How to send a parcel from your own letterbox in France

La Poste can pick up packages of up to 5kg from your home

Postal workers can pickup packages straight from your letterbox
Richard Henshell
Published Last updated

You can send packages of up to 5kg without going to a post office in France by organising pickup from your own letterbox. We look at how this works.

La Poste, the French postal service has modernised many of its traditional services that previously required a potentially tiresome visit to the post office.

You can now purchase digital, printable stamps on its website and send registered post from home. You can also send packages from your own letterbox via La Poste’s Colissimo service online.

How can I send a package without leaving my home?

  • Go to La Poste’s website and create your own account with your name and email address
  • On the page ‘Envoyez votre Colissimo en ligne’ select “Depuis votre boîte aux lettres” from the ‘Mode d'envoi’ drop-down menu
  • Enter the information requested about the parcel’s weight and destination

    • Note: the service costs between €4.29 for a 0.25kg package and €14.90 for a 5kg parcel sent within France.

  • Print off the label and stick it on your parcel
  • Put the parcel in your letterbox before 08:00 for collection the next morning (postal workers have a masterkey to access all regular postboxes)
  • Your postal worker will receive a notification that you have a parcel to be collected
  • If you paid for tracking, you can follow the delivery in real time. Colissimo can guarantee delivery within two days in mainland France

    • Packages that do not fit in your letterbox or weigh more than 5kg are not eligible for the service.

    Note: You cannot use the letterbox pickup service to send packages outside the EU.

    How can I send a package without going to the post office in France?

    La Poste, DHL, FedEx and Mondial Relay all let you send packages via their pickup points.

    Under this system you print the label at home and take the package to a convenient pickup point, which are often found in tabacs.

    These companies also offer package pickup from self-service lockers, which can be found in most towns.

    Read more:

    What is the best way to send a small parcel from France to the UK?

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