PostNL has begun delivering standard letterbox mail within two days, describing the change as an important intermediate step toward a more sustainable postal service. Next-day delivery will remain available for those sending priority mail.
Maurice Unck, director of Mail NL at PostNL, said, “Where people in the Netherlands used to receive around three mail items per day, that number has now dropped to just three per week. From July 12, the mail deliverer will pass all streets in the Netherlands three days a week as standard. This better fits today’s mail volumes. To allow for this change, we have adjusted 20,000 schedules and spoken with all our mail colleagues about what this means for them. That we are able to implement this step across the entire Netherlands in one go is entirely thanks to the commitment and flexibility of our employees. That is a major achievement.”
PostNL is responsible for carrying out the universal service obligation (USO), the statutory obligation to ensure timely delivery of letterbox mail and maintain a nationwide network of postboxes and postal locations. Mail volumes have declined by 70% over the past 20 years and continue to fall, which, according to the company, means the statutory obligations are no longer aligned with market reality. PostNL recorded a loss of €35m (US$40m) on carrying out the USO in 2025, which it describes as a disproportionate financial burden.
Delivery within two days, with a quality standard of at least 90%, and later within three days, is described as a necessary first step, though PostNL said the USO would remain loss-making even with these adjustments, requiring further political decisions on the USO’s requirements and access conditions for postal operators.
The next step under consideration is introducing delivery within three delivery days, which would require abolishing Saturday as a statutory delivery day for standard mail, given it has the lowest mail volumes. Further political decisions, such as reducing the number of postboxes, are also said to be required.
Unck said, “We cannot afford to stand still while mail volumes continue to decline. Statutory obligations and associated costs need to align again with the reality of structurally declining mail volumes. Alternatively, a solution must be found for the costs PostNL incurs in carrying out this legally mandated, loss-making public task. It is up to policymakers to determine what safeguards are needed for the postal service of the future. If these decisions are not taken, uncertainty for thousands of postal workers will persist, and the postal service will remain financially unsustainable and not viable in the long term.”
In related news, PostNL to challenge €7m ACM fine over missed delivery targets