PostNL to Switch to Two-Day Standard Letter Delivery from 12 July
Standard letter delivery in the Netherlands will slow from next-day to two days from 12 July, and to three days from July 2027.
PostNL announced today that from 12 July it will deliver standard letterbox post within two working days rather than the following day. The change, announced by Mail NL director Maurice Unck, follows a cabinet decision from December 2025 and marks the most significant change to the Dutch postal service in decades.
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What is changing and when
PostNL is currently legally required to deliver 95 percent of post that falls under the universal postal service within one day. The company has argued for years that this obligation is no longer sustainable given declining volumes and rising costs.
From 12 July, letterbox post will be delivered within two days as standard. Next-day delivery will remain available, but at a higher tariff. PostNL says the change will make postal delivery less vulnerable and better plannable. "Even though the number of letters is declining, everyone must be able to continue relying on postal delivery. At the same time we are dealing with ever higher costs for a service with ever less demand. With a little more room in the delivery window we can organise the work more efficiently," Unck said.
From 1 July 2027, the standard window will extend further to three days. A letter posted on a Monday could then arrive on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Post will still be delivered five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. Bereavement post and medical post are exempt and will continue to be delivered within 24 hours, six days a week.
Why the change is happening
The volume of letters and cards sent in the Netherlands has fallen by 54 percent since 2014. This puts pressure on both the reliability and affordability of the postal service. Research by the regulator ACM found that moving from one to two days alone is not sufficient to resolve the problem in the long run, but that a three-day window from 2027 would allow the postal service to remain affordable and reliable.
Minister Karremans of Economic Affairs said: "We send fewer and fewer letters and cards. At the same time, the Dutch value reliable and affordable postal delivery. The current rules do not match that, and doing nothing leads to further deterioration. I also cannot ask a company to carry out this task at a loss over the long term."
What it means in practice
In many neighbourhoods, the postal worker will come only three times per week rather than daily. Quiet days with low volumes will disappear, and post will be bundled and delivered on the days PostNL still covers a given area. Saturday delivery will continue everywhere. The change also has implications for postal workers, with some roles and schedules likely to shift as a result of the reorganisation.
How the Netherlands compares
Other countries have already moved to longer delivery windows. Germany's standard delivery time is now three to four days. Denmark has removed a fixed standard entirely. In Belgium, the cheapest standard delivery is already 72 hours, with next-day service available only at twice the price.
