The mailbox makes the rounds through the neighborhood

Sometimes, just a few extra words in a piece of legislation are enough to overturn the status quo. That’s exactly what’s happening now at Swiss Post, where a minor revision to the Postal Act could have a major impact. The very idea of having your own mailbox on your front doorstep is suddenly up for debate. What may seem like a minor detail is actually part of a larger overhaul of Switzerland’s universal service.

Federal Councilor Albert Rösti and his colleagues have expanded the scope of Article 10 as part of the revision of the Postal Services Act. Under the new provisions, the Federal Council will be authorized to issue regulations not only for individual mailboxes but also for entire mailbox systems located at building entrances, driveways, or central locations within a development. This would theoretically allow for a single system serving an entire neighborhood, as confirmed by OFCOM spokesperson Silvia Canova.

Security and the Environment as Selling Points
The federal government justifies the move with tangible benefits. Ordered goods are safer at a central location while no one is home, and consolidated delivery reduces traffic and noise in neighborhoods. According to Canova, the impetus for this change originally came from the cities themselves.

Part of a Larger Overhaul of the Postal Service
The mailbox issue is just one component of a more comprehensive reform. On June 24, 2026, the Federal Council opened the consultation period for the partial revision of the Postal Act, which runs through October 15, 2026. The goal is to establish a mechanism that flexibly adapts the universal service to the ongoing decline in mail volume and enshrines the hybrid delivery system in law.

Swiss Post Gains More Leeway as Demand Declines
The direction of this trend has been apparent for some time. As early as August 2025, Rösti announced that Swiss Post would have to adjust its services to declining demand starting in 2030; in extreme cases, delivery could be reduced from five to three weekdays.For individual remote homes that are not part of a settlement, the delivery obligation has already been waived; this affects approximately 60,000 households.

The Digital Letter as a New Pillar
In parallel with these physical adjustments, the federal government is expanding digital delivery. In December 2025, the Federal Council approved a partial revision of the Postal Services Ordinance that integrates the digital letter into the universal service; starting in April 2026, a reduced delivery rate of 90 percent will also apply to letters and packages. According to the plan, anyone who does not wish to receive digital mail will continue to have their letters printed and delivered in paper form.

Swiss Post remains cautious; the consultation process will have the final say
Despite the far-reaching plans, Swiss Postitself is keeping a low profile and points to the legislature, which must determine the specific details of the delivery points. Whether the relaxation of mailbox requirements will actually go through will likely only become clear at the end of the public comment period on October 15. According to Bakom, the only certainty is that Swiss Post remains obligated to provide door-to-door delivery; the real question is simply how many meters away from one’s own home this delivery point will be in the future.