A British P0 was opened in 1801 but dealt only with overseas mail and no internal deliveries were made outside Port of Spain until 1816. A local stamp, 'The Lady Macleod', was released in 1847 to prepay postage on letters carried by a Trinidad shipping company.

A postal system was proposed in 1847, but its introduction was delayed for four years because the British government anticipated it would run at a loss. In 1851, on the day of issue of stamps, POs for internal mail were opened at San Fernando and Port of Spain.

In 1887 Trinidad was linked with Tobago by vote of Parliament, and the stamps of Trinidad were used in Tobago until 1913, when stamps inscribed Trinidad and Tobago were issued.