Expat Guide: Postal Services in Portugal
The postal service in Portugal was introduced in 1533 by King Manuel I. Today CTT (Correios e Telecomunicações) is the national postal service. Many expats claim that the postal service in Portugal is better than that in the UK. CTT stands for Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones. There are over 1,000 post offices (correios) in the country. Most of them are open on weekdays from 08:30-18:00 and on Saturday mornings until 12:30. People who live in rural areas prefer to rent an apartado (post office box) and collect mail themselves. Portugal's state-owned monopoly postal service offers a number of services, including: • Collection and delivery of letters • Economy, Normal, Priority or Express postal services • Money transfer • Stationery • Payment of bills • Sending and receipt of faxes • Public phone booths • Insurance packages • Mail forwarding • Advertising mail • Delivery of specific parcel products • Online auctions Most cities have two or more post offices. Customers Li