Don't despair, your missing mail might still be on its way

[sophie]

Collected this a.m from our PO Box. A birthday card posted in Bristol on 7th June 2013, arrived in Lefkosa 12th November 2013, correctly stamped and addressed and with blue airmail sticker. Also arrived today a Christmas Card, posted UK 10th December 2013, arrived Lefkosa 25th December 2013. Everything as it should be on the envelope. Neither envelopes have a Girne date stamp on them.

[Deniz1]

I collected 2 cards on Saturday from my po box posted on 3rd December.

[WotNoDeeds]

"missing mail might still be on its way" ? I hope so I've been waiting over ten years for some of mine !! better late than never eh .

[Mint1955]

Does anyone have a foolproof way of addressing an envelope to get to North Cyprus from the uk.

We are in Tatlisu so I don't even know what happens when post gets that far and how to find out if we have any!

[Owl Lady]

Received important mail in Ozankoy on 7th February, posted in the UK in 10th January. I had to reply by the 6th February!!!

[Groucho]

Does anyone have a foolproof way of addressing an envelope to get to North Cyprus from the uk.

We are in Tatlisu so I don't even know what happens when post gets that far and how to find out if we have any!

'Foolproof' doesn't even exist in the UK but as a first step I'd arrange to rent a PO box in one of the villages (Esentepe has some spare I think). Then you get a number which you address as:-
PK nn,
Esentepe,
Mersin 10
Turkey 99400
- for example
where PK = Posta Kutusu, nn = the number you are renting and 99400 is the postcode.

[cyprusishome]

Not fool proof but if you put mail in typed, brown, official looking envelope it is more likely to arrive than a hand written one that looks personal. A trial we took part in 3-4 years ago proved this. So Christmas cards are bottom of the heap for potentially arriving and your tax returns and credit card bills will be 99% certain of arriving.

Other wise if there is something important then try and get someone to bring it over.

[tomsteel]

Expats living in the Tatlisu area can collect their mail from the water distribution point run by the Beli in the village centre (opposite the new building). Even though I do not use it, as I live elsewhere, I am often asked if I have mail waiting there when I collect water. Worth a try perhaps?

[sophie]

As said there really is no foolprrof way, just do everything you can to get addresses abslutely correct and tell people its best not to use envelopes which are obviously "cards". Having said that, the birthday card posted early June 2013 which finally arrived two days ago, had ticked all the boxes and still took 7 months. The fact that it hadn't been stamped in Girne, only in Lefkosa, gives some idea of where it was held up. However, magazines in clear plastic wallets get here, as does anything from the Tax man or Pensions people.

[cyprusishome]

Follow up to tomsteel, in Karsiyaka we collect mail from the Belediyse office in village square. Elsewhere in Lapta district collect from the post office etc.

[mahdel]

Even the official documents trick doesn't always work. I had something shipped from the US the first week of December, using priority mail and identifying the contents as "official documents" or something along those lines in a large, USPS Priority Mail folder type envelope. Got to Lefkosa on January 3rd. Showed up at my house last week after the muhtar dropped it by. Lord knows what it had done in the meantime, as I'd asked at the post office in our region about it twice.

[Owl Lady]

I took part in the BRS survey several years ago.5 items posted in the UK, white/ brown/ window/ and Air mail envelopes. NOT ONE ARRIVED!! So nothing has changed.

[Deniz1]

I have PM you Sophie.