The price of your letter depends on:

• the speed you desire (priority or non-priority delivery)
• the size and weight of your letter

Use our online tool to calculate the price of your letter quickly.

Look at the price table.

Your letter or card can have any shape or size, but if it's not the standardised dimension then you will have to pay a surcharge. A standardised letter or card is always rectangular with the following characteristics:

• Minimum 90 x 140 mm
• Maximum 125 x 235 mm
• Maximum 50 g
• Maximum 5 mm thick

bpost has stamps for shipments outside Belgium. There are stamps for Europe (Europe) and for the rest of the world (World). You can buy them at our Postal office and postal points and in our eShop.

You can calculate the price of your non-standardised letter on our website. Look at our table with prices.

Look in the General Terms and Conditions to see what you cannot send in a letter. When sending objects, it's best to use a reinforced envelope or send it as a parcel.

Just like with electronic addresses, one letter can affect the proper delivery. Validate your address to be sure that it is known at bpost. The photo below shows how to write the address of the addressee correctly. Don't forget to mention the name of the addressee (required) and to put your own address on the back of your letter (recommended but not required).

The number of stamps on your non-standardised letter depends on the weight of your letter. Look at the table on our website or calculate the price with the online tool.

To have your letter delivered tomorrow, use a Priority stamp and place it in a red mailbox (do that before the last collection) or drop off your letter in a Post Office before 16:00.

To write an address correctly, follow the international ISO standards. Write the address in English or in an official language of the destination country.

You wrote the return address on the envelope: the letter will be returned to you. You did not write a return address: the postman will ask the recipient to pay the shipping. Not in cash, but in the form of the missing stamp(s) on a yellow postage card. The recipient must mail that card. When bpost receives the postage card, your letter or card will be delivered to the recipient.

To send a letter abroad, you need an international stamp: Europe for European destinations and World for the rest of the world. Mail your letter in one of the red mailboxes or drop it off in a Post Office.

We cannot guarantee a period for international letters. bpost treats your letter as Priority mail, but the speed of delivery depends on the postal service in the destination country.

As soon as your letter is sent, you cannot change it. If you wrote a return address on the back, the letter will be returned to you.

Letter or parcel: a letter becomes a parcel if it exceeds at least one of the following dimensions:

• 230 mm in width
• 350 mm in length
• 30 mm in height
• 2 kg

The size determines whether your item is sent as a letter or a parcel. A letter becomes a parcel if it exceeds the following dimensions and weight:

• 230 mm in width
• 350 mm in length
• 30 mm in height
• 2 kg  

You can buy stamps and envelopes in the Post Office and mail your letter right away. Note: we do not sell stamps and envelopes per piece; they come in packs of 10. You can find pre-stamped envelopes, even in packs of 10, in the Post Office.

If your mail is urgent, choose a Priority stamp. That way your letter will arrive the next workday.

You can place your non-standardised letter in one of the many bpost mailboxes. If your envelope doesn't fit in the opening, drop it off in a Post Office.

You always attach stamps in the upper-right corner on the front of your envelope.

If you wrote your address on the back of the envelope, the undelivered letter will be sent back to you.

We deliver your non-standardised mail just as quickly as standardised letters.

The most common reasons for returning a letter are:

• The letter does not have a stamp.
• The letter does not have enough stamps.
• The letter contains an incorrect address.

The reason why your card or letter was retuned is written on the red sticker.

We automatically treat international mail as priority mail. But the final delivery period depends on the postal service in the destination country. bpost has no influence over this. To be sure that your letter or card is treated as priority mail abroad, attach an 'A PRIOR' stick-on label. You can get those labels for free in a Post Office.

It is forbidden to send money by both national and international mail. More information about things that you cannot send as a letter can be found in the General Terms and Conditions. Sometimes it's better to send objects in a reinforced envelope or as a parcel. Do you want to send an important letter? We recommend that you send it as Registered Mail (if desired with a Declared Value).

You can weigh your letter at home. Or you can have your letter weighed in a Post Office in your neighbourhood.

To be sure of the correct address, you can validate it online on the bpost website. You check if the address is known at bpost and if the person still lives there. If your addressee has moved, you will have to ask him/her for the new address. Note: if you got your letter back because the address was incorrect, use a new envelope and new stamps.

Registered mail is not faster than a regular delivery. To have your letter delivered tomorrow, use a Priority stamp and place it in a red mailbox (do that before the last collection) or drop off your letter in a Post Office before 16:00.

You can only take insurance if you send your letter as International Registered Mail. We advise you to use Registered Mail if you send valuable mail.

If we cannot deliver your letter and your address is on the back of the envelope, then the letter will be sent back to you.
Tip: always validate the address with our online tool.

You can no longer use the envelope and stamps if you got the letter back. You will have to send your letter in a new envelope with new stamps.

You can send your non-standardised letter as registered mail.

In principle, customs does not open any letters. But they do have the right to do that. For example, if your mail looks suspicious.

You will receive confirmation of receipt if you send your international mail as International Registered Mail.

bpost delivers during the weekend in certain cases. This depends on the type of shipment, the sender and the delivery address. Letters and registered mail are currently only delivered on weekdays. Some senders, such as certain web shops, have agreements with bpost to have their parcels delivered to home addresses on Saturdays and Sundays. It is therefore possible that your parcel will be delivered to your home during the weekend (on Saturday between 8:00 and 17:00, on Sunday between 9:00 and 19:00). For the time being, parcels will not be delivered directly to a Pick-up point or Parcel Locker on weekend days. These are delivered to the Pick-up point or Parcel Locker on Monday.  You can follow the status of your parcel via the My bpost app or Track & Trace.

Sending a death notice is the same price as sending a regular letter. Just like for a regular letter, you can choose to send your death notice as priority or non-priority mail.

• With priority delivery, your death notice is delivered the next workday in Belgium.
• With non-priority delivery, your death notice is delivered within 3 workdays in Belgium.

Consult the exact price via the 'Stamps & Letters' menu on our prices page. This page also lists the prices for death notices sent abroad (under International) You'll find special mourning stamps in our Post Offices and Post Points and in the eShop. These provide extra recognition when handling your death announcements.