The Hague, 2 April 2026 – In just over one hundred days, PostNL will deliver consumer mail in the Netherlands as standard within two days. This is a necessary step to keep mail accessible and reliable for everyone in the Netherlands who sends and receives mail. This change will be carefully prepared over the coming months together with thousands of employees. There will also remain an option to have mail delivered the next day.
From 12 July 2026, consumer mail will as standard be delivered within two days, instead of the next day. The adjustment of the delivery period aligns with changes in the use of mail: Dutch people are sending fewer cards and letters, and for fast communication, they increasingly choose digital alternatives. At the same time, in 2025, more than 1.5 billion mail items were still sent per year. This shows that, alongside digital means, mail remains a valuable way for people, businesses, and social organizations to communicate with each other.
Maurice Unck, Director Mail NL: “Mail remains important for our society: for personal messages, important documents, and communication between organizations and their customers. Even though the number of letters is decreasing, everyone must be able to continue to rely on mail delivery. At the same time, we are facing ever-increasing costs for a service that is in decreasing demand. With a little more flexibility in the delivery period, we can organize the work more efficiently. It is a necessary step to maintain high quality and keep mail affordable.”
Our people play a crucial role in mail delivery. This change has consequences for our deliverers and employees who prepare and sort the mail. In the coming months, PostNL will, among other things, adjust approximately 20,000 schedules and change nearly a quarter of the delivery routes. Unck explains: “As a postal company, we have been adapting to the declining volume of mail for some time. But this major adjustment requires a significant shift for our organization and our people. That is precisely why we are choosing a careful approach. We will speak individually with all 20,000 postal colleagues to discuss together what the change means for them. We expect that there will remain sufficient work for our employees. However, locations and working hours may change. We have made agreements with trade unions on how we will do this together with our employees and ensure appropriate solutions." Parcel deliverers will also be affected by the changes. From 12 July, they will funeral notices and other priority mail daily.
In many other countries, the standard delivery period has already been adjusted to within two, three, or four days. This adjustment also makes mail delivery in the Netherlands less vulnerable and more predictable, even during busy periods or unforeseen situations. Those who want mail delivered the next day can continue to use a faster delivery option at a higher rate. Even with these changes, PostNL will continue to pay special attention to funeral notices and medical mail: these will be delivered six days a week within 24 hours, also at a higher rate. We are preparing the change for 12 July carefully and will closely monitor the implementation. Based on signals from operations, postal deliverers, and customers, we will keep track of developments so that we can make adjustments immediately if necessary.
The switch to delivery within two days is an intermediate step. Later, the step to delivery within three delivery days will follow. That transition will also be carefully prepared with attention to employees, customers, and society.
How people use mail is changing and will continue to change. It is important that postal services keep pace with these developments and meet what people will need in the future. For this, a Postal Act is needed that provides the flexibility to respond in time to changing needs and what is practically feasible. This requires clear political choices. In this way, mail delivery remains accessible and reliable for everyone who sends and receives mail, with continued attention for our people.
