Dealing with a Czech Post office
Czech Post is a state-funded postal company of the Czech Republic. It primarily serves the Czech Republic but also delivers abroad. Among the various services the CP provides, the most important ones are posting and delivery of letters and parcels.
Posting and delivery of a letter
When sending a letter, you have several options. Mostly you will do with either an ordinary mail (obyčejný dopis) or registered mail (doporučený dopis). As the name suggests, ordinary letters do not require anything else than a stamp. You can then hand them in at the nearest post office or post box. With registered letters, though, you will have to fill in a submission form (podací lístek), which you then submit together with the letter at the post office. After handing in the letter you will get the submission form back with a stamp on it proving that the letter has been sent. The registered mail is used mainly when communicating with authorities or when you need a proof of having sent a letter.
You can also fill in the submission form online, print it and take it with you to the post office. The link is here: podacilistek.cz. The form is in Czech, but all you need to fill in is:
- odesílatel (i.e. your name and address)
- adresát (the addressee) – their address will be considered enough, but you can also add their phone number and email.
Everything else will be filled in by the post office. The submission form is the same for sending parcels, as well.
Aside from ordinary and registered mail you can send a business letter (obchodní psaní, comes in handy when sending letters in bulk), insured letter (cenné psaní, used for sending valuables), EMS (express mail service; next day delivery guaranteed to arrive no later than at 2 pm), and ordinary and registered mail for the blind (obyčejná a doporučená slepecká zásilka). All these can be used for both within the Czech Republic and abroad.
Delivery of a letter depends on the type of letter. Ordinary letters are usually dropped in your postbox whilst registered letters and insured letters must be handed over in person. If you are not at home at the time of the delivery you will find a notice in your postbox. With that notice, you need to go to a specific post office (you will find the address of the office on the notice) and pick your letter up. If you lose the notice, you can instead show your ID which has to bear the same address as the one on the letter. You can even send someone else to pick up your letter, as long as they have an authenticated power of attorney or a special recipient card. The recipient card enables the authorised person to accept consignments and money order amounts on behalf of the addressee (the only exception being when the letter is to be delivered to the addressee only). You can apply for the card at any post office or online.
Posting and delivery of a parcel
Similarly to a letter, you have several options when posting a parcel. You can choose between an ordinary and registered parcel (used for sending smaller items), EMS, insured parcel, oversized parcel, delivery to the post office, delivery to hand, and express delivery (guaranteed same-day delivery if posted before 10 am in all regional capitals or between regional capitals and Prague).
It is important to pack the parcel correctly to prevent any damage. You can buy cardboard boxes and bubble wraps at any post office.
The Czech Post also provides tracking applications and contacts on all post offices.
For more information, visit the Czech Post website.
The website is available in English, as well: ceskaposta.cz/en. You can search for the details there. Don’t hesitate to send us an inquiry if the website does not answer your questions.
