S.L. 254.1 Art. 21Disposal of undeliverable postal articles for delivery in Malta.

(1) This regulation applies to postal articles posted in

Malta for delivery to any place in Malta.

(2) An undeliverable postal article which bears a legible return address on the outside shall be returned unopened and appropriately endorsed to that address.

(3) An undeliverable postal article that does not bear a legible return address on the outside shall be opened by the universal service provider concerned and if the address of the sender can be ascertained, it shall then be returned to the sender under official cover:

Provided that if such postal article is found to contain paper money, coins or any other valuables, it shall be compulsorily registered at the expense of the sender before being so returned, and if the sender refuses to pay the postal charges due on that postal article the universal service provider concerned shall dispose of it as it may think fit, without prejudice to its right to claim from the sender those postal charges: Provided further that if, notwithstanding the opening of the postal article, the universal service provider concerned is unable to establish the address of the sender and the universal service provider concerned considers that the said postal article contains items of value or importance, then it shall record such items in the appropriate register and shall, unless claimed, keep such items for a period not exceeding one year from the day on which the postal article is so recorded and thereafter the universal service provider concerned may dispose of such items in any manner as it may consider appropriate.