The end of an era: PostNord stops delivering letters after 400 years

From January 1, 2026, letter delivery by the state-owned PostNord will cease.

This marks the end of more than 400 years of Danish postal history, when the last physical letter is delivered on December 30 this year.

In the future, the task of delivering letters to Danes will be taken over by the competitor Dansk Avis Omdeling – better known as dao.

Letters have become a rarity

The decision comes after a significant decline in the number of letters.

In the year 2000, Danes sent and received around 1.5 billion letters annually.

By 2024, that number had fallen to 110 million – a drop of more than 90 percent.

Digital mail has, in practice, taken over the role of letters, and this development has made it impossible for PostNord to continue letter delivery in its current form.

Red post boxes disappear

At the same time, the iconic red post boxes will disappear from the streets.

Instead, letters will in the future have to be dropped off in dao’s post boxes, which will be placed in parcel shops – typically kiosks and stores.

PostNord has chosen to sell and donate many of the classic post boxes, with the proceeds going to Danmarks Indsamling.

Cheaper – but different

According to information from both dao and PostNord, it will become cheaper to send letters in Denmark when dao takes over.

The price will still depend on weight and delivery speed.

Stamps will continue – but in a new form.

PostNord’s stamps will no longer be valid from 2026, and going forward, so-called letter labels must be purchased via dao’s app or website.

Major changes for employees

The closure also means significant changes for staff.

At PostNord, around 1,500 positions within the letter area disappeared during 2025, while dao expects to hire approximately 300 new delivery workers in connection with the takeover.

After more than four centuries with a single, unified postal service, Denmark is thus entering a new era of letter delivery.