Ukraine Only Takes Air Mail and EMS: The Conditions for Letters, Parcels, and Money Transfers

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Japan Post temporarily suspended accepting international mail addressed to Ukraine, then resumed air mail and EMS (Express Mail Service) on 20 May 2022. As of September 2026, air mail and EMS are still the only options; surface mail and SAL are not available.

The following reflects Japan Post’s international mail conditions table for Ukraine, publicly available information from Japan Post Bank and the Ministry of Finance, and Ukraine’s Customs Code, as confirmed in September 2026. Conditions can change without notice, so check with a post office or bank before sending anything.

Types of mail that can be sent

In a Japan Post notice dated 19 May 2022, air mail, SAL, surface mail and EMS to Ukraine had all been suspended up to that point. From 20 May, only air mail and EMS resumed, and that has remained the case since.

The size and weight limits are: up to 2kg for letters and other non-standard mail; up to 2kg for small packets; up to 30kg for air parcels (length up to 1.05m, length plus girth up to 2m); and up to 30kg for EMS (length up to 1.5m, length plus girth up to 3m).

Some areas cannot be reached

Japan Post states that it does not handle mail addressed to Crimea or Sevastopol, whether letters, parcels, or EMS. For parcels, this is described as excluding “areas not under the control of the destination country’s postal operator,” meaning parcels cannot be sent to areas Ukraine’s postal operator does not control.

For EMS, the excluded areas are indicated by postal code.

This table shows the postal-code range for each area; it does not necessarily mean the entire oblast. If you are unsure whether a destination address falls within this range, check with a post office.

How to write the address, and customs paperwork

• When sending goods, attach a customs declaration (CN22 or CN23). Filling it in in English is recommended. CN23 requires detailed entries: the total and net weight of the item, and the weight and value of each item inside
• Write the recipient’s phone number (including mobile) in the address field wherever possible. Japan Post’s conditions table calls for this for registered mail, parcels, and EMS alike
• For the categories of international mail that carry goods, Japan Post states that it cannot accept an item without “electronic advance data” — sender and recipient names and addresses, contents, total weight and the like, sent electronically in advance. In Ukraine’s conditions table, “electronic advance data transmission” is likewise listed as “required.” It is entered at a post office counter terminal or through Japan Post’s “International Mail My Page Service”

Items that cannot be sent, and items sent under conditions

Japan Post’s conditions table lists items that cannot be sent to Ukraine (prohibited items) alongside items that can be sent only under certain conditions. Among items people in daily life might want to send, the main ones are as follows.

• Cannot be sent: alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and identity documents such as passports or ID cards. For parcels and EMS, meat and meat products, raw eggs, fats, milk, infant food, butter, cheese, fish products, noodles, canned goods addressed to an individual, and honey also cannot be sent
• Foodstuffs: can be sent if in unopened manufacturer’s packaging and the total weight is 10kg or less (for EMS, this includes nutritional supplements)
• Medicines: the conditions table lists “medicines” as a prohibited item, but also has a conditional entry allowing items listed in Ukraine’s medicine registry, or items in the quantity needed for an individual’s own treatment with authorization from Ukraine’s Ministry of Health. Always check with a post office before sending
• Electronic devices such as mobile phones: limited to devices listed in Ukraine’s registry of radio equipment, among other conditions

One point to note: noodles and canned goods — the kind of thing that would be a welcome gift sent from Japan — cannot be sent by parcel or EMS. The item names in the conditions table are brief, and the detailed conditions are on each item’s own page.

When tax is charged on the Ukrainian side

Under Article 374, paragraph 7 of Ukraine’s Customs Code, items sent to an individual by international mail or international express (excluding excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco) are not subject to customs duty or other charges if their total value is 150 euros or less. If the value exceeds 150 euros but is 10,000 euros or less, a 10% import duty and value-added tax apply to the portion above 150 euros (per the legislation database’s version dated 17 September 2026). Since the recipient is the one who pays any tax, declare the value of the contents accurately, and it helps to let the recipient know in advance if you are sending something valuable.

Sending money

Do not send cash through the mail

Under Japan Post’s conditions for Ukraine, registered letters containing coins or banknotes, insured parcels containing banknotes in current circulation, and foreign currency sent by parcel or EMS are all prohibited items. There is a conditional allowance for insured ordinary mail and parcels to contain up to the equivalent of 300 US dollars in foreign currency, but using a bank or other money-transfer service is the more reliable way to send money.

Japan’s rules

According to the Ministry of Finance, under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, sending money abroad is generally unrestricted unless the transaction is one that requires a permit. If the amount sent from Japan exceeds the equivalent of 30 million yen, a report must be filed afterward. If you carry cash out of Japan and the total exceeds the equivalent of 1 million yen, you must declare it to customs.

The main example of a transaction requiring a permit is economic sanctions. The Ministry of Finance publishes lists of individuals subject to measures such as asset freezes, which include people in eastern and southern Ukraine judged to have been directly involved in the “annexation” of Crimea, the destabilization of eastern Ukraine, or what is called Russia’s “incorporation” of these areas. Payments to anyone on these lists require a permit in advance. To check for this, a bank may ask about the recipient and purpose every time you send money.

Some banks also set their own list of “sanctioned countries/regions.” MUFG Bank, for example, includes in its list as of September 2025 — alongside North Korea, Iran and Cuba — the Crimea region and the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic,” stating that it may carry out checks on transactions involving these areas. In short, money transfers connected to areas occupied by Russia can be subject to bank checks or transaction restrictions.

Sending through Japan Post Bank

Japan Post Bank ended international transfers at the counter and through “Yucho Direct” at the end of August 2025, moving to “Yucho’s International Money Transfer,” a PC/smartphone service launched in July 2025. Ukraine is on the list of destination countries.

• Only individuals can use the service, and registering your My Number is required (under the Act on Reports on Overseas Remittances)
• The limits are: under 1 million yen per transfer, up to 2 million yen per day, and up to 5 million yen per month (converted to yen at the rate applied when you apply)
• For checks required under law, you may be asked for documents showing the purpose of the transfer, and the check can take around a month. As a result of the check, a transfer may be refused
• Intermediary banks may have their own policies on transactions connected to Russia and elsewhere, and the service notes that a transfer can be cancelled and refunded even when the destination is not Russia itself

Check the conditions for other banks and remittance services individually.

The conditions described here were confirmed with Japan Post, Japan Post Bank, the Ministry of Finance, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s legislation database in September 2026. Places to turn to for everyday life in Japan are collected in where to ask first when you start living in Japan.