International Response Coupon (IRC)

Due to the Initiative Response project, we get a lot of questions about IRCs (International Response Coupons) Firstly, look above - this is what an IRC looks like. Now lets get down to what it is:

WHAT: An IRC is a coupon that can be redeemed for first class international postage.

WHERE: You can purchased or redeem and IRC at any post office within a country that is part of the Universal Postal Union. (List of countries here.)

WHY: If you are a non-US resident, you don't have access to US stamps. An IRC steps in to help you with that. If you are requested to send an SASE to a country outside your own, an ICR acts as your "stamps" to get the SASE back to you.

HOW: Ask your postal clerk for an IRC. Mail the IRC with your self-address envelope and that is it! It will magically come back to you with the proper postage needed to be mailed from the country you sent it to.

Above is what a IRC from Australia looks like. It is indistinguishable from IRCs from other countries, except for the fact that is says the country of origin on it. Some countries do not imprint the origin place on the coupon. When a member sends us one of these, I go to our post office and trade it for a first class international stamp, seen below the IRC in the photo.

So, if you are an international LWA member and want to participate in the Initiative Response project here is what you need to include with your request:

- An IRC and a self-addressed envelope.
- A money order or US$ with the total amount for the Initiatives you request
- A note letting us know which Initiative(s) you want to participate in and your member #

More than one Initiative can be sent back to you in one SASE, so no worries about including more than one SASE/IRC for multiple Initiatives.

You can read more about IRCs here and here. We are also happy to answer any other questions you have on IRCs ourselves! We hope this clarifies things for our international members and helps them participate in overseas postal projects!

 

Comments

[Limner]

IRC has always meant internet relay chat to me. :) I learn something new every single day. Thanks for contributing to my continuing education.

[CMN]

Um, the IRCs look so cool! I've never received one, but now that I've seen them, I just have to ask... have you been saving a few so that you're assembling a collection of different countries? I know I would! LOL

[Karl]

Be nice to the postal clerk, not many know what these are. My post office stopped stocking them 3 years ago. And they are very collectable. Check ebay and see how many are listed from all kinds of places and many ages.

[Sandra]

Hi there! I'm new to this, so forgive my rather stupid questions. If I send an envelope that includes an envelope B with IRC and the reciever wants to send me this letter B with IRC back to me, does it mean that the reciever has to go to the post office and change the IRC for stamps or the post office workers do that somehow automatically? I know this last version sounds pretty wrong, but I mean, IRC's are used to get autographs from celebrities, but I really doubt that any celebrity bothers going to the post office to get me the right stamps... I'm confused... And is it possible, that some post offices sell stamps of foreign countries?

[Donovan]

Hey Sandra,
Post offices only sell stamps for their own country. An IRC allows you to purchase a coupon in your country that you can send to the other country which the recipient can then turn in at that country's post office for the equivalent amount of stamps in their denomination. You just have to turn it in at the counter and collect your stamps. It's the international answer to a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. As to whether or not celebrities go to the post office, I couldn't say, but that's how it works.

[Lida]

ok

[Reg]

This is the coolest things I've ever heard of.

[Marjorie Norris]

Thanks for that.