Published on 8 April 2026

Postal Services

The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is the competence center for postal services within the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). In this position, the Office makes sure that the population benefits from postal services adapted to their evolving needs, including public service in the field of payment traffic.

The role of OFCOM

As the policy authority in the Swiss postal sector, OFCOM establishes framework for effective competition in the postal market and sets the regulatory requirements for an affordable  and modern universal service covering postal and payment services throughout Switzerland. OFCOM defines these universal offerings for postal services as well as payment transaction services and does so as the responsible Office within DETEC. The requirements are set out in the Postal Services Act.

Furthermore, OFCOM supervises the public service in the field of payment traffic and makes sure that the requirements regarding payments and accessibility are fulfilled. The Office is also responsible for the indirect support for print media. This includes deciding which newspapers and magazines meet the conditions to benefit from the annual federal contribution and handling the applications asking to receive delivery discounts.

Due to the importance of international coordination for ensuring a postal sector that fits the developing needs of the public, OFCOM actively participates in organisations concerned with international postal services, for example The European Committee for Postal Regulations (CERP), and assumes responsibilities relating to international agreements. In addition, it is also active in the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which is of significant importance in Switzerland, due to the country being its host state.

The Postal Services Ordinance is available in the following languages:

Evaluation: Report on the future organisation of universal postal and payment transaction services

Due to digitalisation, the postal and transaction market have changed tremendously, since the habits and needs of the population evolve and new services are developed accordingly. This also has an influence on the universal service obligations, as postal and payment transaction services are used differently and the amount of letters to be delivered has gone down.

Based on a report from DETEC, the Federal Council decided on 14 June 2024 that the universal postal and payment transaction services are to be modernised in order to make sure that the obligations remain relevant to the needs of the public and businesses in the future in a financially sustainable manner. Thus, universal postal and payment transaction services are to be expanded to include digital offerings. On 19 December 2025, it was announced that the approval of a partial revision of the Postal Services Ordinance meant that digital letters would become part of the universal postal service, while Swiss Post would be granted more flexibility in the delivery of letters and parcels.

More information on this topic is available in the following languages:

Universal postal services

OFCOM is one of the actors involved in creating a democratic digital society in which the Swiss population and economy benefit from universal postal services that evolve with their needs. To this end, it controls that the cost and quality of the postal services are adequate and that the services are available nationwide.

The universal postal services encompasses the delivery of letters, magazines, newspapers and packages as well as widely available access points in the form of a network of post offices and agencies. These have to be spread across the country so as to be attainable from reasonable distances everywhere in Switzerland. Regarding the delivery of the different types of mail, a minimum amount of them have to be supplied within a certain timeframe.

Public service in the field of payment traffic

Access to payment transactions such as paying-in, payout and transfers has to be guaranteed for the whole population. OFCOM ensures that this universal service is made available by Swiss Post in accordance with the law. To this end, PostFinance, who is responsible for carrying out this mandate, submits a report on the fulfilment of the universal service obligations for payment transactions once a year.

As part of its supervisory role, OFCOM examines whether the public service in the field of payment traffic has been fulfilled and to what extent the requirements regarding access to the cash payment system and a barrier-free access to electronic payment transactions have been met.

More information on this topic is available in the following languages:

Law on Postal Services

The Postal Services Act defines the universal postal and payment transaction services. It aims to ensure these universal services are accessible and affordable throughout Switzerland. This includes postal services such as the delivery of letters, parcels and daily newspapers nationally and internationally.

The law on postal services further establishes a framework for opening the postal market to competition and defines the roles of the different authorities involved in the postal market. This includes actors such as the Swiss Confederation as the owner of Swiss Post, OFCOM as the technical supervisor responsible for developing postal policy and PostCom as an independent regulatory authority overseeing the Swiss postal market.

More information on this topic is available in the following languages: