A familiar sign of the Christmas card season will once again appear in Finnish homes in November, when Posti distributes its red mailing envelope for Christmas greetings. The red envelope ensures that cards bearing a Christmas Greeting no-value indicator stamp are smoothly routed to Christmas card sorting.
The envelopes are also available at all Posti service points and from most stamp retailers. Envelopes are not distributed to households that have opted out of unaddressed advertising.
The red mailing envelope can be used to send Christmas cards at the lower rate using a Christmas Greeting no-value indicator stamp. This year, cards bearing a Christmas Greeting no-value indicator stamp must be mailed by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
Christmas cards bearing a Domestic no-value indicator stamp can be mailed until 16 December 2026.
The red envelope has a long history
The red Christmas card collection envelope was first trialled in the Helsinki metropolitan area in 1996. The trial was a success, and the use of the envelope was expanded nationwide for Christmas 1997. Since then, the envelope has become a familiar part of Finland’s Christmas postal tradition.
In 2026, it will therefore be 30 years since the red envelope was first trialled.
Remember these when sending Christmas cards
Christmas Greeting no-value indicator stamp: mail by 10 December 2026 at the latest.
Domestic no-value indicator stamp: mail by 16 December 2026 at the latest.
The red envelope can be dropped into a letterbox until midnight on the final mailing date.
Make sure the card includes the recipient’s first and last name, street address, building, staircase and apartment number, as well as the postal code and city/town.
In addition to the envelope delivered to homes, red envelopes are available at Posti service points and from most stamp retailers.
More information: posti.fi/en/Christmas