Palau — Stamps & Postal Service

Postal Service Overview

Palau Postal Service is the Republic of Palau’s postal operator. Palau — an archipelago of about 340 islands in the western Pacific — was part of the US-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands before issuing its own stamps in 1983 during the Compact of Free Association negotiations. Full independence was achieved in 1994. Palau’s extraordinary marine environment — home to Jellyfish Lake (where millions of golden jellyfish migrate daily), dugongs, saltwater crocodiles, and some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs — makes it one of the Pacific’s most distinctive thematic collecting areas.

Notable Stamp Issues

Palau’s first stamps in 1983 depicted traditional bai (men’s meeting house) architecture and the Palauan landscape. Post-independence stamps from 1994 feature Palau’s spectacular marine environment. The Jellyfish Lake golden jellyfish stamps are among the Pacific’s most distinctive wildlife stamps. Dugong stamps from Palau are popular with marine mammal collectors. Palauan saltwater crocodile stamps (a species found in Palau’s northern lagoons) are distinctive Pacific reptile stamps. Traditional Palauan storyboard carving — a unique folk art — appears on cultural stamps. Palau’s WWII battle history (Battle of Peleliu, 1944) features on commemorative stamps.

Collecting Tips

Scott Pacific catalogue covers Palauan stamps. Pre-independence Palau stamps (1983–1994, USPS collaboration period) use US postal rates. Post-independence stamps (1994–present) are the mainstream Palauan collecting area. Jellyfish Lake stamps are popular with natural phenomenon and marine life collectors. Dugong stamps attract large marine mammal thematic collectors. The Peleliu WWII battle stamps are popular with Pacific military history collectors. Palau’s coral reef stamps rival any Pacific nation for marine thematic quality.

Part of the Oceania Postal Directory.