Universal postal service to slow and prices to rise in fall
Letters sent through the universal postal service will be delivered within three business days. Until now, letters could arrive as soon as the next business day. The service will cost €2.10.
Domestic letter delivery prices will rise an average of six percent. Fees for international letters and parcels will increase an average of ten percent.
The content of the universal postal service will also change. The current insured‑item service will be replaced with an optional insurance add‑on that can be purchased for registered mail. Domestic parcels will no longer be part of the universal postal service and will instead be offered as a commercial service.
In addition to Eesti Post, several logistics companies provide this service, and prices are generally lower than the state‑regulated universal postal service rates. Parcels can still be sent and received at post offices, parcel machines or through courier service.
Sigrid Soomlais, deputy secretary general for regional development at the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, said the ministry wants to adjust the universal postal service to match changing user habits. The goal is also to ensure continued access across Estonia.
"People's daily communication has increasingly moved to digital channels, and the volume of letters sent has declined year after year. At the same time, the universal postal service must remain accessible to everyone nationwide. To do that, the service conditions and fees must be updated so they reflect the actual cost of providing the service as well as people's needs," Soomlais said.
A statement released by the ministry said one out of every three letters last year was sent in December. Nearly 98 percent of letters were sent using a service that assumes delivery within three business days.
In 2025, more than 560,000 letters were sent through the universal postal service, an 18‑percent drop from the previous year. Traditional postal service volume has fallen more than 75 percent over the past five years.
Soomlais said people will still be able to send letters to all regions of Estonia.
The Competition Authority submitted the proposal to change universal postal service fees after reviewing the service's cost and the impact of price changes on consumers. The main reasons for updating the price list are higher service‑delivery costs since the last price change, including fuel costs.
Eesti Post will inform customers when the new price list takes effect and provide a detailed schedule.
Eesti Post, which operates under the Omniva brand, is licensed to provide universal postal service as well as domestic and international letter and parcel delivery. The universal postal service provider is selected for five years through a public competition held by the Competition Authority. The current contract runs through 2029.
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Editor: Merilin Leetna, Argo Ideon
