The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2025

Made: 16th July 2025

Coming into force: 28th July 2025

Before making this Order, OFCOM have carried out a review of user needs in accordance with section 30(3) of the Postal Services Act 2011, given notice of their proposal to make an Order in accordance with section 403(4)(a) of the Communications Act 2003[^f00002] (“the 2003 Act”)[^f00003], published notice of their proposal in accordance with section 403(4)(b) of the 2003 Act and considered the representations made to them before the time specified in that notice in accordance with section 403(4)(c) of the 2003 Act.

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2025 and shall come into force on 28th July 2025.

Amendments to the principal Order

2

The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012[^f00004] is amended as set out in articles 3 to 8 of this Order.

Amendments to article 2

3

In article 2 (interpretation)—

• (a) in the definition of “domestic” after “addresses”, insert “and collection points”;

• (b) in sub-paragraph (a) of the definition of “EU office of exchange”, omit “other than the United Kingdom”;

• (c) in sub-paragraph (b) of the definition of “EU office of exchange”, omit “other than the United Kingdom”;

• (d) after the definition of “insured item”, insert—

• “letter” means— any communication in written form on any kind of physical medium to be conveyed to the person or address indicated on the item itself or on its wrapping (excluding any book, catalogue, newspaper or periodical), and includes a postal packet containing any communication within paragraph (a) of this definition;

• (e) after the definition of “partially sighted”, insert—

• “postal packet” means a letter, parcel, packet or other article transmissible by post;

• (f) after the definition of “post office” insert—

• “priority and other letters” means letters conveyed by post under a service specified in Schedules 1 to 3 to this Order, except letters sent under a service specified in paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to this Order;

; and

• (g) after the definition of “single piece service” insert—

• “standard letters” means letters conveyed by post under the service specified in paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to this Order;

Amendments to article 3

4

In article 3 (routing times), substitute paragraph (2A) for—

(2A) “Working day” means, for— (a) priority and other letters and other postal packets, any day which is not— (i) a Sunday, or (ii) a public holiday in the place of collection or the place of delivery of the postal packet concerned; and (b) standard letters, any day which is not— (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday, or (iii) a public holiday in the place of collection or the place of delivery of the letter concerned.

Amendments to article 6

5

In article 6 (delivery services)—

• (a) in paragraph 1 after “Saturday of”, insert “priority and other”;

• (b) after paragraph 1, insert—

(1A) Delivery on any day from Monday to Friday of standard letters— (a) to the home or premises of every individual or other person in the United Kingdom, and (b) to delivery points approved by OFCOM for the purposes of this paragraph.

; and

• (c) in paragraph 3 after “(1)”, insert “, (1A)”.

Amendments to article 7

6

In article 7 (collection services)—

• (a) in paragraph 1(a) after “points for”, insert “priority and other”; and

• (b) in paragraph 1(b) after “points for”, insert “standard letters and”.

Amendments to paragraph 6 of Schedule 1

7

In paragraph 6 of Schedule 1, omit “other than the United Kingdom”.

Amendments to paragraph 6A of Schedule 1

8

In paragraph 6A(1) of Schedule 1, omit “other than the United Kingdom”.

Revocation of the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) Order 2025

9

The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) Order 2025[^f00005] is revoked in its entirety.

Signed

Natalie Black — Group Director for Networks & Communications, Office of Communications — For and by authority of the Office of Communications — 16th July 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order revokes and replaces the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) Order 2025 (S.I. 2025/854) (which did not include the coming into force date in article 1).

This Order amends the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/936) (the “principal Order”), as amended by the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/3108).

OFCOM’s assessment of the extent to which the market for the provision of postal services in the United Kingdom is meeting the reasonable needs of the users of those services, carried out under section 30(3) of the Postal Services Act 2011, is available to the public from OFCOM’s website at http://www.ofcom.org.uk or from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2A Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: 020 7981 3000).

Article 3 of this Order updates certain definitions to reflect the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. It also adds new definitions which are relevant to calculating routing times under article 3 of the principal Order and to the delivery and collection obligations in articles 6 and 7 respectively of the principal Order.

Article 4 of this Order amends the definition of “working day” for the purpose of calculating routing times under article 3 of the principal Order. For priority and other letters and other postal packets, “*working day*” excludes Sundays and public holidays in the place of collection or delivery of the relevant postal packet. For standard letters, “*working day*” excludes Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in the place of collection or delivery of the relevant letter.

Article 5 amends the delivery service in article 6 of the principal Order so that there is to be at least one delivery of priority and other letters every Monday to Saturday, in accordance with requirement 1 of section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011. Standard letters are to be delivered on any day from Monday to Friday.

Article 6 amends the collection service in article 7 of the principal Order so that there is to be at least one collection of priority and other letters every Monday to Saturday, in accordance with requirement 2 of section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011. There is also to be at least one collection of standard letters and other postal packets every Monday to Friday.

Articles 7 and 8 amend the description of the services in paragraphs 6 and 6A of Schedule 1 to the principal Order to reflect the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

A regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this Order will have on the costs to business is available to the public from OFCOM’s website at http://www.ofcom.org.uk or from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2A Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: 020 7981 3000).

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2011 c. 5.

[^f00002]: 2003 c. 21.

[^f00003]: Section 403 of the 2003 Act is applied to the power of OFCOM to make regulations under section 30(1) of the Postal Services Act 2011 by section 63 of the Postal Services Act 2011.

[^f00004]: S.I. 2012/936, as amended by the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) (Amendment) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/3108).

[^f00005]: S.I. 2025/854.