An Post is increasing the cost of stamps from Tuesday, February 3, saying that the price hike is needed to “safeguard national delivery services” in the face of falling demand for its services.
The price of a national stamp is set to increase by 20c, from €1.65 to €1.85.
Additionally, a €3.50 stamp for letters to anywhere in Europe, including Britain, is being introduced, representing a price increase of 85c.
Meanwhile, a new Rest of World stamp priced €3.95 is required, according to An Post, to “stem significant losses on this category of outgoing mail due to a 38% fall in international letters over the last three years”.
“More than 50% of outgoing international mail is destined for Britain, Germany and France so An Post has introduced this new Europe and Britain €3.50 rate rather than apply the higher Rest of World €3.95 to this category,” An Post said in its announcement.
In the same statement about the impending increases, An Post said that rates for large envelopes, packets, over-the-counter parcels and registered post will also rise, as will rates for the national and international digital stamps.
The national delivery service said that the higher costs were calculated to cover the cost of the delivery service, while also taking account of wage increases for postal staff in line with national pay awards.
Letter volumes have declined by a further seven percent in the last 12 months, according to An Post, and by more than 50 percent over the past ten years.
“A similar rate of decline is forecast for 2026,” An Post said in its statement.
The price increase also enables An Post’s “commitment to sustainability,” the service said, adding that in late 2025, An Post achieved a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions and “recommitted to achieving net zero across the business by 2030”.
Managing Director of An Post Mails & Parcels, Garrett Bridgeman said that “An Post remains entirely self-financed”.
“Our quality of service is amongst the highest in Europe and we continue to innovate in the provision of vital services for the Irish economy and local communities.
“Increasingly, European countries have reduced letter delivery frequency to once or twice a week and now deliver to mail boxes outside the home or to central collection points.
“While An Post continues to design future generation mail services to suit customers’ needs, the company is committed to retaining the option of a next-day national service to the door, by trusted, trained postal staff in a growing fleet of emission free vehicles”, he said.
An Post clarified that all existing stamps with ‘N’ (National) and ‘W’ (Worldwide) or specific euro denominations remain valid and fully useable after February 3 this year.