Stockholm - Mail system
The first thing you need to do when you move in to your new place is to put your name on your door and notify the nearest post office. If you are moving out of one place to another one, it is worth going to your old post office and fill in a form where you ask them to forward all your mail to your new address. This service costs around Sek 500 and it is valid for one year. You can get forms at the post office to stop the mail and newspapers from being delivered during holidays.
If you are sent a parcel a note will be placed in your mailbox, and you can pick it up at the post office. Don't forget to bring the slip and your ID card.
Post offices are usually open from 9.30 to 18.00 Monday to Friday and from 10.00 to 13.00 Saturday. The Central Post Office at Vasagatan 28-34, Stockholm is open from 8.00 to 18.30 on weekdays and 10.00-14.00 Saturdays. The post office inside the Central Station is open 07.00-22.00 Monday to Friday and 10.00-19.00 Saturday and Sunday.
International mail
All the international mail is carried by air so they must be sent first class. Delivery is usually between 2 and 4 days. You can also send it by Express Mail ( Expressbrev) which is the fastest and most direct delivery service. The other alternative is by Registered Mail (Rekbrev) which provides a mailing receipt. A record of delivery is made and the receiver will collect the letter directly from the post office byshowing the slip received and the ID.
Domestic mail
Within Sweden you can send letters by first class (1:a klassbrev) which will allow 24 hours for delivery; Economy (ekonomibrev) which will take at the most 3 days for delivery and Registered mail (Rekbrev) which is like the first class in delivery time but you obtain also a mailing receipt of the registered letter.
Post boxes are painted blue for local mail within the region or city and yellow for all other mail, both domestic and international.
Stamps are on sale at post offices and most newspaper kiosks and in some grocery stores. Recently the government has implemented a big change in this sector by passing on to the newspaper agencies the task of dealing with stamps and the collection of parcels. The post offices has been left with the task of stamping and sending bigger parcels and of dealing with all the payments by post giro. These changes started early 2003 and for the moment the benefits due to these changes are not yet visible.
Useful vocabulary
Post office - posten (yellow round logo with a horn)
Letter - brev
Stamp - frimärke
Package/parcel - paket
