Ministry proposes updates to postal service quality requirements and pricing

22.07.2026

The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has submitted for approval a draft regulation proposing changes to the delivery standards and pricing of domestic letters under the universal postal service.

The most significant change concerns delivery times. The current next-working-day letter service will be discontinued. Going forward, letters sent under the universal postal service can be delivered in two ways: through the faster service, which guarantees delivery within three working days at the latest, with the price increasing from EUR 1.80 to EUR 2.10, or through a new five-working-day service priced at EUR 1.80. Overall, the price of domestic letter delivery will increase by an average of 6 percent, while fees for sending international letters and postal parcels will rise by an average of 10 percent.

The postal service price increase is necessary, among other reasons, because fuel prices have risen significantly in recent years, and fuel costs account for a substantial share of overall delivery expenses.

Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras said the amendment is intended to better align the price of the service with its actual costs. “Communication between people is increasingly taking place through other channels, and letter writing has become a service with more emotional value. Today, letters are often sent on special occasions, such as Christmas greetings or other celebrations,” the minister said.

This trend is also reflected in the statistics. Last year, every third letter was sent in December. In total, more than 560,000 letters were sent under the universal postal service in 2025, 18 percent fewer than the year before. The volume of traditional postal services has declined by more than 75 percent over the past five years. As volumes continue to decrease, the cost of delivering each individual letter increases.

“The overall volume of letter mail continues to decline, while the cost of providing the service keeps increasing. Our goal is to keep letter delivery affordable in every corner of Estonia. To ensure the service remains available across the country for those who continue to rely on it, the service requirements need to reflect today’s actual societal needs,” the minister added.

Urgent and time-sensitive shipments can still be sent using express mail services offered by Eesti Post and other logistics companies alongside the universal postal service. Likewise, much of the correspondence with public authorities and private service providers, particularly document delivery, is handled outside the universal postal service through separate business mail services.

The proposed regulation is based on an analysis by the Competition Authority, which assessed the cost of providing the service and the impact of the proposed price increase on consumers. The price adjustment is primarily driven by the significant rise in fuel costs since the last increase.

If the regulation is adopted, it will enter into force on the third day after its publication in the State Gazette. Eesti Post will then inform customers about the implementation of the new price list and the exact timeline.

Eesti Post, operating under the Omniva brand, is licensed to provide the universal postal service as well as domestic and international letter and parcel delivery services. The universal postal service provider is selected through a public tender organised by the Competition Authority for a five-year term. The current contract is valid until 2029.

The most important changes: