Cost of stamps and sending parcels going up in France
La Poste says stamp prices will increase by 7.4% on average in January 2026
The cost of sending a standard ‘green letter’ is set to increase by more than 9%
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France’s postal service La Poste has announced a further increase in the price of postage for letters and parcels, set to rise by an average of 7.4% on January 1, 2026.
La Poste detailed the planned price changes in a press release published on its website yesterday (July 28):
Green letter (lettre verte, normal post): €1.39 to €1.52
Service plus letter (services plus, letters with tracking): €3.15 to €3.47
International letter (lettre internationale up to 20g): €2.10 to €2.25
Registered letter (lettre recommandée up to 20g): €5.74 to €6.11
Red e-letter (e-lettre rouge, overnight post): €1.49 to €1.60.
Read also: What is the difference between a 'lettre suivie' and 'recommandée' in France?
The price of sending parcels using the Colissimo service will also rise by an average of 3.4%, regardless of the destination, whether in France or abroad.
These plans for increased costs come after postage rates increased by an average of 6.8% for sending a letter, and 5.2% for parcels at the start of 2025. This follows several years of gradual price rises.
Seven times faster than inflation claim
The increased stamp costs mean La Poste’s prices are rising some seven times faster than annual inflation estimates for 2025, which according to La Banque de France will be around 1%.
La Poste justifies the necessity of its decision to maintain the sustainability and quality of the ‘Universal Postal Service,’ wherein the company aims to deliver and collect six days a week throughout France.
The company loses some €500 million in revenue each year due to changing consumer habits and the move towards digitalisation, according to La Poste CEO Philippe Wahl.
Despite the increases, the group argues that consumers should not see an increase in their household budget. The average home is predicted to spend €28 on “postal products” (specifically letters and parcels) in 2025, with spending thought to fall by 6% in 2026 as people send much less physical mail.
Read also: What is a timbre fiscal in France and where can I buy one?
Print-at-home discounts
Customers using Mon Timbre en Ligne will benefit from discounts “based on the weight of their letter compared to the standard public rate,” says La Poste.
This would see a 20g ‘green letter’ cost €1.49 instead of €1.52.
Professional clients buying postage stamps for business use have access to even lower prices.
This online service allows users to print stamps at home on a sheet of A4 paper, which can then be cut out and stuck to letters or parcels. The stamps can also be personalised and printed individually or as a pack of 12.
Note that print-at-home stamps do have a use-by date on them, however all other stamps purchased in France remain valid regardless of price changes so long as they do not have a monetary value printed on them.
We will be looking into the available alternatives to La Poste for sending parcels in a future article. If you have feedback, good or bad, on this subject please let us know via feedback@connexionfrance.com
