This is a list of entities that have issued postage stamps at some point since stamps were introduced in 1840. The list includes any kind of governmental entity or officially approved organisation that has issued distinctive types of stamp . These include post offices in foreign countries and postal services organised by military occupations, international organisations, colonies, provinces, city-states and some revolutionary movements. The list includes members of the Universal Postal Union that are also listed at postal organisations.
Many of these entities are historic and some were very short-lived indeed. Philatelists and stamp collectors often refer to the entities that no longer issue stamps as dead countries.
The dates are the generally agreed-upon dates of first and last stamp issues. "Date of issue" is taken to mean the date when a particular type or variation was issued but its usage would often continue for many years. For example, although an entity may have issued its last stamp in 1951, actual usage may have continued until 1960: in that case, 1951 is the last stamp issue date.
Besides the period of which stamps were issued in the name of a particular entity, the list under that entity also bears any other name in which stamps had been issued for territory, name of any other entity which had had its stamps used in that territory, or new names which had subsequently replaced the name of that entity, together with their respective periods.
List The list has been comprehensively revised to include extra entities and to direct the links away from the country articles to the (proposed) philatelic articles.
Falkland Islands Falkland Islands 1878 –
Falkland Islands Dependencies Falkland Islands Dependencies 1946 –
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands (British Occupation during WWII) Faroe Islands 1975 –
Fiji Fiji 1870 –
Finland Finland 1856 – Åland Islands 1984 – Finnish Post Abroad Aunus (Finnish Occupation) 1919 only Eastern Karelia (Finnish Occupation) 1941–1944 Karjala 1922 (only)
Fiume Arbe 1920 only Fiume (Free State) 1918–1924 Fiume (Yugoslav Occupation) 1945–1947 Veglia 1920 only
France France 1849 – French Somali Coast 1902–1967 Guadeloupe 1884–1947 Martinique 1886–1947 Reunion 1885–1974 St Pierre et Miquelon 1885–1978
French Colonies Algeria (French Colony) 1924–1958 Benin (French Colony) 1892–1899 Chad (French Colony) 1922–1937 Dahomey 1899–1944; 1960–1975 Dakar – Abidjan 1959 only Djibouti (French Colony) 1893–1902 Fezzan and Ghadames 1943–1951 French Colonies 1859–1886 French Committee of National Liberation 1943–1945 French Congo 1891–1906 French Equatorial Africa (AEF) 1936–1958 French Guiana 1886–1947 French Guinea 1892–1944 French Indian Settlements 1892–1954 French Morocco 1914–1956 French Oceanic Settlements 1892–1956 French Polynesia 1958 – French Protectorate, Morocco 1914–1915 French Soudan 1894–1944 French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1955 – French Territory of Afars and Issas 1967–1977 French West Africa 1944–1959 Gabon (French Colony) 1886–1937 Inini 1932–1946 Ivory Coast (French Colony) 1892–1944 Mali Federation 1959–1960 Mauritania (French Colony) 1906–1944 Mayotte 1997– Middle Congo 1907–1937 New Caledonia 1860 – Niger (French Colony) 1921–1944 Obock 1892–1894 Oubangui – Chari 1922–1937 Oubangui – Chari – Tchad 1915–1922 Senegal (French Colony) 1887 – Senegambia and Niger 1903–1906 Tahiti 1882–1915 Togo (French Colony) 1921–1957 Upper Senegal and Niger 1906–1921 Upper Volta (French Colony) 1920–1933 Vietnam (French Colony) 1945–1954 Wallis and Futuna Islands 1920 –
French Post Offices Abroad French post offices abroad Alexandria (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Andorra (French Offices) 1931 – Arad (French Occupation) 1919 only Beirut (French Post Office) 1905 only Castelrosso (French Occupation) 1920–1921 China (French Post Offices) 1894–1922 Cilicia (French Occupation) 1918–1921 Crete (French Post Offices) 1902–1913 Dedeagatz (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Egypt (French Post Offices) 1899–1931 Ethiopia (French Post Offices) 1906–1908 French Volunteers against Bolshevism(French Post Offices) 1941–1944 Japan (French Post Offices) 1865–1880 Kavalla (French Post Office) 1893–1914 Klaipėda 1923 only Korce (Koritza) 1917–1919 Madagascar (French Post Offices) 1885–1896 Majunga (French Post Office) 1895 only Memel (French Administration) 1920–1923 Morocco (French Post Offices) 1862–1914 Port Lagos (French Post Office) 1893–1898 Port Said (French Post Office) 1899–1931 Syria (French Occupation) 1919–1924 Tangier (French Post Office) 1918–1942 Saar (French Administration) 1920–1935 Tientsin (French Post Office) 1903–1922 Vathy (French Post Offices) 1893–1914 Zanzibar (French Post Office) 1889–1904 French post offices in the Turkish Empire 1885–1923 Postage of the Free French Forces in the Levant 1942–1946
Gabon Gabon 1959 –
Gambia Gambia 1869 –
Georgia Georgia 1993 – Georgia (pre-Soviet) 1919–1923
German Colonies Caroline Islands (Karolinen) 1899–1914 German East Africa 1893–1916 German New Guinea 1898–1914 German Samoa 1900–1914 German South West Africa 1888–1915 German Togo 1897–1914 Kamerun 1897–1915 Kiautschou 1901–1914 Mariana Islands (Marianen) 1899–1914 Marshall Islands (German Colony) 1897–1916
German Post Abroad Albania (German Occupation) 1943–1944 Alsace (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Alsace-Lorraine 1870–1871 Belgium (German Occupation) 1914–1918 China (German Post Offices) 1898–1917 Dalmatia (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Dorpat (German Occupation) 1918 only Eastern Command Area 1916–1918 Estonia (German Occupation) 1941 only German Ninth Army Post 1918 only Postage of German Occupation Forces (WW1) 1914–1918 German Occupation Issues (World War II) 1939–1945 German post offices in the Turkish Empire 1884–1914 Laibach (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Latvia (German Occupation) 1941 only Lithuania (German Occupation) 1941 only Lorraine (German Occupation) 1940–1941 Luxembourg (German Occupation) 1940–1944 Macedonia (German Occupation) 1944 only Montenegro (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Morocco (German Post Offices) 1899–1917 Ostland 1941–1945 Poland (German Occupation WW1) 1915–1918 Poland (German Occupation World War II) 1939–1945 Romania (German Occupation) 1917–1918 Serbia (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Ukraine (German Occupation) 1941–1944 Western Command Area 1916–1918 Zante (German Occupation) 1943–1945 Zanzibar (German Postal Agency) 1890–1891
German States Baden 1851–1871 Bavaria 1849–1920 Bergedorf 1861–1867 Bremen 1855–1867 Brunswick 1852–1868 Hamburg 1859–1867 Foreign post offices in Hamburg (Danish) Hanover 1850–1866 Heligoland 1867–1890 Holstein 1850, 1864–1867 Lübeck 1859–1868 Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1856–1868 Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1864–1868 North German Confederation 1868–1871 Oldenburg 1852–1867 Prussia 1850–1867 Saxony 1850–1868 Schleswig 1864–1868 Schleswig-Holstein 1850–1868 Postage of Thurn and Taxis (Northern District) 1849–1866 Postage of Thurn and Taxis (Southern District) 1852–1867 Württemberg 1851–1924
Germany East Germany 1949–1991 Germany 1991 – Germany (Allied Occupation) 1945–1949 Imperial Germany 1872–1919 Third Reich 1933–1945 Weimar Republic 1919–1932 West Berlin 1948–1991 West Germany 1949–1991
Germany (Allied Occupation) American, British and Russian Zones 1946–1948 Anglo-American Zones (Civil Government) 1948–1949 Anglo-American Zones (Military Government) 1945–1946 Baden (French Zone) 1947–1949 Postage of Berlin-Brandenburg in the Russian Zone 1945 only French Zone (General Issues) 1945–1946 Postage of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Postage of North West Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Postage of the Rhineland-Palatinate in the French Zone 1947–1949 Russian Zone (General Issues) 1948–1949 Saar (French Zone) 1945–1947 Saxony (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Postage of South East Saxony in the Russian Zone 1945–1946 Thuringia (Russian Zone) 1945–1946 Württemberg (French Zone) 1947–1949
Ghana Ghana 1957 – Gold Coast 1875–1957
Gibraltar Gibraltar 1886 –
Gilbert and Ellice Islands Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1911–1975 Gilbert Islands 1976–1979 Kiribati 1979 – Tuvalu 1976 –
Greece Epirus 1914–1916 Greece 1861 – Ikaria 1912–1913 Samos 1912–1915
Greek Post Abroad Albania (Greek Occupation) 1940–1941 Dodecanese Islands (Greek Occupation) 1947 only Greek Post Offices in the Turkish Empire 1861–1881 Kavalla (Greek Occupation) 1913 only Khios 1913 only Lemnos 1912–1913 Lesbos 1912–1913
Greenland Greenland 1938 –
Grenada
Guatemala Guatemala 1871 –
Guinea Guinea 1959 –
Guinea–Bissau Guinea–Bissau 1974 –
Guyana Guyana 1966 –
Haiti Postage stamps and postal history of Haiti 1881 –
Honduras Honduras 1866 –
Hong Kong Hong Kong (British colony) 1862 – 1997 Hong Kong, China 1997 -
Hungary Hungary 1871 –
Iceland Iceland 1873 – 2020
India Postage stamps and postal history of India 1852 – Postage stamps and postal history of the Indian states
Indian Convention States Chamba 1886–1948 Faridkot 1879–1887 Gwalior 1885–1948 Jind 1874–1885 Nabha 1885–1948 Patiala 1884–1947
Indian Native States Alwar 1877 only Bamra 1888–1890 Barwani 1921–1938 Bhopal 1876–1949 Bhor 1879–1901 Bijawar 1935–1937 Bundi 1894–1948 Bussahir 1895–1896 Charkari 1894–1940 Cochin 1892–1949 Dhar 1897–1898 Dungarpur 1932–1948 Duttia 1893–1899 Hyderabad 1869–1948 Idar 1939–1950 Indore 1886–1950 Jaipur 1904–1948 Jammu and Kashmir 1866–1894 Jasdan 1942 only Jhalawar 1887–1900 Kishangarh 1899–1947 Las Bela 1897 only Morvi 1931–1948 Nandgaon 1892–1895 Nawanager 1877–1895 Orchha 1913–1939 Poonch 1876–1894 Rajasthan 1948–1950 Rajpipla 1880–1886 Scinde 1852–1854 Shahpura 1914–1920 Sirmoor 1879–1902 Soruth (Saurashtra) 1864–1949 Travancore 1888–1949 Travancore – Cochin 1949–1951 Wadhwan 1888–1892
Indian Overseas Forces China Expeditionary Force 1900–1923 Congo (Indian UN Force) 1962 only Gaza (Indian UN Force) 1965 only Indian Expeditionary Forces 1914–1922 Indo–China (Indian Forces) 1954–1968 Korea (Indian Custodian Forces) 1953 only Mosul (Indian Forces) 1919 only
Indo–China Annam (Indo–China) 1936 only Annam and Tongking 1888–1892 Cambodia 1951 – Cambodia (Indo–China) 1936 Cochin–China 1886–1889 Indo–China 1889–1949 Kampuchea 1980–1989 Khmer Republic 1971–1975 Laos 1951 – NFLSV (VietCong) 1963–1976 North Vietnam 1946–1976 South Vietnam 1955–1976 Vietnam 1976 –
Indo–Chinese Post in China Canton (Indo–Chinese Post Office) 1901–1922 China (Indo–Chinese Post Offices) 1900–1922 Hoi–Hao (Indo–Chinese Post Office) 1902–1922 Kouang–Tcheou 1898–1943 Mong–Tseu (Indo–Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Pakhoi (Indo–Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Tchongking (Indo – Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922 Yunnanfu (Indo–Chinese Post Office) 1903–1922
Indonesia Indonesia 1945 – Riau–Lingga Archipelago 1954–1965 West Irian 1963 – 1970 Philatelic items of 2018 Asian Games 2018
International Organisations Postage of the Council of Europe 1950 – Postage of the International Court of Justice 1934–1958 Postage of the International Education Office 1944–1960 Postage of the International Labour Office 1923–1960 Postage of the International Refugees Organisation 1950 only Postage of the International Telecommunication Union 1958–1960 League of Nations (Geneva) 1922–1944 UNESCO 1961–1981 United Nations (UN) 1951 – Universal Postal Union (UPU) 1957 – World Health Organisation 1948–1975 Postage of the World Intellectual Property Organisation 1982 only Postage of the World Meteorological Organisation 1956–1973
Ionian Islands Ionian Islands 1859–1864
Iran Iran 1935 – Persian Socialist Republic 1919-1921 Persia 1868–1935
Iraq Iraq 1923 – Mesopotamia 1917–1922
Ireland, Republic of Ireland 1922 –
Israel Israel 1948 –
Italian Colonies