Post delivery target in the Netherlands to be extended from 24 hours to 3 days

Instead of the current 24 hours, post deliveries in the Netherlands will be allowed to take up to two days from 2026 and up to three days from 2027, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs has announced. 

Dutch post deliveries will be allowed to take up to 3 days

The Dutch government is granting PostNL permission to extend its mail delivery targets from 24 hours to three days. Previously, outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans extended the window from one to two days starting from 2026 and eventually three days from 2028 or 2029.

However, PostNL complained that delivering mail five days a week would not be possible in a cost-effective manner, even with the broader delivery window and threatened to cut deliveries to just two days a week. Now, Karremans has approved an amendment to the Postal Decree to allow the postal service to change delivery targets at an earlier date, keeping mail delivery at five days a week.

Condolence and medical mail will still be delivered within 24 hours, six days a week. "The current rules are outdated. Dutch people have started sending far fewer letters and cards,” said Karremans in a statement. “At the same time, we want a company to perform excellent postal delivery. I can't ask a company to carry out a government order at a loss in the long term. That's why regulations must keep pace with the times, and I'm relaxing the rules slightly to continue to guarantee reliable postal delivery." 

PostNL struggles with staff shortages and rising costs

PostNL previously requested the extension to three days themselves, claiming that the company is experiencing staff shortages and rising costs can no longer be covered under the government’s rules. Mail delivery has been deteriorating for years, with several residents complaining about late deliveries causing them to miss important government deadlines.

The Dutch postal service has requested financial support from the government on numerous occasions, the most recent of which was denied. The Administrative High Court for Trade and Industry (CBb) ruled that the government did not need to provide support at the time because PostNL’s financial situation was not dire enough for immediate action.