LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Mailing to the US from abroad
Yes. You have two good paths: post the letter through your own country's postal service (it will be handed to USPS on arrival), or skip the international leg entirely by asking your AI assistant to mail it with LetterAgent. LetterAgent senders can be anywhere in the world; only the recipient needs a US or Canadian address, and the letter is printed and mailed inside North America.
Speed and simplicity. An international letter passes through export sorting in your country, a flight, customs clearance (letters move fast, but they still pass through), and import sorting before USPS touches it. A letter mailed from inside the US or Canada just enters the domestic stream. If you are sending something time-sensitive like a cancellation, a payment, or a document with a deadline, cutting out the international leg is worth it.
There is also a practical addressing detail people get wrong: the destination country's name goes on the last line in capital letters ("UNITED STATES" or "USA"), and you do not include the origin country's postal markings on the recipient side. The return address in the upper left shows where you are; that is how any undeliverable letter finds its way back to you.
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Your country's post office | You buy international postage locally; the letter travels through the Universal Postal Union network to USPS | Letters already printed and in your hands abroad |
| LetterAgent via your AI assistant | You describe the letter in chat from anywhere; it is printed, enveloped, and mailed inside North America | Letters that exist as files or text; deadline-sensitive mail |
| Courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS) | Door-to-door international service with tracking | Documents that must arrive fast or need end-to-end tracking |
A plain letter with no goods inside needs no customs form. This surprises people who have only ever shipped packages: letters (documents only) move through a separate, simpler channel. You do need the correct international postage from the country you are posting in, and the letter must meet that country's size and weight limits for international mail. Overweight letters get returned or surcharged, so weigh a thick envelope before you post it.
One more non-obvious fact: you cannot put US stamps on a letter posted abroad. Postage is only valid in the country that issued it, so a letter dropped in a London post box needs UK postage even though it is going to Texas. This is also why International Reply Coupons exist: they are the one postage product redeemable across borders.
Basic international letter mail is not tracked end to end. Your local post may offer a tracked international letter product (many countries do, for a higher fee), and couriers track everything, but a standard airmail letter disappears into the system until it arrives. If proof of delivery matters, either pay for the tracked product or route the letter through LetterAgent's registered option, which adds tracking and proof of delivery inside the US and Canada.
Same story, one swap: your country's post hands the letter to Canada Post on arrival. And LetterAgent's recipient rule covers both: US or Canadian addresses work the same way, with the letter printed and mailed domestically in the right country. A sender sitting in Berlin, Tokyo, or Sydney gets the same flow: describe the letter, approve the exact quoted price, and it goes out through the normal letter stream.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com