Why Is French On Poczta Parcel Waybills?

No one I have asked in my local post office here can answer that question.

It's just the typical "shoulder shrug" with an "I don't know, that's just the way it is" blasé attitude as expressed by most workers in most occupations here in this country.

As English is the international language of the world, why is French on this form?

Does PP have some connection with France Post?

Also...on this form "CP72" why are there only 3 lines to write the articles in the package?

In a way I guess I should be glad there are only 3 lines for the 26 items that are in the box, and I can choose the least likely to be stolen to write on the list.

Not a bad idea; hope it works. I'm waiting for some classroom wall posters which I know were send from the UK two weeks ago. I don't hold out much hope for them now, but it won't be any great surprise if they don't come, as it won't be the first (or tenth) time. I suppose that's anti-Polish.

I can only guess that par avion is on air-mail letters because the French perhaps pioneered the service. France used to be a much bigger player in the world of diplomacy and French was the lingua france of diplomats for a long time.

I'd suggest starting with history. When many international organisations were formed, the international language was French, not English. It's really only in the 1990's that English started to really become 'international' after the Soviet Union fell and the role of Russian was eliminated.

Anyway, with the Universal Postal Union, the official language is French, not English - English is just a "working language". Therefore, the documentation should be in the native language and French. English is an irrelevance.


Again - it's a UPU issue, nothing to do with Poland. The forms are standardised.

teflcat - it could be Royal Mail - I've had quite a few things not even register as arriving in Poland after being sent through the Royal Mail - forums are full of people complaining about their international delivery too. Things seem to be going from bad to worse for them!

DD- if French is the working language, please explain the absence of it on the customs forms for the USA as outlined here
//pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc1_008.htm

And it states "to write in English"

Since when has America ever bothered to obey international regulations and treaties?

i haven't noticed par avion for quite some time. priorytet is usually stamped on letters for quick/urgent mail, which includes air mail.

correct me, if i'm wrong.

The Poczta Polska stickers now read "Priorytet/Prioritaire", so French is still there.

I think the term of "air mail" has been dropped.

Still alive and kicking - look - royalmail.com/delivery/delivery-options-international/airmail/faqs

I have worked in a Polish post logistic center as a temp a couple of times - international parcels were strictly registered from what I can remember - nothing could go missing in this case in the center - perhaps it could go missing on the international leg of the transport (think at the airport) or down the path to the addressee in local post offices - there were cases of temps taking advantage of inland mail but they could hardly put their hands on international mail

Its becuase French is one of the First languages of the EU, and Poland is apart of the EU since 2004.
Polish passports are in Polish, English and French

My stuff arrived today. Apologies to Poczta Polska who are, of course, wonderful!
Re: Royal Mail. Amazon wanted 13.50 to mail the posters, so I opted for free delivery to a UK address, my brother's. His wife took the posters to the post office. They wanted 26 quid (I siht you not) to mail them. They said that now it's about size and not weight. She (a Royal Mail employee) took the poster tube home, cut a bit off and went back to the post office. New charge 4.50. wtf

It's nothing to do with the EU and everything to do with the Universal Postal Union having French as the official language.


Royal Mail haven't got a clue, I reckon - they seem hell bent on destroying their business, though I suppose it didn't help that the UK government decided to allow a free-for-all with postal competition too.

true - the French signage was present (par avion, poste restante etc) on Polish mail items since I can remember