When was the last time you sent important correspondence – or any correspondence — by physical mail? Your answer may depend on where you live.
The role of postal services is changing. Denmark’s PostNord announced it will stop letter delivery on December 31, 2025. The demise of this service is due to the high price of postage, the full use of Digital Post and the e-Boks platform, and private options for the declining number of letters being sent by physical mail.
In Denmark, giving up paper post is viable and even preferred by most people. Denmark is nearly a paperless society, where each person born or relocated there is assigned a CPR (Central Person Register) number. Life tasks are managed through this number: opening a bank account, making a doctor’s appointment, enrolling children in school. Danish residents use the e-Boks platform for important correspondence with the government, for business contracts, and other secure communication.
On the plus side, people deal with less paper and can manage appointments, government services, and transactions quickly. Statistically tracking each individual’s digital touchpoints makes planning and budgeting very efficient. For example, a municipality knows exactly how many children will be enrolling in school and can plan for exact numbers of teachers and supplies.
One downside is that some elderly, disabled, and less tech-savvy individuals are challenged by the digital nature of daily life. Danish culture is one of trust in the government, which facilitates participation in these digital platforms, as does exceptional infrastructure security. Not all countries’ populations exhibit this level of public trust or are technologically literate enough to adopt this degree of digitalization.
Another example of digital post platforms is in Estonia, one of the world’s most advanced digital societies. e-Estonia enables citizens to interact with government services online as well as to manage their health and even vote. For nearly 15 years Estonian’s postal service has offered an electronic mail system that provides digital registered post.
Elsewhere, many countries’ national postal services struggle to stay economically viable. Germany’s Deutsche Post became a fully independent, private postal service in 2000, acquiring DHL two years later. After five centuries of Royal Mail in the UK, the postal system was privatized in 2015. Both have digital mail options.
Large countries like Canada and the U.S. face financial and logistical challenges related to a decrease in regular mail, an increase in package delivery, changing customer needs, and the cost of all this. Both countries are seeking solutions for a sustainable model.
Why does this matter for newcomers in a host country? Get to know your postal options before moving abroad. Prepare your home-based loved ones and friends, so they know the most effective way to send things. For example, if your friend mails a birthday card to your new Copenhagen address, it may take a very long time to arrive, and as of January 1, 2026, the sender needs to use a private delivery operator. And don’t plan to send physical Christmas cards in Denmark. An electronic greeting with perhaps a family update and picture has been the norm for some time.
Set your own expectations as well, for example if you will be ordering online and shipping packages. Understand whether packages will arrive at your doorstep or are instead delivered to a selected parcel locker or pick-up point for retrieval.
Written communication and packages are two more pieces of the puzzle that make up the picture of your life abroad. The knowledge to manage these and other aspects will help you settle in and navigate daily life with greater ease.
Living Abroad’s International Relocation Center covers postal services in its destination reports.
Written by Ellen Harris, GMS, Product Manager, Content Group
