post box
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travelthisworld
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post box
Moving to France very soon from California and wondering about how it works to have a private mail box in at the Argeles-sur-Mer Poste instead of having mail go to our home in the village. We rent the house to tourists sometimes, so would like to have our personal mail arrive privately elsewhere. Does anyone know if just anyone can have a private mailbox at the La Poste or is it only for businesses? Also, any ideas of how to aquire the postal box address from here before we arrive in France so I can get mail forwarding set up NOW? Anyone have horror stories or good experience with a private mailbox at the post office in France? MERCI ALL!
-Beth
-Beth
from California Pacific to the French Med
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polremy
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Can't really help you (but I'm sure someone else will very soon) except that I know you can get La Poste to keep your mail and not deliver it.
Friends of ours did just that when they were having serious work done to their house and they were staying with friends.
So, I don't think you need a private mailbox as such - just tell them to hang on to your letters and that you will pick them up yourself.
Friends of ours did just that when they were having serious work done to their house and they were staying with friends.
So, I don't think you need a private mailbox as such - just tell them to hang on to your letters and that you will pick them up yourself.
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Kate
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Hi
Here is an article out of a past PO Life (number 26) which may help
The French village post office is a bit of a national institution. The fact that you can still find one in most small villages is really rather nice, particularly given that they offer banking with very low charges and a widening range of services.
However, if you don’t wish to hear about the
state of Mme Dupont’s chilblains or the results
of M. Leblanc’s latest miracle haemorrhoid
cream, you may prefer to choose, buy and
print out your stamps on line at www.laposte.
com. (English-language site).
There are 200 different stamp designs to choose
from, and you can even create your own stamps
with personal photos of the dog, the motherin-
law…You will also find a calculator on the
site to help you to work out how much postage
your letter or parcel requires, dependant on
weight and destination.
Alternatively, many post offices have
automatic stamp machines (coins only)
with instructions available in English. These
allow you to weigh letters and packages and
issue postage in the form of the appropriate
vignettes d'affranchissement.
Registered mail :
If you wish the recipient of your letter or parcel
to sign at the other end, send it recommandé.
If you would also like to receive confirmation
that the recipient has signed and accepted
the mail, it should be sent as recommandé
avec accusé de réception. This is particularly
recommended if you are sending valuable
items, legal documents or anything that might
later lead to dispute.
Moving house?
The post office will either redirect your
post to a temporary or permanent address
(réexpédition du courrier) or hold on to it at
the post office until you are ready to collect
it. (garde du courrier). You may also arrange
for your post to be sent directly to the post
office if you do not yet have an official address
(poste restante).
Post codes:
The first two numbers of the post code
represent the département (66) and the last
three show the commune.
Some useful vocab
accusé de réception - acknowledgement of receipt
adresse de réexpédition - forwarding address
timbre - stamp
destinataire inconnu - unknown
expéditeur - sender
guichet - counter
port payé - postage paid
retour à l'envoyeur - return to sender
colis - parcel
enveloppe prêt à poster - pre paid envelope
la levée - collection
Here is an article out of a past PO Life (number 26) which may help
The French village post office is a bit of a national institution. The fact that you can still find one in most small villages is really rather nice, particularly given that they offer banking with very low charges and a widening range of services.
However, if you don’t wish to hear about the
state of Mme Dupont’s chilblains or the results
of M. Leblanc’s latest miracle haemorrhoid
cream, you may prefer to choose, buy and
print out your stamps on line at www.laposte.
com. (English-language site).
There are 200 different stamp designs to choose
from, and you can even create your own stamps
with personal photos of the dog, the motherin-
law…You will also find a calculator on the
site to help you to work out how much postage
your letter or parcel requires, dependant on
weight and destination.
Alternatively, many post offices have
automatic stamp machines (coins only)
with instructions available in English. These
allow you to weigh letters and packages and
issue postage in the form of the appropriate
vignettes d'affranchissement.
Registered mail :
If you wish the recipient of your letter or parcel
to sign at the other end, send it recommandé.
If you would also like to receive confirmation
that the recipient has signed and accepted
the mail, it should be sent as recommandé
avec accusé de réception. This is particularly
recommended if you are sending valuable
items, legal documents or anything that might
later lead to dispute.
Moving house?
The post office will either redirect your
post to a temporary or permanent address
(réexpédition du courrier) or hold on to it at
the post office until you are ready to collect
it. (garde du courrier). You may also arrange
for your post to be sent directly to the post
office if you do not yet have an official address
(poste restante).
Post codes:
The first two numbers of the post code
represent the département (66) and the last
three show the commune.
Some useful vocab
accusé de réception - acknowledgement of receipt
adresse de réexpédition - forwarding address
timbre - stamp
destinataire inconnu - unknown
expéditeur - sender
guichet - counter
port payé - postage paid
retour à l'envoyeur - return to sender
colis - parcel
enveloppe prêt à poster - pre paid envelope
la levée - collection