General Terms and Conditions of Deutsche Post AG
DOMESTIC MAIL (AGB BRIEF NATIONAL)

1 Scope of application and legal basis(1) These General Terms and Conditions, hereinafter ‘GT&CS’, shall ­apply
to agreements concluded with Deutsche Post AG and its affiliated­companies, hereinafter ‘Deutsche Post’, pertaining to the transport ofletters and letter-like items (Section 449 of the Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB- German commercial code)), hereinafter ‘items’, within Germany. The
scope of application shall include any specially agreed upon additionaland s­upplementary services. These GT&Cs comprise in particular thefollowing products and services:
1. Letters, hybrid E-Postbrief items (as regards to conveyance), postcards,
Infopost items, telegrams, literature for the blind and formal delivery
orders; the latter only insofar as they are not already bindingly regulated
by public law (Zivilprozessordnung (German code of civil procedure),
Postgesetz (German postal act)); (letter mail),
2. Postwurfspezial items(partially addressed advertising mail), Postwurf
items (unaddressed mail), merchandise, books, Warenpost items, small
packets, Dialogpost Schwer items and Blindensendungen Schwer items(heavy items for the blind); (letter-like items),
3. Registered items, registered mail delivered to the recipient’s letterbox,
delivery to recipient only, advice of delivery, cash on delivery, business
reply, Wert National (domestic insured item) and Premiumadress andaddress verification/message; (special services),
4. Forwarding of letters and letter-like items.
(2) In addition to these GT&Cs, the brochure Leistungen und Preise (services
and prices), the Regelungen für die Postbeförderung von gefährlichen
Stoffen und Gegenständen (rules governing the postal transport ofhazardous substances and objects) and the Versandbedingungen
DHL PAKET NATIONAL und INTERNATIONAL (DHL DOMESTIC AND
INTERNATIONAL PARCEL dispatch conditions), shall apply in theirlatest versions; they are available for consultation at Deutsche Post’s
retail outlets. Furthermore, special service specifications and transportconditions shall apply to which reference is made in the ‘Services andPrices’ brochure, in the individual agreements or in transport documents(consignment notes, posting receipts etc.).
(3) Where not set forth – in the following order – by binding legal provisions,written individual agreements, the special conditions referred to in (2)and these GT&Cs, the provisions of Sections 407 ff. of the HGB regarding
freight agreements/contracts shall apply.
2 Contractual relationship – establishment and exclusions(1) Transport agreements are constituted by the handover of items, whose
carriage is not excluded pursuant to Paragraph 2, by and for the senderand their assumption into the care of Deutsche Post or a company
commissioned by Deutsche Post (posting or collection) in keeping withthe provisions of the present GT&Cs. Any contrary general terms andconditions of the sender are hereby expressly objected to.
(2) The following are excluded from being transported:
1. Items whose content, external make-up, transport or storage violates alegal or public authority prohibition; these include items whose contents
violate legal provisions on the protection of intellectual property
including forged or unlicensed copies of products (counterfeiting);
2. Items whose transport requires special treatment by Deutsche Post(e.g., maintaining a certain temperature; obtaining a public-law permit
or reporting to a public authority);
3. Items whose content or exterior make-up have the potential, during
usual transport and despite sufficient packaging, to injure or infectpersons or cause damage to property;
4. Items which contain live animals or human remains; excepted areinvertebrates (e.g., queen bees and feed insects), as long as the sendertakes all the necessary precautions to ensure transport is safe andappropriate to the animals’ needs without requiring special treatment;
5. Items whose transport is subject to regulations on hazardous goods,
unless these are permitted under the “Rules governing the transport ofhazardous goods and substances”; Section 410 of the HGB shall remain
unaffected thereby;
6. Items containing cash, precious metals, jewellery, watches, precious
stones, objects of art, antiques, unique specimens or other articles ofvalue or securities for which, in the event of damage, no stoppage andno cancellation and replacement procedure can be carried out (Class IIvaluables); however,a) valid postage stamps, vouchers, transport tickets and admission
tickets, andb) only if carried in letters posted as Wert National (domestic insured
items), cash up to a value of €100 are permitted too, as well as theother aforementioned goods (Class II valuables) up to the value of€500 per letter (item); however, the number of letters with suchdeutschepost.decontents posted with the special service Wert National that a sender
may hand over to be sent shall be limited to– one letter per day to any one recipient– and to five letters in total per day.
7. Items for which no or insufficient postage has been paid and that are
posted with the intention of surreptitiously obtaining the transport
service without payment of the remuneration payable for it.
(3) Should an item by its nature (size, format and weight etc.), due to its
contents or in another way not comply with the terms set forth in Section
1 (2) of these GT&Cs, Deutsche Post shall be entitled
1. to refuse to accept the item or
2. to return or hold for collection an item that has already been handed
over and accepted or
3. to transport the mail item without notifying the sender and to demand
additional remuneration for this pursuant to Section 5, Paragraph 3.
4. The same applies if the sender refuses to provide information at
Deutsche Post’s request in case of suspicion of dispatch of excluded
items or of other violations of contract.
(4) Deutsche Post shall not be obliged to check items for exclusions oftransport pursuant to Paragraph 2.
3 Rights and obligations of the sender(1) The sender’s special instructions pertaining to special treatment of their
item shall be binding only if they are provided in the ‘Services and Prices’
brochure or an individual agreement, and are issued in the form specified
therein. The sender shall have no claim to demand compliance with theirinstructions if they were issued to Deutsche Post after the handover/acceptance of the item.
(2) Termination by the sender in accordance with Section 415 of the HGB after
the transfer of the item into the care of Deutsche Post shall be excluded.
(3) It shall be incumbent on the sender to select a product of Deutsche Post
AG or of its affiliated companies that provides the best possible insurance
cover for any damage incurred in cases of loss, damage or other improper
performance.
(4) The sender shall be obliged to label the items with the recipient’s fulldetails. The sender shall be required to provide – where possible andnecessary – complete and true details regarding their item which allow for
unique identification even in the case of loss or damage. The sender mustpack the goods so that they are protected against partial loss and damage,and that no damage is caused to Deutsche Post (Section 411 of the HGB).
Further details regarding small packages, Dialog Schwer items andBlindensendungen Schwer items are contained in Versandbedingungen
DHL PAKET NATIONAL und INTERNATIONAL (DHL domestic andinternational parcel dispatch conditions).
(5) The sender must tolerate postal stamp impressions and notes as well as
advertising stamps on the item insofar as this is necessary for operational
reasons or the rights of the sender are only insignificantly affected by this.
4 Services provided by Deutsche Post
(1) Deutsche Post shall transport the items to their destination and deliver
them to the recipient. On the basis of a separate agreement, Deutsche Post
offers the recipient optional services for electronic notification of the items
intended for them (delivery notification). The details of these services are
regulated in the terms and conditions pursuant to Number 1(2) ‘Services
and Prices’. Deutsche Post shall make all reasonable efforts to deliver theitem within the time window according to its own quality targets (normaltransit times). However, the internal time specifications are neither
guaranteed nor do they in any way constitute part of the contract, i.e.,
Deutsche Post shall not be required to meet a specific delivery time unlessa different arrangement has been made for special products in individual
agreements or under the special conditions listed in Section 1, Paragraph
2. It will be at the discretion of Deutsche Post to select the type, route andmeans of transport or to provide all services by sub-contractors (subcontracted carriers) taking into consideration the sender’s interests.
(2) Delivery of the item by Deutsche Post to the address imprinted on
the item shall take place by inserting the item in a house letterbox or asimilar facility (for example, P.O. box) intended for the recipient which islarge enough to accept the item. Delivery of the item may also take placeby handing it to the recipient or to a person authorised by the recipientin writing to receive it (‘postal proxy’); items to recipients in communal
facilities (such as prisons, communal residences or hospitals) may also
be delivered to a person appointed by the management of the facility toreceive mail items (‘postal proxy’). Sentences 1 and 2 shall only apply ifother arrangements have not been made, such as storage, redirection

General Terms and Conditions of Deutsche Post AG
DOMESTIC MAIL (AGB BRIEF NATIONAL)

or delivery by deposit in a certain location or in a DHL Packstation, withthe recipient or person appointed to take delivery, and the sender has
not issued any divergent instructions in advance. Items which include
the special services ‘Registered mail’, ‘Advice of delivery’ and ‘Delivery
to recipient only’ shall only be delivered against written confirmation ofreceipt and proof of authorisation to receive the item. Items which include
the special service ‘Delivery to recipient only’ shall only be handed overeither to the recipient themselves or to a person authorised specificallyto receive the item. Deutsche Post reserves the right to request proof of
authorisation to receive the items also for other items. Proof shall not berequested if the postal proxy is personally known.
(3) Deutsche Post shall be entitled to hand over items which cannot bedelivered in the manner described in Paragraph 2 above to a substituterecipient. This shall not apply in the case of items with the special service‘Delivery to recipient only’. Substitute recipients shall be:
Members of the recipient’s family;
1. other persons also on the recipient’s premises;
2. residents in the same house or neighbours, who,
– based upon the circumstances, can be assumed to be authorised
to receive the items,– and if the deliverer immediately notifies the recipient of the items
and of the substitute recipient (name and address of the resident orneighbour) by physical or electronic means (e.g., notification card,
e-mail) to the receiving device provided (house letterbox or e-mailaddress);– providing the items are not sent with the special service ‘Registeredmail’ or ‘Advice of delivery’,– delivery shall not be made to residents and neighbours if thesender has issued instructions to the contrary in advance or therecipient has forbidden Deutsche Post in writing from effecting
such delivery.
(4) Deutsche Post shall keep items which were not delivered according
to Paragraphs 2 and 3 for collection by the recipient or a postal proxy
within a period of seven working days (including Saturdays) from the day
after delivery was first attempted, at one of its retail outlets or anothersuitable facility. This shall also apply if it cannot be reasonably expected of
Deutsche Post to deliver the item due to the fact that no house letterbox
exists or that the house letterbox is unsuitable or inaccessible or due toother disproportionate difficulties.
(5) Deutsche Post may use electronic devices to issue a confirmation ofreceipt. These devices may be used to document either the printed namein combination with the digitalised or electronic signature or another formof identification of the recipient or postal proxy (for example, PIN).
(6) Deutsche Post shall transport undeliverable items back to the sender
within Germany, except where this is prohibited under the conditions in
Section 1, Paragraph 2 for that particular product; the sender shall have noclaim to have the item returned abroad. Items are undeliverable if no postal
proxy is present at the time of delivery and if the period for collection of theitem has expired without effect, if acceptance is refused by the recipientor the postal proxy, or if the recipient cannot be determined. Refusal totake delivery of an item shall also be considered to include hindranceof delivery through actions applied to an existing mail receptacle (e.g.,sealing it shut/prohibiting insertion to letterboxes), the refusal to pay thesurcharges applied, the cash-on-delivery amount or the refusal to issue a
confirmation of receipt.
(7) If an undeliverable item cannot be returned to the sender in the manner
set forth in Paragraphs 2 to 5, Deutsche Post shall be entitled to open theitem. If the sender or another authorised person cannot be determined or
if delivery or return of the item is not possible or reasonable for any otherreason, Deutsche Post shall be entitled to exploit the item in accordancewith the legal provisions after a reasonable period of time. Deutsche Post
may exploit items immediately in accordance with the legal provisions if
the recipient and the sender refuse to accept or take back the item. Goods
that cannot be exploited or perishable goods or items as per Section
2, Paragraph 2, Numbers 2 and 4 may be immediately destroyed by
Deutsche Post.
5 Charges(1) The sender shall be obliged to pay the charge for each service
as specified in the ‘Services and prices’ in advance and no later
than at the time an item is posted (franking), unless the terms orindividual agreements specified in Section1, Paragraph 2 include
special terms of payment. In the case of business replies andResponseplus items, the charges must be paid by the recipient.

deutschepost.de(2) The sender shall reimburse Deutsche Post for expenses in excess of theagreed upon remuneration, insofar as these were incurred for the item
and Deutsche Post was entitled to consider them necessary under thecircumstances (Section 420, Paragraph 1 of the HGB). These may include,in particular, costs arising from storage or return transport in accordancewith Section 4, Paragraphs 6 and 7. All these charges shall be payable
immediately upon request.
(3) In cases involving unpaid or partially paid items the recipient may pay
the transport charges plus a collection fee as well as any other charges
due with regard to the item on behalf of the sender, thereby releasing thesender of their payment responsibilities (charge on unpaid or underpaid
items). If the recipient refuses to pay the outstanding costs in full, this shallbe deemed a refusal to accept delivery; the sender shall remain obliged
to pay the costs. The sender must pay a higher collection charge if they
surreptitiously obtain the services of Deutsche Post with the intention of
not paying the charges or not paying the full amount.
(4) Senders who reside in Germany whose items addressed to destinationsin Germany were posted abroad must in line with the Universal Postal
Convention pay the full charge for the corresponding domestic item. If
the items concerned are items posted in another European Union country,
Deutsche Post shall take into account the terminal dues received from theforeign postal company.
6 Liability(1) Deutsche Post shall be liable for damage which can be traced back to an
action or omission performed by Deutsche Post, one of its employees oranother vicarious agent (Section 428 of the HGB) either deliberately or
negligently and in full awareness that this would probably cause damage,irrespective of the following limitations of liability. This shall apply todamage resulting from the behaviour of its employees or vicarious agentsonly insofar as such persons have acted within the performance of theirduties. Deutsche Post shall bear unlimited liability for damage resulting
from an injury to life, limb or health, which is caused by a deliberate or
grossly negligent breach of duty by one of its representatives or vicarious
agents.
(2) Deutsche Post shall also be liable for loss and damage to items whose
carriage is not excluded pursuant to Section 2, Paragraph 2 and for the
inappropriate fulfilment of other obligations only if special services
in accordance with Section 1, Paragraph 1, Sentence 2, Number 3
have been agreed upon. The scope of liability shall be restricted to thedirect damage typical for the agreement up to the maximum amounts
specified in Paragraph 3. Compensation for indirect damage (including
lost profit or loss of interest payments) shall be excluded. This shallapply irrespective of whether the risk of such damage was pointed out
to Deutsche Post before or after acceptance of the item. Deutsche Post
shall also be released from this liability in cases in which the damage isdue to circumstances it was unable to avoid even with the utmost careand the consequences of which it was unable to prevent (for example,
strike and force majeure). The cases involving division of damage
and special reasons for excluding liability, as set forth in Section 425,
Paragraph 2 and Section 427 of the HGB, as well as any other cases ofstatutory limitations or exclusions of liability, shall remain unaffected.
(3) The liability of Deutsche Post pursuant to Paragraph 2 shall be limited to
the following maximum amounts: for letter and letter-like items with thespecial service
1. Registered mail€25
2. Registered mail to the recipient’s letterbox€20
3. COD – only for errors in the collection ortransmission of the amount after
delivery of the item
Cash-on-delivery amount
4. Return receipt, delivery to recipient
only and address verification/notification/Premiumadress
Additional charge
5. Wert National (domestic insured item)
where cash is transported€100
where (exclusively) othergoods are transported€500
Liability of Deutsche Post for non-compliance with the delivery period orin the event of any other deviation from an agreed upon delivery date foritems for which compliance with a particular delivery period or delivery
date is due shall not exceed the actual value of the freight (repayment of
the charge).

General Terms and Conditions of Deutsche Post AG
DOMESTIC MAIL (AGB BRIEF NATIONAL)(4) An item shall be deemed lost if it has not been delivered to the recipient
within twenty (20) days of being posted and its location cannot be
determined. By way of derogation from Section 424, Paragraph 3 of the
HGB, Deutsche Post may also demand reimbursement of compensation
for damage paid by it pursuant to Paragraph 1 and 2.
(5) The sender’s liability, especially their liability pursuant to Section 414 of
the HGB, shall remain unaffected. The sender shall be liable above all fordamage incurred by Deutsche Post or third parties as a result of sending
excluded items pursuant to Section 2, Paragraph 2 or as a result of abreach of the sender’s obligations pursuant to Section 3; if the sender is aconsumer, fault is required for their liability.
7 Other provisions(1) The sender may neither assign nor pledge any claims towards Deutsche
Post; excepted from this shall be monetary claims.
(2) The offsetting of counterclaims against or retention of a counterclaim
towards claims on the part of Deutsche Post shall only be permissible
insofar as the due counterclaim in question has become res iudicata, isfinally decided, undisputed, ready for decision or is based upon defects on
the performance in question.
(3) Deutsche Post reserves the right to collect, store and process data provided
by the sender or recipient and/or required for providing its services.
Deutsche Post also has the right to notify courts and public authorities ofdata within the legally defined scope. Deutsche Post shall maintain postal
secrecy and data protection in accordance with the applicable statutory
provisions.
(4) The sole place of jurisdiction for legal disputes with business people, legal
entities under public law, or special funds under public law resulting fromcontracts subject to these GT&Cs shall be Bonn (Germany). German shallapply.
(5) General Information according to Section 36 of the German Act on
Alternative Dispute Resolution in Consumer Matters (VSBG): Deutsche
Post is obliged to participate in dispute resolution procedures before a
consumer arbitration board. Senders who post items as consumers under
our standard terms and conditions (GTC) and their recipients, if they arealso consumers, may call upon the consumer arbitration board to settle
disputes regarding rights and obligations in the event of loss, theft or
damage to shipments or the infringement of their own rights to which they
are entitled on the basis of a statutory order pursuant to Section 18 of the
Postal Act (PostG) if it has not been possible to reach an agreement with
Deutsche Post.
The responsible consumer arbitration board is the
Schlichtungsstelle Post (Referat 318)
Bundesnetzagentur für Elektrizität, Gas, Telekommunikation,
Post und Eisenbahnen
Tulpenfeld 453113 Bonnbundesnetzagentur.de/post-schlichtungsstelle
Last revised March 2021

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