Post Offices

Post offices

The Spanish post office "Correos" had long been known for its slow service, there has been  changes  since 2010  brought about by internet messaging with change in focus from letter to parcels and special services. Post offices are generally open from 8.30 am to 2 pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12pm.

"Poste Restante" letters and packets can be collected at the post office and should be addressed Lista de Correos, followed by the post code, town and province. Be careful to check that your letter hasn't been incorrectly filed under a first or middle name, as Spaniards have two surnames and a letter would be filed under the first. If you have to collect a registered or certified letter or package you will be asked to show some form of identification.

When posting a letter, look for a yellow post box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why "estancos" (tobacconists) sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages.

Post office "Giro" is a traditional way to send money within Spain, and it is delivered like a certified letter containing cash, to the recipient. There is an Express service and a Normal service. The charges for the service are reasonable.

Basic Letter or Postcard up to 20g stamps cost 0, 78 € for Spain, 1,65 € for EU and 1,75 or 2,10 € for  Worldwide. This is  for 'normalizadas' letters whose dimensions are minimum 14 by 9 cm and maximum 23.5 by 12cm with a maximum thickness of 5mm. 

Letters (Non normilazados) up to 50g stamps cost 0,88 € for Spain, 1,95 € for EU and 2,25 or 2,10 € for  Worldwide.

"Certificado" (certified) Letters to 20g where the delivery is registered costs 4,68 euros for Spain, 6.45 euros for EU and 6,55 or 6.90 for the rest of the world.

"Urgente" letters which was a special faster letter service has been discontinued.

Postal Express Nacional costs the equivalent of a courier letter of small package up to 1kg. This costs 7,87 euros for deliveries to the same province (e.g. Malaga) in Spain, 12,10 euros for deliveries to the same region (e.g. Andalucia) in Spain, 13,67 Euro for deliveries anywhere in the Spanish Peninsula and 14,50 euros for deliveries to the Canary Islands.

Burofax service which a fax is deliver to an address are popular with Layers in Spain and the contents are recorded and are accepted by courts are proof of notification. More about Burofax.

The full ist of 2023 prices can be downloaded.

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