What is meant by the postal universal service?

A fundamental right of access to postal services

The postal universal service aims to ensure that every person, regardless of where they live, can:

• Send and receive letters up to 2 kg and parcels up to 10 kg (and up to 20 kg for parcels received from other European Union Member States),
• Benefit from mail delivery at least five days a week,
• Have access to a network of postal access points (post offices, letter boxes and drop-off points) distributed in a balanced manner across the territory.

These obligations are intended to guarantee continuity of postal services and equal access for all users, including those living in rural or economically less profitable areas.

A mission entrusted to a designated operator

In Belgium, the postal universal service obligation is entrusted to bpost (until 2028), which has been designated by the State as the operator responsible for providing these services in accordance with quality criteria laid down by law.

The company must therefore comply with specific standards relating to:

• Delivery times (including, among others, priority mail, which must be delivered on the working day following dispatch),
• Geographic coverage,
• Affordable and transparent tariffs.

The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT – www.ibpt.be) is the public authority responsible for ensuring that these commitments are respected, while also allowing other operators to offer complementary or competing postal services.

The role of the ombudsman

The postal ombudsman service was established by the Act of 21 March 1991 reforming certain public economic enterprises. Initially, the ombudsman could be contacted by any user experiencing a problem related to services provided by bpost, whether concerning universal postal services (delay, loss, misdelivery, etc.) or commercial services such as Taxipost or financial postal services.

Since February 2007, the competences of the postal ombudsman have been extended to all companies active on the Belgian postal market. The service is therefore no longer limited to disputes involving bpost (formerly La Poste), but also covers cases involving operators such as DPD, Mondial Relay, UPS, PostNL, GLS, Colis Privé, FedEx, and others.

Where a user does not obtain a satisfactory response from the postal operator, the Postal Mediation Service, which is independent and free of charge, may be contacted in order to seek an equitable solution between the parties.

Find out more about the mediation procedure: https://www.ombudsmanposte.be/en/about-us/our-process/rules-of-procedure/