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Postal Services

Postal Services

The postal service here is run by TRNC Postal Office which has branches in all major cities, towns and villages. Be aware that branch opening hours may not be the same as branch parcel acceptance & delivery hours. Contact your local branch to find out more.

Addresses
When sending letters from abroad it’s important the address includes “Mersin 10, Turkey” and the postcode should also be included. These are not individual address codes, but relate to fairly large areas. This add-on routes post to Türkiye, where the “Mersin 10” lets them know it needs to come to Northern Cyprus. The postcode then tells the TRNC post office which area it needs to go to. Make sure you don’t include ‘’Cyprus’’ in the address, or it’ll be sent to the South of the island, who'll just return it to you.

Example address with postcode:
123 Abc Sokak
Karakum, Girne
Mersin 10
99320
Türkiye

Post can be collected from your local post office, who also have yellow PO Boxes in many branches, but there’s often a waiting list for renting them. You can rent one between a few families if there’s a limit on boxes available.

Postal Charges
Current postal charges - Prices are in Turkish, but your local postal office can advise you regarding prices.

Post can be sent on standard or registered/tracked mail. TRNC Post Office Service has an online “Track and Trace” service to allow you to check the delivery status of any items ordered simply by entering the barcode number shown on an order receipt.

Domestic Post – letters can be delivered throughout the island

​Surface Overseas Mail (by land & sea) - done by ferry from Famagusta. Divided into two groups: Türkiye and other countries.

International Air Mail - Via Ercan Airport. Overseas air mail transportation to Turkey is sent to Adana, Ankara and Istanbul Postal Directorates. Post to the rest of the World is provided through the TC Post Directorate in Istanbul (European Side Postal Processing Centre).

​Postal fees are set according to criteria accepted by the International Postal Union. Countries are in four charge groups based on distances. The groups are:
Türkiye
Middle East, Europe, North Africa, India, Pakistan
US, African Countries outside North Africa, China, Japan
Far East, Australia.
Small Package Service - shipping of items <2 kg in weight
Parcel Service – shipping of items >2 kg in weight
Rapid Mail Service (APS) – reach recipients quickly, usually within 3 days
Remittances - domestic and international postal remittance services
Registered Mail Service - extra cost and the recipient must sign to receive it
Express Courier Service- extra cost but delivered urgently via courier.
Return Mail Service - Returned to the sender if not delivered and a return address has been provided. Reasons for return of letters are usually: Incomplete/Incorrect address, rejected letters, recipient has died, defective packaging, missing stamps (even if the sender's address is known), recipient or sender has moved to a new address.

Sending mail to the TRNC from the UK
If you want to send a letter or parcel from the UK, visit www.royalmail.com. They offer 3 main international services; Standard, Tracked, and Tracked & Signed. Tracked/Tracked & Signed, supply a tracking number, which you can use to follow your delivery until it gets to Istanbul. After it reaches Türkiye, you can view progress on the Turkish Tracking System in Turkish or ask your local post office and they’ll check it for you. Tracked Mail usually takes roughly 10-15 working days to arrive and are generally a more reliable method of ensuring your post arrives safely in TRNC.

Cargo Companies
Offering domestic and international post/package shipment:
Yurtici Kargo
MNG Kargo
TNT Kargo
UPS Kargo
DHL Kargo
​All have offices in Lefkosa, some in Girne and Famagusta. Branch addresses are available on their websites.

Stamps
Post offices sell stamps which you’ll need for posting letters, as well as any official documentation such as work and residency permits, taxing cars etc. If you’re buying stamps for official document purposes, buy plain stamps, not special edition stamps, as these are often not accepted by Government Departments.

Special Edition Stamps
The postal service often releases Special Edition Stamps such as in the spring, or before particular bayram holidays etc. The Postal Department also has a Philatelist Section which collectors can contact to receive limited editions and special first day covers. Private purchases can also be made.

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