Post deliveries in the Netherlands could soon be cut to just two days a week, the CEO of PostNL has said, explaining that the five-day delivery model is outdated and unsustainable. 

Letters could soon be delivered just two days per week, says PostNL CEO

Herna Verhagen, PostNL’s CEO, told De Telegraaf this week that mail deliveries in the Netherlands could soon drop to just two days a week. Currently, letters are delivered five days a week, Monday to Friday. 

“We are now performing a public service of five days per week that no one is asking for,” she said. “It no longer fits.” The current legislation that governs postal deliveries in the Netherlands dates back to 2007, before smartphones and instant messaging apps like WhatsApp became commonplace. Verhagen said that this legislation needed to be redrafted to enable PostNL to adapt to modern needs. 

Dutch postal service expected to post a loss in 2025

The mail division of PostNL is expected to post a financial loss in 2025, something that has contributed to the share price of the company falling below the cost of an individual postage stamp. 

However, 1,6 billion letters are still posted every year in the Netherlands, and Verhagen said that physical mail wasn’t going to disappear from the country anytime soon. Countries like Denmark have, for instance, recently moved to end physical mail deliveries entirely. 

In the Netherlands, such a move is not on the cards, on the basis that many people still depend on physical mail deliveries. “The mail carrier will still come to the door, just less frequently,” Vergahen said. “That’s how we keep mail accessible to those who depend on it, in a way that fits modern demands.” 

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