British Forces Post Office (BFPO) Information

The British Forces Post Office, or BFPO for short, is quite an interesting and vital service for our armed forces. Imagine you’re a soldier, sailor, or air force personnel stationed far from home, perhaps in a different country or even on a ship. Staying in touch with family and friends back home is so important, isn’t it? Well, that’s where the BFPO steps in, acting a bit like a travelling post office.

What the BFPO does is really quite special. It provides mail services for the British military wherever they are stationed around the world. This means whether someone is serving in a remote base in the Falklands, a camp in Germany, or aboard a Royal Navy ship, they can send and receive letters and parcels just like we do at home. It’s a bit of normality in what can sometimes be challenging environments.

The service is not just for sending birthday cards and care packages, though those are really important. It’s also used for official military communications. So, it’s a bit of a lifeline, really, connecting those serving abroad with their command and control structures back in the UK.

One of the nifty things about the BFPO is its numbering system. Every location where British forces are stationed has its own unique BFPO number. This number acts like a postal code and ensures that mail gets to the right place. For example, BFPO 16 is for Akrotiri in Cyprus. So, if you’re sending a parcel to someone there, you just pop that number on the address, and off it goes, zipping through the postal system to the right destination.

But it’s not just about sending things. The BFPO also offers a range of postal services like registered and express delivery, just like the Royal Mail. Plus, they’ve got a system in place for e-blueys, which are electronic versions of those traditional blue aerogrammes. These allow quick, free messages to be sent to personnel stationed abroad, which is pretty cool.

Below are the current active BFPO locations and accompanying postcodes (January 2024). For up to date postal information we recommened you visit the official BFPO webpage on the UK’s Government’s website here – https://www.gov.uk/bfpo . The data and tables below has been copied from the official BFPO webpage.

Germany BFPO locations

Free mail service – no

Weight – up to 20kg at a Post Office, up to 30kg for online orders

Size for online orders – length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres, and a single side must not be more than 1 metre 5cm

Isolated detachments box numbers

UK BFPO locations

Free mail service – no

Weight – up to 20kg at a Post Office, up to 30kg for online orders

Size for online orders – length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres, a single side must not be more than 1 metre 5cm

Rest of Europe BFPO locations

Free mail service – no

Weight – up to 20kg at a Post Office, up to 30kg for online orders

Size for online orders – length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres, a single side must not be more than 1 metre 5cm

Online orders to Cyprus can use the Premium service – length, depth and width must add up to less than 3 metres and a single side must not be more than 1 metre 50cm.

Rest of the world BFPO locations

Free mail service – no

Weight – up to 20kg at a Post Office, up to 30kg for online orders

Size for online orders – length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres, a single side must not be more than 1 metre 5cm

Online orders to the Falklands and Ascension island can use the Premium service – length, depth and width must add up to less than 3 metres and a single side must not be more than 1 metre 50cm.

HM Ships

Weight – up to 11kg

Length – up to 1 metre 5cm

Size – the length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres

Contact BFPO to find out if you can use the enduring families free mail service.

Naval parties

Free mail service – no

Weight – up to 20kg at a Post Office, up to 30kg for online orders

Size for online orders – length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres, a single side must not be more than 1 metre 5cm

Operations

Free mail service – yes

Weight – up to 2kg

Length – up to 60cm

Size – the length, depth and width must not add up to more than 90cm

Exercises

Free mail service – no

Weight – depends on where you are sending it to

Length – up to 1 metre 5cm

Size – the length, depth and width must add up to less than 2 metres

The BFPO’s impact goes beyond the physical delivery of Mail

In a nutshell, the BFPO, or British Forces Post Office, plays an absolutely critical role in bridging the gap between the UK’s armed forces and their homes. When our service men and women are stationed in far-flung corners of the globe, often in challenging and sometimes dangerous environments, the connection to home becomes more than just a comfort – it’s a vital link to the life they’ve temporarily left behind.

This service does far more than just shuffle letters and parcels back and forth. It’s a tangible reminder of home, carrying with it not just news and updates from loved ones, but also the familiar comfort of receiving something from ‘back home’. Whether it’s a birthday card penned by a child’s hand, a care package filled with favourite snacks, or even just a simple letter, each item carries with it a piece of home, a sense of normality in the midst of an often unpredictable and alien environment.

But the BFPO’s impact goes beyond the physical delivery of mail. It’s about maintaining morale, an essential component in the wellbeing of those serving overseas. Imagine the boost to a soldier’s spirits on receiving a heartfelt note from family, or the joy of a sailor opening a package filled with small reminders of home. These moments can brighten even the hardest days, providing a much-needed emotional lift.

Vital for our service men and women and their families and communities