To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Resolution C15/2021 of the Universal Postal Union that stamps from the Chagos Islands must be issued by the government of Mauritius to be valid, what assessment they have made of the continued sale of British Indian Ocean Territory postage stamps.
Answered on
27 October 2021
We are disappointed by the Universal Postal Union's resolution C15/2021. The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Adoption of this resolution means that the Universal Postal Union will no longer register, distribute, or forward BIOT stamps issued by the Territory. However UK stamps continue to be used for the UK military postal service, accessible to UK military and civilian contractors.