I sent a letter to Canada a couple of days ago, I had to sign a declaration inc my name address and postcde and description of contents. When Asked why ? I was told Royal Mail were suffering scams, fraud and theft and had tightened requirements.
Viva la Brexit!
We just received a letter which included tourist brochures relating to our upcoming trip. The sender had to complete such a declaration and gave a nominal value of £1. The result was a customs clearance charge of €2.25.
To make matters worse we weren't at home when the post arrived so it meant a trip to the post office the next day and a half hour wait whilst all available counters were occupied by customers with non postal issues.
The Italian Post Office is now more involved in banking, mobile phone, insurance, energy, and other services than it is in postal service 😡
) 
