How postal service works in Spain: universal service and competition

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1. The law regulates postal services to guarantee that all citizens have access to a universal postal service of quality at an affordable price, and to open the sector to free competition.
2. Providing postal services requires a habilitating title: a general authorization for services outside the universal service, or a singular authorization for universal service activities not reserved. Companies must register in a public registry of the Ministry of Public Works.
3. The universal postal service includes letters up to 2 kg, parcels up to 10 kg, the money order service, and certified and declared value services, provided throughout the territory at an affordable price.
4. Certain services are reserved exclusively to the universal postal service operator, such as money orders and interurban letters up to 350 grams. That operator also receives special rights, such as delivering official notifications and using the name Correos.
5. The Compensation Fund for the Universal Postal Service is created to finance the service, with contributions from operators, money from the General State Budgets, and donations. Operators with a singular authorization pay an annual fee between 1 per 1,000 and 1 per 100 of their revenue.
6. Violations are classified as minor, serious, and very serious, with fines from 25,000 to 50,000,000 pesetas. Very serious violations can lead to revocation of the authorization, and penalties expire between six months and three years.

Who it affects

• Citizens and businesses that send mail: They have the right to a universal postal service at an affordable price throughout the territory, with quality standards and protection of the secrecy of communications.
• Correos y Telégrafos: It is the entity assigned to provide the universal postal service, and certain services are reserved to it exclusively.
• Companies that want to provide postal services: They need a habilitating title, must register and pay fees; if they break the rules, they can be penalized.
• Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento): It monitors compliance, inspects services, and penalizes violations.

Words worth knowing

Servicio postal universal (universal postal service)

The set of basic postal services that must be provided to everyone, across the whole territory, at an affordable price.

Título habilitante (habilitating title)

Official permission required to provide postal services.

Servicio de giro (money order service)

A service that allows sending payments of money through the postal network.

Tasa (fee)

Money paid to the government for a specific public service, such as sending a reserved letter or requesting an authorization.

Prescripción (expiration of claims)

The maximum time limit to penalize a violation or enforce a penalty; once it passes, no action can be taken.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries