which also offers mobile phone top-up services. The post office accepts Cash, local cheques and now debit and credit cards.
Postage Costs:
Local mail - CI$0.25 per oz or part thereof.
Overseas Mail: Airmail is zoned according to the area of destination and charged
according to weight.
US/Canada - CI$0.75 per half oz or part thereof.
UK - CI$0.80 per half oz or part thereof.
Asia, South Africa and Australia - CI$1 per half oz or part thereof.
Please note there is a "printed matter only" rate available for overseas mail. It is much cheaper than regular mail, but there are restrictions and they won't offer it unless you request it!
Mail goes to the US daily. Mail to the UK and Europe only goes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but must be mailed the night before to make that day's post.
All incoming parcels which might have duty applied to them are collected from the Airport Post Office (APO). You will receive a notice in your mailbox when a parcel has arrived. You must take a photo ID and CI$2 to the APO to collect the package and have it assessed for duty. In the event a package arrives in the name of a family member such as your child or spouse, collecting the package is more complicated. For a child, you will need to take proof you are their parent (i.e., your child's birth certificate that has your name on it). For your spouse, you will need to take proof of your marriage (i.e., your marriage certificate or a letter of permission), your photo ID and their photo ID. When friends or family send you a parcel or parcels for your birthday or Christmas, you will be charged 20% duty on dutiable items after the first CI$50 has been allowed, regardless of the fact it is a gift! It is recommended that the sender write "gift" on the package and put the minimum value on the item(s) enclosed to avoid being stung.
Post Office Boxes
Regular mail is not delivered to houses; post office boxes are used instead. The cost for renting a small box inside the post office is CI$30 per year. For outside boxes (which can be accessed at any time) the annual costs are: CI$75 (small), CI$100 (medium) and CI$250 (large). The only locations with post boxes available at press time are Savannah, East End, Bodden Town, North Side, West Bay and Hell, with a few boxes still available at the Airport Post Office. There are no post boxes available at the George Town or Seven Mile Beach post offices. You can ask to be put on a waiting list, though the wait may well be a few months. Although it is not ideal, many people do use their work PO Box number to receive mail if allowed.
An alternative to renting a mailbox from the post office is to rent with a private company. PostNet, a business services centre located in Galleria Plaza on Seven Mile Beach, rents small and large post office boxes from CI$20 per month, in addition to providing virtual addresses, mail holding and mail forwarding services. It is open from 10am-6pm Monday-Friday, 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.
Post to Cayman must have a PO Box number and a postal code written on the envelope. If you see a suffix after the PO Box number (SMB, APO, GT, SAV, etc.), this is no longer correct and must be removed and replaced with a postal code or it will delay the arrival of mail. You can look up the correct postal code at www.caymanpost.gov.ky. Mail arriving in Cayman with only a street address (and no PO Box number) will eventually be returned to the sender.
An example of the correct way to address an envelope is as follows:
Use of the old suffix of B.W.I. (British West Indies) on mail to Cayman has been discontinued. Also, please do not write George Town on the envelope, as there are dozens of George Towns around the world and its use has caused much confusion.
COURIER SERVICES
Overseas
The international courier services in and out of the Island are extremely good. A CI$2 government tax is charged on all packages leaving via courier. Please note that couriers cannot deliver to P.O. boxes.
DHL Worldwide Express
Thompson Building, 68 Mary Street
George Town, Grand Cayman
Tel: (345) 949 8575 Fax: (345) 949 8384
DHL has an express counter at Foster's Food Fair at The Strand Shopping Centre. It is open from 7am-10pm, but packages left after 2pm will go the next day. They also have a drop-box at Hurley's Marketplace and the collection time is 12 noon.
FedEx Express
Elizabethan Square
George Town, Grand Cayman
Tel: (345) 949 5911
PostNet
638 West Bay Road, Unit 13
Galleria Plaza, Seven Mile Beach
Tel: (345) 945-POST (7678)
PostNet provides shipping and packaging services for FedEx, DHL, UPS as well as cargo import/export services through Seaboard and Tropical Shipping for larger items. It is open from 10am-6pm Monday-Friday, 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.
Sprint Express Services
19 Walkers Road
George Town, Grand Cayman
Tel: (345) 949 0262
UPS (United Parcel Service)
226 Dorcy Drive
Industrial Park, Grand Cayman
Tel: (345) 949 8771
PURCHASING OVERSEAS
You will find out fairly quickly that you cannot buy everything you need in Cayman. Your options vary: you can shop when off-Island; have visitors bring what you need; or purchase online and get the items shipped to the Island. If you take the latter route, you will find most overseas companies will not ship to the Cayman Islands.
For large bulky items (like furniture), you are better off using a customs broker (who all have addresses in the US) to consolidate the items for you in Miami and forward them to Cayman. They will clear the items through Cayman Customs and call you when they have arrived. Miracle Brokers (Tel: (345) 949 5989), who are known as Best Way Island Exports in Miami, offer such services, as do CICA, Sta-Mar and PostNet (see the Shipping section for their addresses). For smaller items (clothes, letters, magazines, etc.) you can use either Shop America's local agents NCI Services (Tel: (345) 943 4624), US Link (Tel: (345) 949 4361) or PostNet (tel: (345) 945 7678) all of whom will give you your own PO Box in Miami and will then forward the items to Cayman, clear them through Customs and either deliver them to your door or call you when they are ready for collection.
If you choose to shop when off-Island, remember you are limited to bringing back CI$350 worth of goods duty-free. After that you can expect to pay about 20% duty on almost everything you bring in, with the exception of books, leather (excluding footwear and furniture), musical instruments and watches, which are duty-free. When shopping off-Island, make sure to keep all your receipts, as when you fill out your Cayman Islands Customs Form (on arrival by air) you are expected to hand over your receipts so that the Customs officers can cross reference what you have declared.
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