Every inbox is buried under promotional email by mid-November. A physical letter or Christmas postcard, sent with international forever stamps, does something no email campaign manages: it survives the week. If your customers are in Canada, this is the cheapest way to be remembered.
Here is what the postage actually requires.
The right stamp for a letter to Canada
The default answer is the First-Class Mail International Global Forever Stamp, issued by USPS specifically for international mail. At $1.70 it behaves exactly like a domestic Forever stamp: whatever international postage costs in future, the stamp you bought today still covers the ounce.
The International Forever stamp is round and carries the word "Global." One of them sends an ounce of mail or a postcard to any country — Canada is simply the most common destination.
Placement matters more than people expect. On an envelope, the International Forever Stamp goes in the upper right corner. On a postcard, it goes in the space provided beside the mailing address. Put it somewhere else and the piece can be rejected before it ever leaves the country.
Can you use domestic Forever stamps instead?
Yes — with arithmetic. USPS states that customers may use Forever Stamps for international mail, but since every international price exceeds the domestic price, additional postage must be added. A Forever stamp is worth the domestic First-Class letter rate in effect on the day it is used, and no more.
So the answer is that domestic Forever stamps work on a Canada-bound envelope provided you make up the difference.
The numbers: one ounce of international mail costs $1.70, and a domestic Forever stamp is currently worth $0.78. Two Forever stamps still fall short of the Global rate. Two Forever stamps plus a pair of ten-cent stamps closes the gap.
Postage generally depends on weight, the service you select, the delivery speed you need, and the origin and destination. Shape and size factor in as well.
Where to buy International Forever Stamps
USPS.com runs an online philatelic store carrying the full range, including sheets of 10 International Forever stamps. Ordering direct is the low-friction option if you have serious mailing volume, and the stamps keep indefinitely if stored properly, so buying ahead costs you nothing.
Other online retailers, including www.foreverstampcenter.com, sell the same stamps in bulk quantities at meaningfully lower prices. For a business mailing at any scale, this is the route we would recommend.
Offline, your local post office stocks them, or you can order by phone on 1-800-STAMP-24. Some grocery stores, gas stations and ATMs marked with the word "stamp" carry them too — though offline you are usually buying booklets rather than choosing designs. Our guide to where to buy stamps compares the channels in detail.
Postcards to Canada
There is no postcard discount internationally. USPS charges the same whether you send a letter or a postcard: a single First-Class Mail International Global Forever stamp covers either, up to 1 oz, to any country in the world.
Size is the thing to watch. The card must be rectangular and between 3.5″ x 5″ and 4.25″ x 6″. Go over on dimensions or weight and you will need additional postage to make up the difference.
Addressing a Canadian envelope correctly
Write the whole address in capital letters, in pen or permanent marker, with no commas or periods. Canadian sorting equipment reads it better that way.
Return address, upper left corner, each item on its own line:
- Your full name or business name
- Apartment or room number
- Full street address
- City, state, ZIP+4, U.S.A.
Delivery address, centered on the package, in English, each item on its own line: recipient's full name or company name, full street address, city, province or state, postal code, and Canada.
Formatted, it looks like this:
Mr./Mrs. X
1010 XX Street
OTTAWA ON K1AOB1
Canada
How long delivery takes
A shared border helps, but not as much as you would think. Allow at least five business days as an absolute minimum.
Traditional first-class international mail generally lands somewhere between 7 and 21 days. If nothing has arrived after 21 days, check the tracking number online or ask at the post office.
Paying for speed works. Priority Mail International runs 6 to 10 days to Canada; Priority Mail Express International cuts that to 3 to 5. Both cost more than first-class.
Current international shipping rates
- Priority Mail Express International: $46.10 (previously $44.95)
- Priority Mail International: $48.20 (previously $46.36)
- First Class Package International Service: $14.85 (previously $14.11)
For the full range of international issues at discount pricing, browse Forever Stamp Center.
USPS specialist based in Los Angeles with extensive experience in postal operations and customer service. Certified in mail management and trained at the USPS Business Mail Academy, she offers reliable guidance on Forever Stamps and practical mailing solutions.
