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Send mail with the British Forces Post Office (BFPO)

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If your post is lost, damaged or delayed

You may be able to claim compensation if your post:

  • does not arrive within 30 working days 
  • is damaged when it arrives 

You must make your claim within 80 days of the date you posted the item.

How much you can claim

If your item is lost or damaged, you can claim back the postage costs plus the item’s value.

You can claim up to:

  • £1,000 for items in the care of the BFPO
  • £20 for standard Royal Mail items posted at a Post Office - includes the enduring families free mail service
  • £100 for standard Parcelforce items

Extra compensation

If you paid for additional compensation at the time of posting, your limit may be higher. The amount of compensation depends on where your item was lost or damaged.

For items lost within the UK mail system (Royal Mail or Parcelforce), your compensation limit depends on the specific service or extra cover you purchased.

For items lost within the BFPO system, compensation is limited to a maximum of £1,000 per item.

The BFPO will confirm where the item was lost and check your service level with the mail provider during the claim investigation.

Who can claim

The person who sent the post should make the claim.

If you bought something online, the retailer who posted the item should make the claim.

How to make a claim

If you’re in the UK, you can either:

  • collect a lost or damaged claim form from your local Post Office 
  • ask the BFPO service desk to send you a form by email

Fill in the form and send it to the BFPO service desk, along with any supporting documents.

BFPO service desk
haloenquiries@bfpo.info

HQ BFPO
West End Road
Ruislip
HA4 6DQ

Telephone for general questions: 0345 769 7978
Telephone for civilian questions: 020 8589 3450
Telephone for military questions: 94676 3450

Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3:30pm
Friday, 8am to 2:30pm
Lines closed on bank holidays
Find out about call charges

What to include in your claim

You’ll need to provide:

  • the delivery name and address
  • the name and address of the sender
  • which postal service you used and any tracking numbers
  • when and where you posted the item
  • proof of postage
  • proof of purchase – to show how much the item that was lost or damaged was worth
  • if you’re claiming for damage, pictures of the damage and original packaging
View a printable version of the whole guide

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