Shipping – The Differences and Similarities of Mail and Express Shipping Services in Puerto Rico vs. the U.S.
Shipping to Puerto Rico has its challenges. You can expect some delays, and there are some online stores that don’t ship to PR – it’s always good to check this up front on a new online shopping site.
The USPS mail service is used in Puerto Rico and standard mail rates apply in Puerto Rico as they would in the US. USPS is often the fastest and least expensive option! It’s very reasonably priced compared to FedEx, UPS, and any other Express mail services. Packages sent via USPS generally arrive very quickly, sometime faster than interstate mail.
There are post offices all over the island and like their U.S. counterparts, they also complete U.S. Passport services. For Expedited and/or special passport services you should locate the nearest Federal office in Puerto Rico. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
For those shopping on Amazon, Prime shipping does apply in Puerto Rico although standard Prime items tend to take an average of 5+ days to arrive. However, some sub-vendors under Amazon don’t ship to Puerto Rico, so be sure to go all the way through to the shipping section at checkout, to check on whether your selected items can reach you in Puerto Rico. In some cases it is not until check-out that you may find an item cannot be shipped to Puerto Rico.
The FedEx/UPS and other express mail services in Puerto Rico treat Puerto Rico as an “international” location and all shipping rates are international rates. As a result, shipping things via these express services from Puerto Rico tend to be considerably more expensive than these same mail services on the mainland U.S.
Two good local shipping locations to visit for services are:
- UPS in San Patricio Plaza: 100 Avenida San Patricio, 00968, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico https://www.mallscenters.com/brands/stores/the-ups-store/guaynabo–puerto-rico–san-patricio-plaza
- The Corner Office Business Center in Condado, San Juan, 1357 Ashford Ave. San Juan, PR (787)724-8678
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