Postage rates in 2026
Deutsche Post rates have applied since 1 January 2025 and are approved until 31 December 2026.
🟢 Compact letter (Kompaktbrief, up to 50 g) ✉️ €1.10
🟢 Large letter (Großbrief, up to 500 g) ✉️ €1.80
🟢 Maxi letter (Maxibrief, up to 1000 g) ✉️ €2.90
🟢 Postcard (Postkarte) — €0.95, the same as a standard letter
🟢 Warensendung (goods post) up to 1000 g — €2.70, up to 2000 g — €3.55
🟢 There is no separate Büchersendung (book post) rate any more: since 1 July 2024 books have been sent as a Warensendung on the same terms
What has changed in the rates
Rates went up on 1 January 2025: a standard letter rose from €0.85 to €0.95 and a postcard from €0.70 to €0.95. Deutsche Post has fixed these prices for two years, until the end of 2026. The maximum size for a Warensendung is 35.3 × 25 × 5 cm.
What changes on 1 January 2027
From 1 January 2027, Deutsche Post is changing the formats for letters within Germany. Prices for 2027 have not been published yet (as of 2 October 2026). As soon as the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) approves them, we will update the tables on this page.
- Großbrief: up to 1’000 g and up to 3 cm thick (currently up to 500 g and 2 cm). Length and width stay the same: up to 35.3 × 25 cm.
- Maxibrief: up to 38.1 × 30.5 × 3 cm and up to 2’000 g (currently up to 35.3 × 25 × 5 cm and 1’000 g).
- The Maxibrief with a surcharge for large formats (length + width + height up to 90 cm) is being discontinued.
- Anything thicker than 3 cm can no longer be sent as a letter, only as a DHL Päckchen, DHL Paket or Warensendung (the Warensendung limit stays at 5 cm).
- Delivery times stay the same.
If you often send thick envelopes, such as documents in a folder or books, check the thickness in advance: from January, anything over 3 cm will no longer go as a letter. Deutsche Post plans to provide a new size template by the end of 2026.
From experience: how to send parcels more cheaply
Overall, I am satisfied with the service provided by the German postal system. And I consider the increase from 1 January 2025 (10 cents more for a letter, 25 cents more for a postcard) to be insignificant. Although I have, of course, had instances where sending a parcel within Germany cost more than the parcel itself.As with one of the other delivery services, I have opted to have parcels delivered only to pick-up points, since they only deliver to the door every other time.
The digital stamp in the Post & DHL app
In the Post & DHL app, you can purchase a digital stamp. Simply write the stamp code on the postcard or envelope using a pen. A printer is not required for this.
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With our recommendations, we want to help as many people as possible look after their finances. We fund our work through affiliate links. We mark these links with an asterisk (*).
