Denmark’s new national letter carrier Dao is experiencing severe delivery delays since taking over from PostNord at the start of 2026, prompting experts to advise sending important mail as tracked parcels instead of ordinary letters. The company has received around 15,000 complaints about delayed mail and expects to restore normal delivery times within about a month.
Widespread Delivery Problems Hit Danish Mailboxes
Thousands of Danes are anxiously checking their mailboxes for everything from health insurance cards and credit cards to handmade invitations and SIM cards that should have been delivered by Denmark’s new letter carrier, Dao. DR has received numerous complaints from frustrated citizens after the freight company took over letter delivery from PostNord at the beginning of the year.
Last week, Dao’s director Hans Peter Nissen apologized for the severe delays and stated the company expects to achieve normal delivery times again in about a month. However, many Danes need solutions now while waiting for the company to get up to speed.
Expert Advice: Send Important Mail as Packages
According to Eva Wistoft Andersen, historian and museum inspector at Museum Enigma, the Museum of Post, Telecommunications and Communication, the answer is straightforward. Send important letters as packages instead.
The advantage is that all packages have a track and trace number, which is a unique barcode per shipment. Each time the package moves, that barcode is scanned, making it possible to determine where it has gone missing if there’s a problem, or how far the package has progressed.
Why Packages Are More Reliable
With such a barcode, the letter is lifted out of its anonymous existence as ordinary mail, making it less vulnerable to random mishaps. Ordinary letters are small and thin and can easily get lost if they fall on the floor and slide under a shelf. There they can lie for a long time without anyone knowing they’re missing.
Another option is an old but rather expensive method: sending it registered or recommended, as it’s called in postal terminology. According to the historian, this model is the predecessor to today’s track and trace system. Recommended letters were removed from mechanical sorting and hand-carried through the system. When someone received a recommended letter, they had to acknowledge that the mail carrier had delivered it.
Current Pricing and Delivery Status
Dao’s current pricing reflects the different security levels available. An ordinary letter under 100 grams costs 23 kroner, while a package up to 1 kilogram costs 45 kroner. A recommended letter under 100 grams costs 210 kroner.
Dao has informed DR that delivery times for package mail are normal. There were delays with recommended letters until last week, but now they are sorted separately from ordinary letters and handled individually. Therefore, Dao expects to meet delivery times for recommended letters going forward.
Transition Troubles Were Predictable
The entire problem with Dao’s delayed letters stems from the company taking over letter delivery from PostNord around the new year. Since the takeover, DR has received numerous complaints from frustrated Danes who haven’t received their mail. Dao has reported receiving 15,000 inquiries about delayed letters since January 1, which amounts to roughly 500 per day.
Eva Wistoft Andersen isn’t surprised that Dao has gotten off to a rough start. While not exactly gleeful about the situation, she admits there was a small part of her that thought this outcome was predictable. PostNord spent 400 years developing a reasonably good logistical system, so it stands to reason there would be some growing pains with a new provider.
Physical Mail Still Matters to Danes
At the same time, the many searches for various physical items show that Danes regard timely mail delivery as a welfare service they didn’t realize they still relied on. Even though mail volume has fallen considerably over recent years and people don’t check their mailboxes as often, there are still some things where it’s important that items arrive within a reasonable time.
This reality has caught many people off guard. They assumed they could simply send something and be confident it would arrive, but the current situation has revealed how much people still depend on reliable postal service for critical items like health cards, financial documents, and time-sensitive communications.
Interestingly, the complaints and frustrations reveal a broader issue about modern infrastructure. As Denmark transitions from its traditional postal system to new providers, citizens are discovering which services they truly need versus which ones they’ve replaced with digital alternatives. The struggle with physical mail delivery highlights that despite increasing digitalization, certain important documents and items still require traditional postal services.
What Dao Says About the Problems
The company acknowledges the difficulties and continues working to resolve the delivery bottlenecks. Director Hans Peter Nissen’s apology and timeline for improvement suggest the company recognizes the severity of the situation and is taking steps to address it. For now, though, Danes with important mail to send should consider the extra cost of sending items as tracked packages or recommended letters to ensure they reach their destination.
The situation demonstrates how critical reliable mail service remains even in an increasingly digital society. While email and digital communication handle much of our correspondence, physical delivery remains essential for identity documents, banking materials, and other items that cannot be transmitted electronically.
Sources and References
The Danish Dream: Dao Leads Denmark in Reliable Mail Delivery
The Danish Dream: Best Mail and Parcel Services in Denmark for Foreigners
DR: Ramt af Daos brevkaos? Her eksperts råd til, hvad du gør, hvis du skal sende vigtig brevpost
