You won’t find a post office in Sweden, and you don’t need one. Stamps and parcel hand-in live at a counter inside a shop, a postcard costs the same to Berlin as to Brisbane, and the post got slower in June 2026.
When you need this
You have a stack of postcards and it’s your last few days. Or you’ve bought more than fits in your suitcase and want to ship a box home. Or you’ve searched a map for “post office” and found nothing that looks like one.
There are no post offices — look for a postal agent
The regulator, PTS (Post- och telestyrelsen), names PostNord as the operator designated to provide Sweden’s universal postal service. Other letter companies exist — PTS names Citymail as the biggest competitor — but for a stamped letter to anywhere in the country, PostNord is in practice the only actor.
What PostNord doesn’t have is post offices. Its counter service runs through about 2,000 postal agents (postombud), mostly inside grocery stores and other shops, plus about 400 points that only hand out parcels. At an agent you can:
- hand in a parcel
- buy stamps
- send registered mail and do other postal errands
Agents are open on average just over ten hours a day, seven days a week. Look for the operator’s sign on the shop door or at a counter near the checkout. Many convenience stores double as agents. The operator’s online locator finds the nearest agent and the nearest yellow post box, with its emptying time.
There are also more than 8,000 parcel lockers (paketboxar), open around the clock. They open through PostNord’s app, sometimes with mobile BankID, so they are mainly a tool for residents; receiving parcels covers them in depth.
Stamps and postage for postcards
Postage in Sweden is priced by weight, not by zone. PostNord’s 2026 price list gives one number for a postcard or letter up to 50 g going abroad, whether to a neighboring country or the other side of the world. International mail is marked Prioritaire.
| Where it goes | Up to 50 g |
|---|---|
| Within Sweden | domestic stamp rate |
| Any other country | international stamp rate |
The amounts are in the Practical information table below. What matters here: a domestic stamp alone does not cover a card abroad. If you underpay, PostNord normally forwards the letter and sends the sender an invoice for the missing postage plus a handling fee. With no sender address on it, the letter can be treated as undeliverable instead. So write your address on every card.
Two ways to buy postage:
- Paper stamps (frimärken) at any postal agent.
- A digital stamp in PostNord’s app or on postnord.se, paid by card, Swish or bank. You get a 12-character code to write by hand in the top right corner: capitals, black or blue ink. Digital stamps work for any letter within the EU, and outside the EU only when the letter holds documents; for postcards outside the EU, paper stamps are the safe choice.
The price of stamped letters up to 250 g is capped by law: yearly rises may not exceed inflation plus a factor for falling volumes.
Post is slower since June 2026
This is the change most pages haven’t caught up with. Until mid-June 2026, the postal ordinance required 95 percent of domestic letters to arrive within two working days. PostNord missed that target in 2025 (94.4 percent), partly after ending its mail flights in September 2025.
Since 16 June 2026 the standard is:
- at least 85 percent of domestic letters within three working days
- at least 97 percent within five working days
PostNord says the change lets it match delivery frequency to demand, since letter volumes have halved since 2018. Press reports describe a shift from every-other-day to roughly every-third-day delivery. Weekends and public holidays don’t count as working days, and international mail adds the destination country’s own handling on top. Posting postcards on your last day means they will almost certainly arrive after you do.
Sending a parcel
For anything bulkier than an envelope, buy shipping online or at an agent. Buying on postnord.se has two advantages: it guides you to the right service and customs form, and the receipt you get when handing the parcel in carries a tracking number. Parcel prices depend on size, weight, speed and destination, so check the operator’s quote rather than a figure from a blog.
Hand the parcel in at a postal agent. Registered international mail (Rek utrikes) is for documents only, not goods. And if you’re posting souvenirs because they won’t fit, consider whether you can claim VAT back instead by carrying tax-free purchases out of the EU yourself.
Customs forms outside the EU
A parcel to a country outside the EU — the UK included — needs a customs declaration:
| Value of contents | Form |
|---|---|
| Under 2,000 kr | CN22 |
| Over 2,000 kr | CN23 |
Write the contents and value in English. Swedish Customs (Tullverket) adds that the form needs a commodity code (varukod), and that what the destination accepts is decided by that country — its customs authority or embassy is the place to check. The online shipping tool provides the forms; attach yours with the address label.
Letters containing goods to the US or Puerto Rico must be bought through postnord.se, because a digital customs declaration is required.
Two things surprise senders. The recipient pays any import duty, VAT and fees, even for a gift. And customs days aren’t included in the delivery estimate, so a non-EU parcel can take noticeably longer than quoted. Customs may also open and inspect it.
What you cannot post
The sender is responsible for what’s in the package. Items that aren’t permitted are stopped by PostNord, or by customs when the parcel leaves the EU.
Batteries. Power banks count as loose batteries and may not be sent at all. Lithium batteries installed in equipment can go in a letter within strict cell and watt-hour limits, but Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, China, Laos, Madagascar and Germany accept no lithium batteries by post.
Never allowed: narcotics, weapons and weapon parts (except in the insured service), human remains, goods that need refrigeration, and animals (with narrow exceptions). Gas canisters and spray cans are dangerous goods. Valuables — gold, coins, banknotes, securities — go only by registered or insured mail.
Food and alcohol. PostNord names surströmming as an example of goods with international restrictions. Its general list doesn’t name alcohol, but the destination country’s import rules decide what gets through. Carrying bottles and food home in your luggage is usually simpler.
Step by step
- Decide letter or parcel. Cards and documents up to 2 kg go as letters; bulkier items as a parcel.
- Get postage at a postal agent, or as a digital code in the app or online.
- Apply enough postage — the international rate for anything leaving Sweden.
- Write a sender address on every item.
- For a parcel, buy shipping online or at an agent, with weight and size.
- Outside the EU, attach CN22 or CN23, in English, with a commodity code.
- Check the contents: no power banks, loose batteries, gas or sprays.
- Post it: letters in a yellow post box or at an agent, parcels at an agent.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designated postal operator | PostNord (licence conditions 1 Apr 2025 – 31 Mar 2027) |
| Where to go | Postal agent (postombud) inside a shop; no post offices |
| Postcard/letter within Sweden, up to 50 g | 22 kr (checked 2026-09-25) |
| Postcard/letter abroad, up to 50 g, any country | 44 kr (checked 2026-09-25) |
| Digital stamp | Same price; code written by hand; outside the EU documents only |
| Delivery standard since 16 June 2026 | 85% within 3 working days, 97% within 5 |
| Customs form outside the EU | CN22 under 2,000 kr, CN23 over |
| Import duty and VAT | Paid by the recipient |
| Never send | Power banks, loose lithium batteries, gas, sprays, weapons, narcotics |
| Parcel prices | Quoted online or at the agent by size, weight and destination |
FAQ
Are there post offices in Sweden?
No, not in the traditional sense. PostNord runs its counter service through about 2,000 postal agents, known as postombud, located mainly in grocery stores and other shops, where you hand in parcels and buy stamps. They are open on average just over ten hours a day, seven days a week. More than 8,000 parcel lockers complement them.
How much is a stamp for a postcard from Sweden?
In PostNord’s 2026 price list, a stamped letter or postcard up to 50 grams costs 44 kronor to any country outside Sweden, whether in Europe or further away, and 22 kronor within Sweden. International mail is marked Prioritaire. If you underpay, the card is normally forwarded and the sender is invoiced for the difference plus a fee.
Where can I buy stamps in Sweden?
At any postal agent, which sits inside a grocery store, kiosk or other shop and displays the operator’s sign. Alternatively, buy a digital stamp in PostNord’s app or on its website, paid by card, Swish or bank transfer; you get a 12-character code to write by hand in the top right corner of the envelope.
How long does mail from Sweden take?
Longer than it used to. Since 16 June 2026 the rule for domestic letters is that at least 85 percent arrive within three working days and 97 percent within five, replacing the old two-day standard. Weekends and public holidays do not count. International mail adds the destination country’s own handling time on top.
Do I need a customs form to send a parcel from Sweden to the UK?
Yes. The UK is outside the EU, so a parcel needs a customs declaration: CN22 when the contents are worth under 2,000 kronor, CN23 above that. Describe the contents and value in English and include a commodity code. The recipient pays any UK import charges, even on a gift.
Can I send a power bank or batteries by post from Sweden?
No for power banks: PostNord classifies them as loose batteries, which may not be sent. Lithium batteries installed in equipment are allowed in letters within strict limits, but Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, China, Laos, Madagascar and Germany accept no lithium batteries by post at all. The sender carries responsibility for the contents.
Can I mail alcohol or food from Sweden?
Check before you try. PostNord’s general list bans goods needing refrigeration and names surströmming as an example of international restrictions, while the destination country’s import rules decide what arrives; Swedish Customs points senders to that country’s customs authority or embassy. Carrying bottles and food home in your luggage is usually simpler.
Related guides
- Receiving parcels in Sweden — notices, pick-up, ID and parcel lockers
- Swedish convenience stores — many are the postal agent you’re looking for
- Shopping in Sweden — how the shops that host agents work
- VAT refund when you leave the EU — the alternative to posting purchases home
- Paying by card in Sweden — what works at the agent counter
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: PTS (the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority), the Postal Ordinance (2010:1049) on riksdagen.se, Tullverket (Swedish Customs), and PostNord as the designated operator — full register in this topic’s source file. Postage changes most Januaries; parcel prices are never published here. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.