In the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, a number of countries maintained post offices in foreign countries, arranged by treaty. Most such offices were operated by European powers in the Middle and Far East. They were partly motivated by the desire to provide reliable postal service for merchants and other foreign nationals in major cities, and partly by suspicion of the local postal service. The currency in use could be either the local currency, or that of the home country.
Additionally, it became the practice of occupying military powers to establish postal services in the occupied country.
List Austrian Post Abroad Italy (Austrian Occupation) 1918 only Lombardy-Venetia 1850–1866 Montenegro (Austrian Occupation) 1917 only Romania (Austrian Occupation) 1917–1918 Serbia (Austrian Occupation) 1916 only Austro-Hungarian Post in China 1904–1919 Crete (Austro-Hungarian Post) 1903–1914 Austro-Hungarian Post in the Ottoman Empire 1867–1915 Palestine (Austrian Post Offices) 1854–1914 Austro-Hungarian Military Post 1915–1918
Belgian Post Abroad Eupen and Malmedy (Belgian Occupation) 1920 only German East Africa (Belgian Occupation) 1916–1918 Germany (Belgian Occupation) 1919–1920
British Post Abroad British post offices abroad British post offices in Africa various issues Baghdad (British Occupation) 1917 only Bangkok (British Post Office) 1882–1885 Batum (British Occupation) 1919–1920 British Levant 1885–1923 Bushire (British Occupation) 1915 only Cameroons (British Occupation) 1915 only China (British Railway Administration) 1901 only China (British Post Offices) 1917–1930 Crete (British Post Offices) 1898–1899 East Africa Forces 1943–1948 Eastern Arabia (British postal agencies) 1948–1966 Egypt (British Forces) 1932–1943 Eritrea (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952 German East Africa (British Occupation) 1917 only Iraq (British Occupation) 1918–1923 Japan (British Post Offices) 1859–1879 Japan (British Commonwealth Occupation Force) 1946–1949 Long Island (British Occupation) 1916 only Madagascar (British Consular Mail) 1884–1895 Mafia Island (British Occupation) 1915–1916 Malaya (British Military Administration) 1945–1948 Middle East Forces 1942–1947 Morocco Agencies 1898–1957 North Borneo (BMA) 1945 only Salonika (British Field Office) 1916 only Sarawak (British Military Administration) 1945 only Somalia (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1950 Tangier 1927–1957 Tripolitania (British Military Administration or British Administration) 1948–1952
Chinese Post Abroad Chinese post offices in Tibet 1911–1912
Egyptian Post Abroad Gaza (Egyptian Occupation) 1948–1967 Jaffa (Egyptian Post Office) 1870–1872
Finnish Post Abroad Aunus (Finnish Occupation) 1919 only Eastern Karelia (Finnish Occupation) 1941–1944
French Post Abroad Andorra (French Offices) 1931 – Arad (French Occupation) 1919 only Castelrosso (French Occupation) 1920–1921 Cilicia (French Occupation) 1918–1921 Ethiopia (French Post Offices) 1906–1908 Japan (French Post Offices) 1865–1880 Klaipėda 1923 only Korce (Koritza) 1917–1919 Madagascar (French Post Offices) 1885–1896 Majunga (French Post Office) 1895 only Memel (French Administration) 1920–1923 Morocco (French Post Offices) 1862–1914 Syria (French Occupation) 1919–1923 Tangier (French Post Office) 1918–1942 Saar (French Administration) 1920–1935 French post offices abroad China (French Post Offices) 1894–1922 Tientsin (French Post Office) 1903–1922 Crete (French Post Offices) 1902–1913 Egypt (French Post Offices) 1899–1931 Alexandria (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Port Said (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Zanzibar (French Post Office) 1889–1904 Ottoman Empire (French Post Offices) 1885–1923 Beirut (French Post Office) 1905 only Dedeagatz (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Kavalla (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Port Lagos (French Post Office) 1893–1898 Vathy (French Post Offices) 1893–1914 Palestine (French Post Offices) 1854–1914 Postage of the Free French Forces in the Levant 1942–1946
German Post Abroad German Ninth Army Post 1918 only Albania (German Occupation) 1943–1944 Alsace-Lorraine (German Occupation) 1870–1871 Alsace (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Belgium (German Occupation) 1914–1918 Dalmatia (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Dorpat (German Occupation) 1918 only Estonia (German Occupation) 1941 only Laibach (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Latvia (German Occupation) 1941 only Lithuania (German Occupation) 1941 only Lorraine (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Luxembourg (German Occupation) 1940–1944 Macedonia (German Occupation) 1944 only Montenegro (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Ostland (German Occupation) 1941–1945 Poland (German Occupation WWI) 1915–1918 Poland (German Occupation WWII) 1939–1945 Romania (German Occupation) 1917–1918 Serbia (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Ukraine (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Zante (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Zanzibar (German Postal Agency) 1890–1891 China (German Post Offices) 1886–1917 Morocco (German Post Offices) 1899–1917 German post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1884–1914 Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWI) 1914–1918 Postage of German Occupation Forces (WWII) 1939–1945 Eastern Command Area 1916–1918 Western Command Area 1916–1918 Palestine (German Post Offices) 1898–1914
Germany (Allied Occupation) Baden (French Zone) 1947–1949 Postage of Berlin-Brandenburg in the Russian Zone 1945 only Postage of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Postage of North West Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Saxony (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Postage of South East Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Thuringia (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Württemberg (French Zone) 1947–1949 American, British and Russian Zones 1946–1948 Anglo-American Zones (Civil Government) 1948–1949 Anglo-American Zones (Military Government) 1945–1946 French Zone (General Issues) 1945–1946 Postage of the Rhineland – Palatinate in the French Zone 1947–1949 Russian Zone (General Issues) 1948–1949 Saar (French Zone) 1945–1947
Greek Post Abroad Greek Post Offices in the Turkish Empire 1861–1881 Albania (Greek Occupation) 1940–1941 Kavalla (Greek Occupation) 1913 only Khios (Greek Occupation) 1913 only Lemnos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913 Lesbos (Greek Occupation) 1912–1913 Dodecanese Islands (Greek Occupation) 1947 only
Indian Overseas Forces Gaza (Indian UN Force) 1965 only Indo-China (Indian Forces) 1954–1968 Korea (Indian Custodian Forces) 1953 only Mosul (Indian Forces) 1919 only Congo (Indian UN Force) 1962 only China Expeditionary Force 1900–1923 Indian Expeditionary Forces 1914–1922
Indo-Chinese Post in China Canton (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1901–1922 China (Indo-Chinese Post Offices) 1900–1922 Hoi-Hao (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1902–1922 Kouang-Tcheou 1898–1943 Mong-Tseu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Pakhoi (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Tchongking (Indo – Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Yunnanfu (Indo-Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922
Israeli Post Abroad Golan (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 – Sinai (Israeli Post Offices) 1967–1982 West Bank and Gaza (Israeli Post Offices) 1967 –
Italian Post Abroad Albania (Italian Occupation) 1939–1943 Austria (Italian Occupation) 1918-1919 Benghazi (Italian Post Office) 1901–1912 Cephalonia and Ithaca (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Corfu and Paxos (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Corfu (Italian Occupation) 1923 only Dalmatia (Italian Occupation) 1919–1923 Ethiopia (Italian Occupation) 1936 only Lubiana (Italian Occupation) 1941 only Montenegro (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943 Saseno (Italian Occupation) 1923 only Trentino (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919 Tripoli (Italian Post Office) 1909–1912 Venezia Giulia (Italian Occupation) 1918–1919 Fiume and Kupa Zone 1941–1942 Ionian Islands (Italian Occupation) 1941–1943 Italian post offices in Africa Italian post offices in China Pechino (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922 Tientsin (Italian Post Office) 1917–1922 Italian post offices in Crete Khania (Italian Post Office) 1900–1912 Italian post offices in Egypt Italian post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1873–1923 Constantinople (Italian Post Office) 1908–1923 Durazzo (Italian Post Office) 1902–1916 Jannina (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Salonika (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Scutari (Italian Post Office) 1909–1915 Smirne (Italian Post Office) 1909–1911 Valona (Italian Post Office) 1909–1916 Palestine (Italian Post Offices) 1908–1914
Japanese Post Abroad Brunei (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Burma (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Central China (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1944 Honan (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Hong Kong (Japanese Occupation) 1945 only Hopei (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Inner Mongolia (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1943 Japanese Taiwan (Formosa) 1945 only Java (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945 Kelantan (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Korea (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1901 Kwangtung (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Malaya (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Manchukuo 1932–1945 Mengkiang (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Nangking and Shanghai (Japanese Occupation) 1941–1945 North Borneo (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 North China (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Sarawak (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 Shansi (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Shantung (Japanese Occupation) 1941 South China (Japanese Occupation) 1942 Sumatra (Japanese Occupation) 1943–1945 Supeh (Japanese Occupation) 1941 Japanese post in occupied China 1941–1942 Philippines (Japanese Occupation) 1942–1945 China (Japanese Post Offices) 1900–1922 Japanese Naval Control Area 1942–1943
Jordanian Post Abroad Egypt and Jordan 1948–1967
North Korean Post Abroad South Korea (North Korean Occupation) 1950 only
Polish Post Abroad Central Lithuania (Polish Occupation) 1920–1922 Constantinople (Polish Post Office) 1919–1921 Danzig (Polish Post Office) 1924–1939 Polish post offices in the Turkish Empire Polish Army in Russia 1942 only Polish Corps in Russia 1918 only Polish Government in Exile 1941–1945
Romanian Post Abroad Banat Bacska (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Constantinople (Romanian Post Office) 1896, 1919–1922/23 Debrecen (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Hungary (Romanian Occupation) 1919–1920 Temesvar (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only Transylvania (Romanian Occupation) 1919 only Romanian post offices in the Turkish Empire 1896–1919
Russian Post Abroad North Korea (Russian Occupation) 1946–1948 South Lithuania (Russian Occupation) 1919 only Russian post offices abroad China (Russian Post Offices) 1899–1920 Crete (Russian Post Offices) 1899 only Russian post offices in the Ottoman Empire 1863–1914 Beirut (Russian Post Office) 1879–1910 Constantinople (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Dardanelles (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Kerrasunde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Mount Athos (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 Mytilene (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 Rizeh (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Salonika (Russian Post Office) 1909–1914 Smyrne (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Trebizonde (Russian Post Office) 1909–1910 Palestine (Russian Post Offices) 1868–1914
Serbian Post Abroad Baranya (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only Hungary (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only Temesvar (Serbian Occupation) 1919 only
Spanish Post Abroad Andorra (Spanish Offices) 1928 – Morocco (Spanish Post Offices) 1903–1914 Tangier (Spanish Post Offices) 1921–1957 Tetuan (Spanish Post Office) 1908–1909
Thai Post Abroad Malaya (Thai Occupation) 1943–1945
Togo (Allied Occupation) Togo (Anglo-French Occupation) 1914–1919
Turkish Post Abroad Thessaly (Turkish Occupation) 1898 only
US Post Abroad Guam (US Administration) 1899–1901 US post in Japan 1867–1874 Shanghai (US Postal Agency) 1919–1922 Philippines (US Administration) 1899–1945
See also Extraterritorial Office of Exchange List of postal entities Articles about postal systems by country, postal organisations by country
References
Bibliography Stanley Gibbons Ltd, various catalogues Stanley Gibbons Ltd, Europe and Colonies 1970, Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 1969