Postal services

Opening hours & locations

Opening hours of the Dutch post offices may vary but are generally Monday - Friday between 9am to 5pm and Saturday morning until noon. You will find many postal desks inside tobacconists or supermarkts that will have the same opening hours as the shop itself.

Entering your post code on the Post Office websitewill tell you where your nearest office is located.

Services provided

The major postal company is called TPG, although you might also get deliveries from several other companies.

When sending letters outside Europe there are two options: Priority or Standard. Priority replaces the old airmail system and offers the fastest service. You will get a Priority sticker when you buy the stamps. It costs only a little bit more than Standard mail.
Within Europe, all letters automatically go Priority except printed matter and parcels, which can be sent Standard at your choice.

If you expect a parcel and you are not home for delivery, the postman will leave you a note as to what has been done with it. Perhaps you can collect it from the house next door, or you will find that you can expect it the next day. If the postman has tried twice and still did not find anybody at home, the parcel will be returned to the post office where you can collect it as of the next working day.

Mailboxes are coloured red and are available at all post offices and in many other areas of towns and villages. They are emptied daily. A sign indicates the next collection (buslichting) time. Usually this is at 6pm every day except Saturday. Most mailboxes have two slots: One for the local mail (as indicated by postcode), one for all other destinations, including international (overige bestemmingen).