Postage is set to rise significantly again – this is how much a letter could cost from January 1, 2027

Sending letters in Germany will most likely become more expensive than ever before. The Federal Network Agency published its plan in Bonn, according to which letter postage can increase by 20.35 percent by January 2027. It's about the "room for price increases" - this is the value by which Deutsche Post should be allowed to increase the price of the total volume of all letters and postcards forecast for the years 2027 and 2028.

In 2022, the average price premium was 4.6 percent; In 2025, the previous high of 10.48 percent was reached, which has now almost doubled with the new project. To date, the postal service has always made full use of the scope granted for price increases; She should do that this time too. Packages should also become noticeably more expensive.

It is not yet clear which type of letter will cost how much. The postal service will decide this later itself. If it were to apply the increase margin equally to every type of letter, sending a standard letter domestically from January would cost 1.14 euros.

The post office may also proceed in 5 cent increments; then it becomes 1.10 or 1.15 euros - and in a different type of letter then a little more or a little less than the average value allows. Currently, a standard letter weighing up to 20 grams costs 95 cents.

Since 2012, the postage of a standard letter would have roughly doubled; back then it was 55 cents. In addition to the standard letter, there are also the maxi letter, the large letter, postcards and other types of letters.

Compared to neighboring European countries, sending letters is still relatively cheap. In Austria the postage for a standard letter is one euro and in the Netherlands it is 1.40 euros. In France it is 1.52 euros - there it is already clear that the postage for a standard letter will rise to 1.67 euros at the turn of the year.

In the digital age, the volume of letters has been declining for a long time as companies and consumers rely more and more on emails and chat messages. While 16.9 billion letters were sent in Germany in 2005, in 2025 there were only just under 9.4 billion. The trend continues to decline. The costs for the post office, however, are increasing; it has to maintain a large number of mailboxes, branches and postmen.

In other EU countries the change is even clearer. The Dutch postal service reports a 70 percent decline in the volume of letters within 20 years. In Germany, the structural change in the postal industry was initially comparatively moderate, but that is gradually changing - more and more mail from authorities and companies is being converted to digital channels.