Sending letters, cards and documents overseas
Prices, guidelines and estimated delivery times for sending letters, documents and postcards.
Sending letters, cards and documents overseas
Prices, guidelines and estimated delivery times for sending letters, documents and postcards.
Sending using Economy Letters
Standard Mail is what you might think of as ‘the post’. You can use Economy Letters to send any letters, cards, postcards or documents, as long as they:
- Contain paper based written or printed letters only.
- Weigh less than 200gms.
- Fit within the maximum dimensions of 260mm high x 385mm long x 20mm thick.
To send, you will need stamps, KiwiStamps or prepaid envelopes.
Please do not use Economy Letters for important or urgent documents. For these we recommend our Economy Courier, Courier, or Express services.
Find out about sending with our Courier and Express services
Economy Letters price guide
These prices are for stamps only and include GST. You must have your own envelope. You can purchase stamps and envelopes, and get Par Avion stickers, online or from your local NZ Post store.
Estimated delivery guidelines
Australia: 3-6 working days
Rest of the world: 6-13 working days
ECONOMY LETTERS
Aerogramme & Postcards
Australia & South Pacific $2.90
Rest of the world $2.90
Max size: 130mm x 235mm
Max weight: 10gm
ECONOMY LETTERS
Medium
Australia & South Pacific $4.00
Rest of the world $4.70
Max size: 130mm x 235mm
Max weight: 100gm
Envelopes sizes include: E9, DLE, DLEE, MaxPop, Cheque Mailer
ECONOMY LETTERS
Large
Australia & South Pacific $4.70
Rest of the world $5.50
Max size: 165mm x 235mm
Max weight: 200gm
Envelopes sizes include: C5
ECONOMY LETTERS
Oversize
Australia & South Pacific $5.50
Rest of the world $7.60
Max size: 260mm x 385mm
Max weight: 200gm
Envelopes sizes include: E35
How to post your letter, card or document using Economy Letters
At an NZ Post store
You can buy stamps, get Par Avion stickers and drop off your letters at your local NZ Post store.
From a mail box
If you already have stamps and Par Avion stickers, you can send your letter using a mail box.
Sending tracked, signed for and large letters and documents
If you are sending a large package of documents weighing over 200gm, larger than 260mm high x 385mm long x 10mm thick, or would like to track your letter or document or get the receiver to sign for it, you can send using Economy Tracked, Courier or Express services.
Sending tracked, signed for and large letters and documents
If you are sending a large package of documents weighing over 200gm, larger than 260mm high x 385mm long x 10mm thick, or would like to track your letter or document or get the receiver to sign for it, you can send using Economy Tracked, Courier or Express services.
Sending letters within New Zealand
If you’re looking for information about sending a letter within New Zealand, we have a range of options to suit your needs.
Help with sending
How to address mail
Check out our guidelines on how to address your items correctly so it reaches its destination on time, every time.
How postcodes work
Find out how postcodes work and view our Postcode Directory and maps.
Holidays that impact deliveries
See the public and regional holidays that can affect delivery times.
Delivery updates and delays
View the latest service updates that may receiving parcels and mail overseas.
Frequently asked questions
Post your mail in the Standard Mail slot at an NZ Post store or posting box. Find your nearest posting box using the Find NZ Post tool and filtering by 'Post a letter'.
KiwiStamps are non-denominated stamps, meaning they do not have a specific value (denomination) on them.
A KiwiStamp will always be worth the required postage to send a medium letter on the day it is used/mailed (currently $2.90). KiwiStamps purchased now can continue to be used in the future even if the required postage changes.
Yes. Stamps are valid postage on most* international items.
If you want to use denominated stamps to send your international mail items, that’s not a problem. Just make sure you’ve got the right postage amount and that the stamps are firmly fixed to your item.
If you want to use KiwiStamps, that’s fine too - but it's likely that you'll need to use a combination of KiwiStamps and other denominated stamps to make up the exact value of the required postage (as KiwiStamps are currently worth $2.90). Postage costs for sending items internationally are made up of various components such as weight, size and destination you're sending to. This is unlikely to equal the exact value of multiple KiwiStamps.
* There are some international items that you are unable to pay for using stamps. These include International Economy as well as the majority of our business services (which require the use of a PermitPost impression instead of a stamp). When paying for international parcel services with stamps, you are required to pay the GST on the component of postage that is paid for by stamps.