Welcome to Rainer's
Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa Pages
 

Postal Rates and Overland Mail Surcharges

   

Eastwards bounded rates from Switzerland

Postage Rate Switzerland - Iraq (surface mail):

(Date Format dd.mm.yyyy)

From

To

Cover up to 20 grams

Each additional 20 grams

30.09.1924

40 Rappen

20 Rappen

01.10.1924

29.02.1948

30 Rappen

20 Rappen

 

Registration fees:

(Date Format dd.mm.yyyy)

From

To

Fee

01.01.1922

30.06.1930

40 Rappen

 

Surcharge for the use of Overland Mail

Date of Degree

Surcharge

Reference

26.11.1923

double rate

Postal Notice 1924, Paragraph 6

25.07.1925

For letters and postcards:
20 Rp.  per 20 grams or part of it
For printed matters, samples or business papers:
10 Rp. per 50m grams or part of it.

Postal Notice No. issued 25.07.1925, Paragraph 92

 

Auszug aus dem Post und Telegraphen - Amtsblatt No. 51 vom 26. November 1923
Extract from “Post und Telegraphen - Amtsblatt No. 51 dated 26th November 1923, the Swiss Post Office Journal

 

136. Mail traffic with Mesopotamia (Iraq)

According to a notification by the English Postal Authority there exists between Haifa and Baghdad a link by cars, which can be also used from now on for transmission of mail to Mesopotamia. The departure from Haifa takes place each Thursday, in association with the weekly English postal steamer sailing between Marseille and Port Said. The time of transit Geneva to Baghdad is only 9 days, instead of 24 days on the route via Bombay.

Considering the significant advantages of this link, the postal exchange office Geneva 1 will, from the month of December onwards, despatch each Friday a mail bag to Baghdad via Haifa. Only ordinary and registered letters and postcards are permitted for transmission by this route; they must bear in the upper left corner the clearly visible inscription "Par Voie de Terre Haifa-Baghdad".

In view of the exceedingly high compensation which has to be paid to the Mesopotamian postal authority for the transmission of mail from Haifa to Baghdad, the fee for postal items which the sender requests to be despatched by this route will be double (except the registration and AR fees, which are not increased). Unfranked or insufficiently franked items will be directed to their destination by the usual route via Bombay.

Persons posting mail to Mesopotamia should be alerted to this possibility of rapid transmission. 

 

An additional notice is known from the 'L'Union Postal', the monthly reports of the Universal Postal Union for 1924. Further references to 'L'Union Postal' reports for all countries will use the abbreviation L.P.

L'Union Postal 1924, page 184

Since December the 1st (1923) a considerable improvement has been made in the letter post service with Mesopotamia (Iraq) through the introduction of a motor car service between Haifa and Baghdad. There is a departure from Haifa every Thursday in connection with the steamers plying weekly between Marseille and Port Said with Indian mails. A railway connects Port Said with Haifa. The conveyance from Geneva to Baghdad by this new route takes only nine days instead of 24 days by the Indian route. Only ordinary and registered letter and postcards are accepted and the postage is double the ordinary rates.

This cover dated 16.01.1925 from Zug to Baghdad is franked with a total of 100 Rappen.

Rate calculation:

Postage rate:  (Postage 30 c., Registration 40 c. and Overland Mail surcharge 30 c).

Only 2 covers from the 1st. surcharge period reported and the earlier of the two known covers.

Auszug aus dem Post und Telegraphen - Amtsblatt vom 25. Juli 1925
Extract from “Post und Telegraphen - Amtsblatt dated 25th July 1925, the Swiss Post Office Journal

 

Post -Poste - Posta

92. Mail traffic with Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Southwest-Persia

From next  August 1st,  the Overland Mail Haifa-Bagdad can be used for all kind of letters to Mesopotamia and Southwest-Persia. The Surcharges from that time on are being  set as follows:

a: For covers and Postal Cards 20 Rp. for each 20 Grams or part of it.

a: For Printed Matters, Samples and Business Papers 10 Rp. for each 50 Grams. or part of it.

Remaining text will be added shortly.

Paragraphs P.T.A. No. 136/1923 and 6/1924 are cancelled.

 

 

Regsitered cover from Berne (5 July 1926) sent after the reduction of Overland Mail surcharge by the Swiss Post. Total postage rate 90 Rappen.

Rate calculation:

Postage rate:  (Postage 30 c., Registration 40 c. and Overland Mail surcharge 20 c).

Only 2 covers from the 2nd surcharge period reported.