Will you have to travel to a neighboring town to pick up a package, and even further for a postal money order? For many Slovak villages and small towns, this is no longer a hypothetical question. The state Slovenská pošta (Slovak Post) is massively closing branches, and by the end of the decade, its network will shrink threefold.
What has already been closed and what is planned
In 2025, the post office closed 45 branches: 22 in district towns and 23 in regional towns. At the end of the year, 1321 branches were operating across the country, reports STVR.
They do not intend to stop. In just the first months of 2026 (until April 20), the company submitted 75 applications to the regulator for branch closures. The regulator checks each application to see if the service will remain accessible to people, but the final decision is still with the post office itself.
Why such a sharp move? Look at the numbers: out of 1317 branches operating at the beginning of 2026, 1067 were unprofitable. Over the last 10 years, the number of customers dropped by 30%, while expenses, mainly salaries, increased, writes Startitup.
What the post office will be like in 2028
The goal is simple: by 2028, keep only 400 own branches and 1000 franchise branches in the Pošta Partner format. Such “partner” post offices will be opened by local authorities or entrepreneurs—often just in a store or the village council building.
Formally, the law allows this. For a postal license guaranteeing universal service in Slovakia, 852 branches are enough, and unlike in the Czech Republic, the exact number is not fixed by law. The management assures that accessibility will supposedly be maintained thanks to BalíkoBOX parcel lockers and digital services. If you are used to sending parcels online, you will hardly notice the difference. Elderly people in villages who receive pensions or pay bills at the post office will feel it.
People protest, but it helps little
Whole communities oppose the closures. In Košice, where six branches were closed in summer 2025, about 400 signatures were collected on a petition against closing one of them (near the magistrate). Petitions were also written in Bratislava (against closing the branch on Sibírska street) and Poprad. A separate story is temporary closures: the branch in the village of Ruskov, which also serves residents of neighboring Ďurkov, was repeatedly closed for whole days due to staffing problems, SME writes in detail about the situation with petitions.
What to do if your branch is at risk
- Check announcements. The post office is obliged to notify about closures in advance—on the website and in the branch itself.
- Write a petition and contact the regulator. Mass appeals do not guarantee results, but the Úrad pre reguláciu elektronických komunikácií a poštových služieb (Office for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services) must assess whether service accessibility in your region will be affected.
- Learn to use BalíkoBOX parcel lockers. If you receive parcels from Ukraine or online stores, self-pickup from a parcel locker is often faster and more convenient than a branch.
- Follow Pošta Partner. If a branch closes, a partner point may open in your community—ask at the obecný úrad (municipal office).
If you live in a small town or village, it is worth finding out now whether your branch is on the closure list. The lists of applications are public, and it is easier to fight for the post office before it closes than after.
