If Swiss Post wants to close or relocate a post office or agency, it is required to consult the local commune and to seek a mutually agreed solution. If no consensus can be reached, the commune can contact PostCom within 30 days of the written notification of the decision by Swiss Post. PostCom investigates whether Swiss Post has heard the opinion of the commune and sought a mutually agreed solution

• whether the decision takes account of regional conditions
• whether once the decision has been implemented the local population of a canton can still get to a post office or agency within 20 minutes on foot or by public transport
• whether at least one served access point is guaranteed in urban areas and agglomerations which are defined as such by federal statistics. If the threshold of 15,000 inhabitants or employees is exceeded, another served access point must be operated
• and
• whether there is at least one post office or agency in the planning region affected.

Within six months of being contacted by the communal authorities, PostCom makes its recommendation to Swiss Post. Until then, Swiss Post does not begin to act; its final decision on the matter is made once PostCom’s recommendation has been considered.

Documentation on the procedure concerning the closure and relocation of post offices and agencies according to Art. 34 PostO (in German) (PDF-File, 52 KB)

This procedure ensures that the post office and agencies network cannot be changed without consultation with the communes involved.

The procedure is free of charge.

For the recommendations issued please refer to the relevant section.