Overview
- The Bundesnetzagentur has received 629 applications to recognize Poststationen as official branches, approving 72 so far and noting four withdrawals with the rest under review.
- If all pending applications are cleared, automated sites would account for roughly five percent of Deutsche Post’s about 12,600‑location branch network.
- State tallies highlighted in new reports include 17 approvals in North Rhine-Westphalia, six in Hesse, five in Rhineland-Palatinate, three in Saxony-Anhalt, and two in Thuringia.
- Automated Poststationen offer 24/7 parcel drop-off and collection, stamp purchases, letter deposit and video consultation, and they are mainly deployed in rural and suburban areas.
- The regulator recorded 160 mandated locations without a branch at the end of September, and Deutsche Post says it has solutions for about half while municipalities and social advocates raise accessibility concerns.