The Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau was established on 1 January 1976, which was the day the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony was dissolved and Tuvalu was established with separate British dependency status. The
first postage stamp cancellation devices were put into use the same day. The first issue was a set of provisional overprinted definitive stamps and a commemorative set of three stamps. Tuvalu became fully independent within the
Commonwealth on 1 October 1978. The philatelic business activities are authorised by the
Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Ordinance (1982). Karl Tili was the first Tuvaluan general manager of the Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau from 1989 to 31 December 2011. In 2013, the Tuvalu government was proposing to merge the Bureau with the Tuvalu Post Office, which is regulated by the
Tuvalu Post Office Act 1977. The Tuvalu Post Office is not separately constituted and is a government department. == Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter ==