2017-06-19 Mon

The latest design of the international reply coupon has been revealed by the Universal Postal Union. These coupons are sent to another country as a courtesy gesture to acknowledge Airmail Letter Postage. They can be purchased from international post offices and its design changes once in four years.

The new design features two hands and a dove against a background of an Arctic scene. The image represents the sustainable development in the postal sector. A yellow stamp frame represents the future of the Post.

The new design which is valid until 31st December 2021 was an outcome of a design competition that was held between 10 countries on 7th October 2016. The competition was open to all UPU member countries. UPU Congress was held in Istanbul, which is why the new IRC is known as Istanbul model. The earlier Doha model IRC was released in 2012 and is set to expire on 31st December 2017. The earlier design shows hands trying to hold a stream of water, as per the theme “Water for Life”.