According to the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), it received 629 applications by the end of September to have these kiosks recognized as official post office branches. Seventy-two have already been approved, four were withdrawn, and the remainder are under review.
This approval process concerns whether these locations count toward fulfilling the legal requirement to maintain a branch network: Deutsche Post is obligated to operate branches nationwide, which typically means postal counters inside supermarkets, kiosks, and other shops.
The company has been installing kiosks for some time, but until now, they were not counted as branches—meaning a staffed branch still had to be maintained. This changed in January due to a legal amendment, a change the logistics company is now utilizing.
Nationwide, Deutsche Post has approximately 12,600 branches. If all its applications are approved, the branch network would consist of about five percent kiosks. This would mean that roughly one in twenty branch locations would no longer have a counter staffed by a person. The kiosk branches already approved are primarily in rural regions, such as Asendorf (Lower Saxony), Sankt Augustin (North Rhine-Westphalia), Heusenstamm (Hesse), Egling (Bavaria), Harztor (Thuringia), and Schwarzheide (Brandenburg).
What Kind of Kiosks Are These?
The term “kiosk” refers to so-called “Poststations,” where packages can be dropped off and picked up, stamps can be purchased, and letters can be mailed. Video consultation is also available. Customers can get almost everything they would at a staffed branch. A major advantage of the Poststation is its 24/7 availability—no customer has to leave empty-handed because they arrived outside of business hours.
Deutsche Post operates over 900 Poststations nationwide, most of which do not currently count toward the branch network obligation—some are installed as supplements in front of regular branches, ensuring customers can buy stamps or drop off packages day and night. In addition, there are 15,600 “Packstations,” which are used exclusively for parcels.
Deutsche Post is required to have a branch in municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, in contiguous residential areas, the branch must not be further than two kilometers away. The company has long failed to meet these requirements; by the end of September, there were 160 unoccupied mandatory locations—places where a branch was required but none existed.
One reason for this is structural changes in rural areas: when the last village shop closes, Deutsche Post also loses its local partner to host a postal counter.
To comply with the branch network obligation, Deutsche Post operates around 1,200 temporary branches—it sends its own staff to run a small post office, often in a container or a previously vacant shop, typically open for only a few hours a day. The company wants to get rid of these temporary branches and is increasingly relying on kiosks here.
Post Seeks Local Solutions
The number of unoccupied mandatory locations has fluctuated for a long time. Sometimes a location is only a blank spot for a short time—and then a branch reappears when Deutsche Post finds a new partner there. The Federal Network Agency states this is only a snapshot.
Surprisingly, however, the number of vacant branch locations has increased by 19 since July 2024, even though the branch network rules were relaxed in the meantime: in 2024, kiosks could not yet be counted, but now it is possible, and it is being done—yet instead of decreasing, the number has risen.
Deutsche Post has promised improvement. A company spokesperson said that solutions have already been found for about half of the 160 locations and will be implemented soon. For the other half, they are intensively working on a solution—either through branches or Poststations. In some places, however, other parties must also cooperate, for instance, by granting a building permit.
Kiosk Branches Should Not Become a Mass Phenomenon
Before the Federal Network Agency gives the green light for kiosk branches, it consults the affected municipalities—so the local communities are involved. The President of the German County Association (Deutscher Landkreistag), Achim Brötel (CDU), expressed caution. Traditional post office branches should fundamentally always be given preference.
“Post offices are important facilities of public services, offering everyone easy access to the postal network,” says Brötel. It’s about user-friendliness. “The user perspective must therefore be the decisive benchmark, and not, for example, the postal service’s endeavor to rid itself of its obligation to provide nationwide services in the simplest way possible.”
The legislature does not want the branch network to eventually consist solely of kiosks. “A kiosk as a branch is not ideal, but it’s better than nothing—it can improve the situation in structurally weaker areas,” says SPD member of the Bundestag, Sebastian Roloff. “But it shouldn’t become a mass phenomenon; rather, it should be an exception—if every twentieth location were a kiosk, I would still find that appropriate, but it shouldn’t be every third location, for example.” Deutsche Post must not rely on kiosks just to cut costs.
The Social Association VdK (Sozialverband VdK) has voiced criticism. Its President, Verena Bentele, said this is a clear setback on the path to greater inclusion. “Postal kiosks are often unusable for wheelchair users, people of short stature, and those with visual impairments.” Older people often depend on personal, on-site assistance. The kiosks should be improved with larger displays and control elements featuring Braille.
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