New Delhi: State-run India Post, which lost its dominance with the rise of private courier operators, has revamped its rules to make its services more competitive by introducing online booking cancellations, refunds and greater flexibility for international mail.
It has also specified detailed refund guidelines for different categories of international mail, a government order issued on Thursday said.
Under the amended regulations, customers who book postal articles through India Post's web portal or mobile application can cancel their booking before the item is accepted by the post office. Customers booking articles at post office counters can also seek cancellation on the same day of booking, while the department may cancel bookings made due to incorrect data entry.
The changes are expected to narrow the service gap between India Post and private courier operators. Most private courier companies already offer greater flexibility by allowing customers to cancel shipments before they enter the delivery network, seek refunds where applicable and request address changes or shipment redirection before delivery.
Experts said the amendments are a step towards modernising India Post's services and making them more customer-centric.
"It is a citizen-friendly initiative which will benefit customers. The new provisions give people greater flexibility to cancel bookings, obtain refunds where applicable and manage their postal articles more easily. These changes will improve customer convenience and make India Post's services more responsive to the needs of users," said Ajay Kumar Roy, former chief general manager, Department of Posts.
The changes, notified by the Department of Posts under the ministry of communications through the Post Office (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, came into effect on 15 July. The department has also issued an office memorandum detailing the refund mechanism for international mail articles.
According to the order reviewed by Mint, the changes come as India Post expands its parcel and logistics business amid growing competition from private courier and e-commerce delivery firms. As per the Department of Posts' annual report, its parcel and logistics business recorded a 70% revenue growth in FY2025-26, while Speed Post processed more than 425 million articles, generating over ₹1,700 crore in revenue.
In response to Mint's queries, L.K. Dash, deputy director general (international relations and global business), Department of Posts, said, “The efforts of the department will repose faith in the customers that if there is any problem of non-delivery because of reasons beyond their control, we will be refunding their postage. That was the idea with which we started, and it found the approval of the competent authority."
The notification also introduces a formal framework for the recall and redirection of accountable international postal articles. Under the new rules, the sender of an outgoing accountable international postal article can request its recall from the booking office, while the addressee of an incoming accountable international postal article can seek its redirection from the delivery office on payment of the prescribed postal fee. No fee will be charged if both the original and revised addresses fall within the delivery jurisdiction of the same post office, it said.
The sender or addressee, or an authorised representative, will have to submit a written request at the concerned post office to avail these facilities. The rules also allow the sender to seek recall or redirection of an international postal article after it reaches the destination country, subject to the policy of the foreign postal administration.
The accompanying guidelines, reviewed by Mint, also specify the refund payable in different situations involving international mail. Customers recalling an accountable international mail article before customs examination will be eligible for a refund of 70% of the postage paid, while no recall fee will be charged.
Where India Post is unable to transmit an article because of service disruptions such as natural disasters, war, airline disruptions, logistics failures or regulatory restrictions, customers will receive a full refund of the postage paid and any return postage charges will be waived, it said.
The guidelines also provide for full refunds when an international article is returned because of technical or system-related deficiencies attributable to India Post or the destination postal administration.
However, no refund will be admissible where incorrect or incomplete information is furnished by the sender, where articles are returned because of prohibited or restricted contents or incomplete documentation, or where the addressee refuses delivery or has shifted to another address.