Code of Ethics for Postage Stamps Security Printers

Printable version of the document including enclosures in Word and PDF format  

Do not hesitate to contact us for any further information (securityprinters@intergraf.eu; tel: +32 2 230 86 46; fax: +32 2 231 14 64).

The principle of admitting the postage stamp security printers as a new constituent partner of the WADP, the World Association for the Development of Philately, an Industry Group within the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was endorsed by the WADP General Assembly of Salamanca of November 2002. Postage stamp security printers play an important role in the stamp production chain. Their co-operation with the WADP is therefore both valuable and desirable. As stamp security printers are normally eligible to be the members of the organisation Intergraf (International Confederation for Printing and Allied Industries), it is Intergraf which becomes the new WADP member. Consequently, the WADP General Assembly of Lisbon (26 September 2003) welcomed Intergraf as a new constituent partner of the WADP through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Universal Postal Union.
 

The WADP Assembly of Salamanca also recommended that a CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS be established. Indeed, due to the high number of illegal and abusive issues of postage stamps being printed, distributed and sold by stamp dealers and printers of an unreliable and doubtful reputation, the philatelic industry has recognised that such a CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS is required.
 

The postage stamp security printers world-wide who want to be recognised as such will be required to agree to this CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS.
 

The Universal Postal Union and the WADP Secretariat will make the list of signatories of the CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS known to all the Postal Administrations, members of the UPU, which will be tendering the printing of their Postage Stamps.
 

Intergraf shall investigate, with the support of the WADP, the eligibility of the companies as well as of the managers who are willing to sign the "CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS".
 

All the signatories of the "CODE of ETHICS for POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTERS" commit, within a period of six months after the signing of this CODE, to apply for certification as a Security Printer implementing a Secure Management System following the requirements of the CWA 14641:2006.
 

It will be recommended to all Postal Administrations of the member countries of the UPU, which will have contracted out the printing of their Postage Stamps to a third person or a company, that they stipulate in that contract that the stamps will be printed by a postage stamp security printer which will have registered with Intergraf and that they be informed at all times of all the processes undertaken.

Procedure

In order to be a signatory of the "Code of Ethics for the Postage Stamps Security Printers", you need to send this document signed on each page by an authorised representative of your company to:

INTERGRAF – International Confederation
for Printing and Allied Industries a.i.s.b.l.
Place E. Flagey 7, bte 8
BE –1050 Brussels

On receipt of the signed document , Intergraf will

• Submit your application to a screening committee composed of representatives of Intergraf and UPU, who will decide on the acceptance of your application and
• Invoice you an administrative fee of € 100.

On receipt of the € 100 administrative fee and of the positive result of the screening, Intergraf will publish the details of your company on its website on the page dedicated to the signatories of "Code of Ethics for the Postage Stamps Security Printers".
 

Your company will remain on this website for a period a 6 months during which you will have to apply for the CWA 14641:2006. If you fail to do so, your company will be removed from this website until the application has reached Intergraf.
 

After your application for the CWA 14641:2006 you will have 6 months to obtain the certification. During this period your company will stay advertised on the dedicated page of the website. If your company is not certified against the CWA 14641:2006 after a period of one year starting with the date of the first publication as a signatory of the "Code of Ethics for the Postage Stamps Security Printers", it will be removed from the website.
As long as your company remains certified against the CWA 14641:2006 and as long as it is not acting against the rules of the "Code of Ethics for the Postage Stamps Security Printers", it will remain advertised on the dedicated page of the Intergraf website.

BASIC INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED BY THE OFFICIAL UPU POSTAL AUTHORITY PROCEEDING TO GIVE A PRINTING ORDER TO ANY POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTER.

In order to avoid any misunderstanding after the contract will have been awarded to a postage stamp security printer who will have registered with Intergraf; it is recommended that the POSTAL AUTHORITIES ensure that the following points are clearly spelled out in this contract:

• The exact description, denomination and value of each stamp of the issue concerned.
• The date of issue of each stamp.
• The quantity of each stamp per face value to be printed in total and delivered to the postal administration.
• The procedures to be followed for the return and destruction of all materials and waste materials used for the preparation and printing of the said stamps.
• The delivery address.
• The fact that the stamps will be registered by the UPU.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRINTING ORDER BY THE POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTER.

The postage stamp security printers known as such and registered with Intergraf can only accept orders to print Postage Stamps when the following conditions are fulfilled: 

• Printing order or tender documents issued by any POSTAL AUTHORITY of a UPU member country, registered as such by UPU.
• The registered Postage Stamp Security Printer can proceed immediately.
• In the event that the registered Postage Stamp Security Printer receives a printing order or tender documents issued by a third person or organisation not belonging to an official POSTAL AUTHORITY

Some POSTAL AUTHORITIES may be dealing with contractors or AGENTS who have been mandated to ensure the printing and delivery of the postage stamps on behalf of the Postal Authorities.

In this case, the printer shall only accept the printing order when the contractor or the AGENT can submit the following documents to accompany the order form:

• A document issued by the official POSTAL AUTHORITY of a UPU member country, stating Mr., Mrs X or Company X has been mandated to ensure the printing and supply of postage stamps to that POSTAL AUTHORITY. In that same document it shall be specified exactly for which stamps and issues, for which quantity of stamps to be printed and during which time frame the POSTAL AUTHORITY has mandated Mr. X, Mrs. X or Company X to represent its interests.
• The same document or a separate document shall mention all the details stipulated in the basic information to be provided by the POSTAL AUTHORITY. Those separate documents can be consecutive order forms if the first document 2.1 concludes a cooperation for a specified term.

FULFILLMENT OF THE PRINTING JOB
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All printers wanting to be registered as a POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTER with Intergraf have to apply for this status and provide the following Information to Intergraf:

NAME OF THE POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTING COMPANY:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
FULL ADRESS:
……………………………………………………………………………………........................
Tel and fax:   .........................................................................................................................................................
E-mail: ............................................................................................................................................
Web-site: .......................................................................................................................................
CONTACT PERSON AND POSITION IN THE COMPANY:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Tel. fax and e-mail: ..............................................................................................................................................

Information to be supplied:

If the POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTER has implemented a Security Management System awarded by the national printers’ organisation of his country, he has to provide a copy of the certificate.

If the POSTAGE STAMP SECURITY PRINTER has no SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM awarded by the national printer’s organisation of his country he has to declare which measures the company has implemented to prevent thefts, misuse and counterfeit. References have to be provided.

With the delivery of the printed Postage stamps, the Postage Stamp Security Printer has to submit an official report to the POSTAL AUTHORTY, in addition to the agent, about the fulfilment of the order.

This report has to be signed by two persons, the printing works manager and the accounting manager of the printing department. (Enclosure 1)

An official report about the waste destruction shall be submitted directly to the POSTAL AUTHORITY. This report shall be signed by the same persons who will have signed the previous official report about the fulfilment accompanied by the signature of an internal or external auditor identified as such on the official report. (Enclosure 2).

Both reports are to be sent to the POSTAL AUTHORITY and to the AGENT if applicable.

Declaration to be signed:

We declare that our company will apply for a Secure Management System following the requirements of CWA 14641:2006 in order to be recognised as a Certified Postage Stamp Security Printer.

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