The cost of delivering letters and parcels in France is set to jump an average of 6.73 percent from January 1st, 2027, La Poste has announced, together with a six-month limit for home printed stamps.

The average increase hides a near-10 percent increase in the price of a standard “lettre verte” stamp – from €1.52 to €1.67 at the start of new year, a year after prices had risen 7.4 percent.

La Poste said that the price increase was needed to “ensure the long-term viability of the universal postal service while maintaining high quality”. 

Household spending on postal services, which amounts to “less than €27 per year on average,” is expected to decline by 8.7 percent by 2027 due to the drop in letter mail, according to La Poste. 

The group, which generated €34 billion in revenue in 2025 but has still accumulated €10 billion in debt, is facing a chronic decline in mail volume, which costs it “€500 million in revenue” each year, its new CEO Marie-Ange Debon said.

A parliamentary report published at the beginning of July, stated that the average person in France today sends five letters a year, compared to 65 letters as recently as 20 years ago, while its parcel business – in the face of stiff competition from the likes of Amazon and DHL – is not enough to offset the shortfall of its public service, universal delivery remit.

Among the increases scheduled for January 1st, 2027, the price of a 20g registered letter will rise from €6.11 to €6.47, while the price of a “Services Plus” letter (for sending important documents) will increase from €3.47 to €3.67. 

The rate for the e-Lettre Rouge (urgent shipments delivered the next day) will rise from €1.60 to €1.70, while the cost of an international letter weighing up to 20g will rise from €2.25 to €2.45. 

Customers of the online service for printing stamps at home (Mon Timbre en Ligne) will receive a €0.04 discount on stamps – so a Lettre Verte stamp will cost €1.63. 

However, from September 16th 2026, stamps printed at home will have a six-month shelf-life before they become obsolete.

Rates for Colissimo packages sent by individuals to metropolitan France and internationally will increase by an average of 4.1 percent. 

Conversely, parcel rates to overseas territories will fall 5 percent.