India Post to say goodbye to registered post, merge service with speed post

Bengaluru: Starting September 1, registered post will be merged with speed post, ending one of India Post’s oldest services. 

The move — communicated through an internal circular issued by India Post — is aimed at streamlining the postal process and building a unified framework, said a senior official at the Bengaluru General Post Office (GPO). 

In the interest of security, registered post is specific to the addressee and is only delivered to the intended recipient. Hence, it is also known as secure post. On the other hand, speed post is focused on time-bound delivery and is only address-specific — anyone present at the specified address can receive the mail. 

Registered post is often used to deliver important documents such as legal notices and government correspondence, and the service has seen a decline in demand in recent times. 

“With the merger of the two services, going forward, there will be an add-on service. People will be able to make speed post address- or addressee-specific,” the official said.  The high court of Karnataka is also currently in the process of replacing registered post with speed post. 

However, the merger will not have any impact on the price of the speed post. “In fact, locally, the merger will be economical,” the official said. 

A registered post, weighing up to 20 gm, costs Rs 22 to be mailed locally.

For a local speed post, weighing up to 50 gm, the cost is Rs 15, and the ‘One India One Rate’ of Rs 35 applies pan-India. The tariffs mentioned are exclusive of taxes.