✉️Sending Christmas Cards in Finland: Last Mailing Dates, Prices and International Delivery 2025
Sending Christmas cards in Finland begins every year as early as November, and the key questions are always the same: what is the last mailing date, how much does a Christmas stamp cost, and when will cards arrive abroad. In this guide, we share up-to-date information on Christmas card prices, Posti’s deadlines, and international delivery.
There is something almost absurdly warm-hearted in the way Finland welcomes December each year: unhurriedly, surrounded by family, with freshly baked buns and juniper branches, glowing windows, and the beloved tradition of sending Christmas cards. Finns don’t do this just for form’s sake. It’s an old tradition that lives on in homes, cities, villages, and islands alike. And within this tradition lies a small but magical detail — the Christmas stamp. Every year it is released with a new design, and every year people ask the same question: “How much does the stamp cost this season?”
🎄 Why Christmas stamps are a special tradition in Finland
Finland is one of those countries where postcards are not a relic of the past, but a full-fledged element of culture. There are several reasons for this: Finns have a strong tradition of joulukortti — sending paper greetings; Posti launches a separate Christmas line every year; there is a special rate in December: Christmas red stamps are cheaper than regular ones; sending cards is a family tradition, like decorating the Christmas tree or drinking the first mulled wine.
If you want to send a Christmas card from Finland, the main thing is to know two numbers: the price of the stamp and the deadline for sending. Below are Posti's current rates for the 2025 season, a short table, deadlines and a couple of small Finnish phrases for signatures.
The information is current as of 12 December 2025 (according to Posti).
Quick answer: how much does a Christmas stamp cost in 2025?
🎄 Price of Christmas postage stamps in Finland in 2025
Christmas stamps (Jouluposti) within Finland: €1.70 per standard-sized postcard/letter.
- Valid at a reduced rate until 11 December (inclusive).
- For later dispatch, the standard rate applies: €2.75 within Finland.
- For international destinations, standard Christmas letters are charged at up to €3.05 (Priority, "rest of the world").
This information is valid as of 12 December 2025 and may change in future seasons.
🕊️ History of Finnish Christmas stamps
Finland has been issuing joulumerkit for over 100 years, and they always: reflect the Finnish winter: snowstorms, candles, houses, Christmas trees, tonttu; are printed in limited editions; become collectibles. A special feature is that only Christmas stamps have a separate preferential rate for bulk mailings.
What Christmas stamps will be available in 2025 and what you pay for them
A Christmas stamp is a special seasonal Jouluposti rate that is only valid in December and only for postcards/letters sent as Christmas mail (usually with a red stamp or marked).
The main options for winter 2025:
Important: Christmas stamps are cheaper than regular stamps so that people can send joulukortti — paper greeting cards — en masse.
A brief overview of the tradition and price increases
In Finland, Christmas cards are not a nostalgic tradition, but a living custom:
- families buy packs of stamps and sign cards together;
- Posti releases new designs every year featuring tonttu, candles, and houses;
- the Jouluposti discount rate is only available in December and is always cheaper than a regular letter.
In recent years, the price has risen gradually:
The price is influenced by inflation, Posti logistics, general postal reforms, the cost of printing stamps, and the volume of Christmas mail. In other words, €1.70 in 2025 is not a random figure, but a continuation of the trend.
Where to buy Christmas stamps
Stamps are sold almost everywhere where you see the Posti logo:
- Posti branches and postal points in supermarkets;
- R-kioski and other kiosks;
- large supermarkets such as K-market, S-market and Prisma;
- Posti online store (for those who want to purchase beautiful series in advance).
You can buy both classic Christmas stamps and regular Kotimaan ikimerkki stamps and use them instead of seasonal stamps if you are sending a card after 11 December.
🧑🎄 Last day to send Christmas cards 2025
Postal deadlines change slightly every year, but for 2025 the recommended dates below will help your Christmas cards arrive on time — especially if you are sending them abroad.
📮 Christmas card deadlines in 2025
- Within Finland (Christmas stamp €1.70): until 11 December (inclusive)
- Within Finland (regular stamp €2.75): around 16 December, depending on collection times
- Domestic express letters: until 19 December
- To Europe: early December (roughly the first 10 days)
- To the rest of the world: end of November — the last week is the safest option
If you are sending a postcard to Russia, the USA, Asia, or another distant destination, the rule is simple: the further it travels, the earlier it should be posted. As a safe buffer, send it 3–5 days earlier than European deadlines.
🎁 What to do if you missed the deadline
- Send the card after Christmas — winter greetings are perfectly normal in Northern Europe.
- Use an e-card or personal email now, and mail the paper card later.
- Choose domestic delivery or express mail if the recipient is in Finland.
- Place the card inside a gift or parcel.
- Add a short honest note: “Sent late, but with warmth.”
Remember: a late card still brings joy. An unsent one does not.
Postcard format: size and weight
For a €1.70 Christmas stamp to be valid without additional payment, the postcard or envelope must meet the following standards:
- rectangular format, no "endlessly long" postcards;
- weight up to 50 g;
- size approximately within the standard letter limits (standard postal envelope or A6/A5 postcard).
If you are putting a thick letter, a gift insert or several photos inside, it is reasonable to consider the item as a regular letter and expect a postage rate of €2.75 or more.
How to sign a Christmas card in Finnish
Mini cheat sheet:
- Classic option: Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
- A little warmer and more "Finnish at home":
Lämpimiä joulutervehdyksiä ja valoa alkavaan vuoteen.
("Warm Christmas wishes and light for the coming year.")
These phrases work well for friends, neighbours and colleagues.
How not to overpay for Christmas cards
A few simple tactics:
- Plan ahead. If you manage to do so before 11 December, the Christmas stamp for €1.70 is always cheaper than the regular one.
- Buy in bulk. It's more convenient to buy stamps in blocks so you don't have to rush to find the nearest R-kiosk at the last minute.
- Combine stamps. If you have any stamps left over from last year with a lower denomination, you can add them to make up the required amount — the main thing is that the total matches the current rate.
- E-cards as a backup option. If you realise on 20–22 December that you won't make it in time, it's wise to send a paper card without any reference to Christmas and send an "urgent" greeting by email or messenger.
While Finland waits for the first snow and Posti prepares its holiday releases, we can say one thing with certainty: a Christmas stamp is not just a piece of paper with a price on it. It is the little heartbeat of the Finnish winter.
Save this page so you have the current price of the 2025 Christmas stamp at your fingertips, and check back here when Posti announces its rates for the 2026 season — we will update the figures and dates. And if you are planning a winter trip to Finland, it is useful to check out the materials on budgeting, winter routes and Lapland — they are a great complement to the story of paper postcards.
FAQ
No. Items sent without sufficient postage will be returned or delayed; sometimes the recipient is offered the option to pay the additional postage, but it is best not to count on this.
The postcard will still be delivered, but it may be treated as a regular letter, and Posti has the right to demand additional payment up to the full rate. It is safer to either meet the deadline or use a regular €2.75 stamp
Yes, just like any other "ikimerkki" stamp, but at the regular rate. The discounted Christmas rate is only valid in December.
The Priority international rate is usually used for international mail. You can use several stamps so that the total value covers the required cost. The easiest way is to check the current rate calculator and select the amount.
Send it anyway — people in Finland receive postcards on New Year's Eve and in January. To "make it by 24 December", you can use express mail within the country or send electronic greetings, and paper greetings can be sent as "winter letters" without a specific date.
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