Editing Universal Postal Union (section)

== Member countries ==
{{Main|List of members of the Universal Postal Union}}

[[File:Universal Postal Union membership.svg|thumb|300px|
{{Legend|#008000|Member states}}
{{Legend|#00FF00|Member states both through their sovereign state and as individual members}}
{{Legend|#FFFF00|Observer states}}
{{Legend|#0080FF|Non-member states represented by a member state}}]]

All [[United Nations member states]] are allowed to become members of the UPU. A non-member state of the United Nations may also become a member if two-thirds of the UPU member countries approve its request. The UPU currently has 192 members (190 states and two joint memberships of [[dependent territories]] groups).

Member states of the UPU are the Vatican City and every [[Member states of the United Nations|UN member]] except Andorra, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. These four states have their mail delivered through another UPU member (France and Spain for Andorra, and the United States for the [[Compact of Free Association]] states).<ref>{{cite web |title=The Evolution of the Postal Service in the Era of the UPU |first=JP |last=Gough |url=http://www.webmavin.com/UPU-Evolution.html |publisher=Web Mavin |date=6 October 2005 |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218171733/http://www.webmavin.com/UPU-Evolution.html |archive-date=18 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The overseas constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, [[Curaçao]] and [[Sint Maarten]]) are represented as a single UPU member, as are the entire [[British overseas territories]]. These members were originally listed separately as "Colonies, Protectorates, etc." in the Universal Postal Convention<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/other/dfat/treaties/ATS/1954/14.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=%22Universal%20postal%20union%22 |title=Universal Postal Convention |date=11 July 1952 |access-date=11 August 2012 |publisher=Universal Postal Union |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206051640/http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/other/dfat/treaties/ATS/1954/14.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=%22Universal%20postal%20union%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> and they were [[Grandfathering|grandfathered]] in when membership was restricted to sovereign states.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/other/dfat/treaties/ATS/1966/2.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=%22Universal%20postal%20union%22 |title=Constitution of the Universal Postal Union |date=10 July 1964 |access-date=11 August 2012 |publisher=Universal Postal Union |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206071419/http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/other/dfat/treaties/ATS/1966/2.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=%22Universal%20postal%20union%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Observers===

[[Palestinian National Authority|Palestine]] is an observer state in the UN, and it was granted special observer status to the UPU in 1999. In 2008 Israel agreed for Palestine's mail to be routed through Jordan,<ref name=UPUPal>{{cite web |url=http://www.upu.int/en/media-centre/news/union-postale-emag/archived-news/archive/2009/april/category/union-postale-emag/article/650/palestinian-parcel-post-gets-a-boost.html |title=Palestinian parcel post gets a boost |publisher=Universal Postal Union (UPU) |access-date=26 September 2010 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110614232208/http://www.upu.int/en/media-centre/news/union-postale-emag/archived-news/archive/2009/april/category/union-postale-emag/article/650/palestinian-parcel-post-gets-a-boost.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27622&Cr=UPU&Cr1= |title=Israel and Palestinians to boost postal services with help from UN agency |date=7 August 2008 |publisher=Un.org |access-date=24 October 2008 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201717/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27622&Cr=UPU&Cr1= |url-status=live }}</ref> although this had not been implemented as of November 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.upu.int/nd/new-resolution-adopted-on-palestinian-postal-operations/ |title=New resolution adopted on Palestinian postal operations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429075733/http://news.upu.int/nd/new-resolution-adopted-on-palestinian-postal-operations/ |archive-date=29 April 2014 |work=UPU |date=22 March 2012 |access-date=28 April 2014 }}</ref> Palestine began receiving direct mail in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lazaroff |first=Tovah |title=Palestinians to receive direct mail for the first time |work=Arab Israeli Conflict |publisher=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=4 September 2016 |url=https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinians-to-receive-direct-mail-for-the-first-time-466872 |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922091442/https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/palestinians-to-receive-direct-mail-for-the-first-time-466872 |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2018, Palestine signed papers of accession to the UPU.<ref>{{cite news |last1=RASGON |first1=Adam |title=Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-mulling-consequences-after-palestinians-join-international-bodies/ |access-date=3 February 2019 |date=18 November 2018 |archive-date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517045104/https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-mulling-consequences-after-palestinians-join-international-bodies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, its bid for membership was defeated in September 2019 by a vote of 56 in support, 23 abstaining, 7 countries in opposition, and 106 countries not responding to the request to vote (which, according to UPU rules, led them to be tallied as abstentions)—leaving the bid substantially short of the required two-thirds majority of UPU members.<ref>{{cite news |title=UN rejects Palestinian Authority request to join the Universal Postal Union |url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-rejects-palestinian-authority-request-to-join-the-universal-postal-union-1.910930 |work=The National |date=16 September 2019 |access-date=17 May 2020 |archive-date=15 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815023802/https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-rejects-palestinian-authority-request-to-join-the-universal-postal-union-1.910930 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===States with limited recognition===

[[List of states with limited recognition|States with limited recognition]] must route their mail through third parties, since the UPU does not allow direct deliveries.<ref name="UPSS">{{Cite web |title=Members of the Universal Postal Union and Their Join Dates |publisher=United Postal Stationery Society |url=http://www.upss.org/upuspecimens/upumembers.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125170027/http://www.upss.org/upuspecimens/upumembers.pdf |archive-date=25 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State
! Mail routed via
|-
| Abkhazia
| Russia
|-
| Kosovo
| Serbia
|-
| [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|Northern Cyprus]]
| Turkey
|-
| [[Sahrawi Republic]]
| Algeria
|-
| South Ossetia
| Russia
|-
| [[Taiwan (Republic of China)]]
| United States, Japan
|-
| Transnistria
| Moldova
|-
| Somaliland
| Ethiopia
|}