Power of Attorney for Package Pickup at La Poste: 2026 Model

Introduction

Every year, millions of French residents find themselves unable to personally collect a package or registered letter from La Poste or an authorized pickup point. Business travel, hospitalization, reduced mobility: there are many reasons. The legal and practical solution is called a power of attorney for package pickup. But how do you draft it correctly so it is accepted without difficulty? What mentions are mandatory? Is a free-form paper model sufficient in 2026? This article guides you step by step, from legal mentions to downloadable templates, including the specifics of pickup points and registered letters.

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What is a power of attorney for package pickup?

Legal definition and scope

A power of attorney (or mandate) is an act by which a person, called the principal, authorizes another person, called the agent, to act on their behalf to accomplish a specific act. In postal matters, it involves authorizing a third party to physically receive a shipment (package, registered letter, notice of delivery) on your behalf.

Legally, this document is based on articles 1984 to 2010 of the French Civil Code relating to mandate. A postal power of attorney is a special mandate: it is limited to a specific act (the withdrawal of a specific shipment or all mail during a given period). It does not necessarily require the intervention of a notary or bailiff for everyday acts—a simple written document on free-form paper suffices, provided that essential mentions are present.

For a deeper understanding of power of attorney in all its forms, consult the comprehensive power of attorney and mandate guide from Certyneo.

Package pickup vs registered letter pickup: what are the differences?

La Poste distinguishes two main categories of shipments that may require a power of attorney:

• Standard package (Colissimo, international package): in case of absence at delivery, a notice of delivery is left and the package is held at the post office or pickup point. The power of attorney allows a third party to collect it.
• Registered letter (with or without acknowledgment of receipt): it requires a signature from the recipient or their agent. The power of attorney must be particularly rigorous here, as the registered letter often has probative value (notice of default, legal act, official document).

In both cases, the agent must present the original power of attorney and a valid form of identification (national identity card, passport). Some post offices also request a copy of the principal's identification.

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What must a free-form power of attorney for La Poste contain in 2026?

Mandatory mentions

La Poste does not impose an official proprietary form for occasional powers of attorney. A document drafted on free-form paper is accepted, provided it includes the following elements:

1. Complete identity of the principal: name, first name, full address, identification number and its validity date.
2. Complete identity of the agent: same information.
3. Precise purpose of the power of attorney: description of the shipment to be collected (tracking number if available, nature of shipment: package, registered letter, notice of delivery no.…), or general mandate limited to a defined period.
4. Post office or pickup point concerned: exact address.
5. Duration of validity: explicit expiration date or mention "valid until collection of the aforementioned shipment".
6. Handwritten signature of the principal: essential to authenticate the document.
7. Date and place of drafting.

Free-form power of attorney model (2026)

Here is a power of attorney model that you can copy or print:

``` I, the undersigned, [NAME First name], born on [date of birth], residing at [full address], holder of identification no. [number], valid until [date],

give power of attorney to:

[NAME First name of agent], born on [date of birth], residing at [full address], holder of identification no. [number], valid until [date],

to collect on my behalf the [package / registered letter] referenced under the tracking number [XXXXXXXXXXXX] at the post office / pickup point located at [office address], until [deadline for holding].

Done at [city], on [date]. Principal's signature: _______________ ```

Can a digital power of attorney be drafted for La Poste?

This is a question many ask in 2026. Technically, European legislation (eIDAS Regulation no. 910/2014) recognizes the legal value of electronically signed documents. However, La Poste France currently requires the physical presentation of an original signed document in virtually all its offices for package and registered letter pickup. A document printed from an email or an unsigned PDF will generally be refused at the counter.

In a logic of modernizing documentary processes, solutions such as those described in our electronic signature guide allow nevertheless to prepare, store and track internal powers of attorney in organizations—which is particularly useful for mail services of large organizations.

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Pickup at a pickup point: what are the specifics?

Operation of authorized La Poste pickup points

Since the deployment of the network of partner pickup points (neighborhood stores, tobacconists-newsstands, small supermarkets), La Poste has over 17,000 pickup points in mainland France according to data published by the La Poste group in 2025. These pickup points handle approximately 30% of packages held.

Partner merchants apply identical pickup rules to those of post offices: mandatory presentation of the notice of delivery (or tracking number) and an identification document of the recipient or agent accompanied by the power of attorney.

Power of attorney for pickup point: additional precautions

Unlike a post office managed by trained La Poste agents, merchants at pickup points may have varying interpretations of the documents they accept. To maximize acceptance:

• Explicitly mention the name and address of the pickup point in the power of attorney.
• If possible, attach a copy (front and back) of your identification.
• If the package contains a valuable item, specify it in the power of attorney to avoid any dispute.
• Check in advance the duration of holding: at pickup points, it is often 10 business days before return to sender.

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Permanent power of attorney vs occasional power of attorney: which to choose?

The occasional power of attorney (or special)

This is the most common and most recommended form. It concerns a specific shipment (identified by its tracking number), a specific office, and expires once the package is collected or beyond a deadline. It limits the risk of abuse and is more easily accepted by agents.

The temporary power of attorney over a period

Certain cases—prolonged hospitalization, temporary expatriation—require a power of attorney covering all mail during several weeks or months. La Poste offers in this case the official service "Procuration Courrier" (formerly Postal Mandate), subscribed directly at the post office or online on laposte.fr. This paid service (~18 € for 6 months in 2026) offers a secure and enforceable framework.

For businesses wishing to systematize the management of their internal mandates, the AI contract generator from Certyneo allows you to produce and sign standardized powers of attorney in minutes, with complete traceability.

Cases where free-form power of attorney is insufficient

Certain shipments cannot be collected on a simple free-form power of attorney:

• Items under judicial seals: require authorization from the court office.
• Shipments in customs with significant declared value: separate customs procedure.
• International Colissimo with required signature and high insured value: La Poste may require a notarized power of attorney.
• Official registered items from tax or judicial authorities: check with the sender whether a third-party agent is accepted.

Legal framework applicable to postal power of attorney

Civil Code: foundations of mandate

The postal power of attorney is based on the legal regime of mandate as defined in articles 1984 to 2010 of the French Civil Code. Article 1984 states that "mandate or power of attorney is an act by which a person gives to another the power to do something for the mandatary and in their name". The special mandate (limited to a specific act) is expressly provided for in article 1987. The principal is bound by acts accomplished by the agent within the limits of the mandate (art. 1998).

The power of attorney act is not subject to any particular formality for everyday acts: it can be established by a private agreement, that is, a simple written document signed by the principal, without the intervention of a public officer, in accordance with article 1372 of the Civil Code.

Probative value and authenticity

Article 1363 of the Civil Code recalls that a private agreement document has the same probative force as an authentic deed between the parties. In case of dispute over the authenticity of the signature, it is up to the one who contests it to provide proof (art. 1373).

Regarding electronic signature, articles 1366 and 1367 of the Civil Code establish the principle of its equivalence to a handwritten signature, provided that the identity of the signatory is duly assured and the document is guaranteed in its integrity. These provisions transpose the eIDAS Regulation no. 910/2014 of the European Parliament and Council of 23 July 2014, which establishes three levels of electronic signature (simple, advanced, qualified) and their mutual recognition within the European Union.

eIDAS Regulation and practical limits

Although the eIDAS regulation fully recognizes the legal value of qualified electronic signature (QES), La Poste as a postal operator applies its own operational control procedures at the counter. In the absence of a device for verifying an electronic signature at a post office, the physical presentation of a paper power of attorney with a handwritten signature remains the operational standard for pickups at counters and pickup points in 2026.

Personal data protection (GDPR)

A power of attorney contains sensitive personal data (identification number, address, date of birth). GDPR Regulation no. 2016/679 requires that this data be processed with appropriate security safeguards. If you use a digital service to generate or store your powers of attorney, ensure that the service provider is GDPR compliant and appoints a DPO where necessary. Certyneo, as a B2B electronic signature platform, applies GDPR standards and CNIL recommendations on secure storage of electronic documents.

Legal risks in case of irregular power of attorney

An incomplete or fraudulent power of attorney poses serious risks. For the principal: if the power of attorney is too vague, the agent could claim powers beyond what was intended. For the agent: acting without a valid power of attorney to collect mail belonging to another person may constitute a violation of the secrecy of correspondence (article L. 226-15 of the Penal Code), punishable by one year's imprisonment and a fine of €45,000.

Concrete use scenarios

Scenario 1: An employee on extended business travel

An independent consultant frequently working on missions abroad regularly receives registered letters from their accounting firm, URSSAF, and clients. Away several weeks a month, they authorize their spouse via a free-form power of attorney drafted for each identified shipment. Since adopting this systematic practice—maintaining a pre-filled power of attorney template, to be completed in less than 5 minutes—they estimate having avoided about ten returns of held shipments per year, each generating 3 to 5 additional days of delay. The time savings in administrative work is estimated at 4 to 6 hours per year, not counting reshipment fees.

Scenario 2: A small business with shared mail service

A small structure of 8 employees, specializing in HR consulting, frequently receives packages of office equipment and registered letters from social organizations. The administrative manager handles all incoming mail, including shipments addressed to absent associates. To secure these pickups, the structure has established permanent nominative powers of attorney (lasting 12 months, renewed annually) in the name of the administrative manager, signed by each associate. This arrangement, combined with the electronic signature for HR teams that it uses for its contracts, allows it to centralize and trace all internal mandates in a secure digital folder. It thus reduces receipt disputes to nearly zero and saves approximately 2 hours of monthly management.

Scenario 3: An elderly person with reduced mobility

A person over 75 years old, living alone and with reduced mobility, regularly orders medications and medical equipment by mail. Unable to travel to the post office or pickup point, they have drafted with the help of a social worker a permanent power of attorney for 6 months in favor of a close relative, with a copy of the identification of both parties. This document, kept in duplicate (one with the agent, one with the principal), is accepted without difficulty in the post offices of their municipality. Home care associations report that this type of well-drafted power of attorney reduces by 80% the cases of uncollected packages returned to sender for their beneficiaries.

Conclusion

Drafting a power of attorney for the collection of a package or registered letter at La Poste or a pickup point does not require particular legal skills, but demands rigor. In 2026, a free-form paper document, dated, signed by hand and mentioning the complete identity of the principal, the agent and the precise purpose of the power of attorney remains the operational standard accepted by La Poste and its relay partners. For occasional needs, use the model provided in this article. For recurring needs, La Poste's official mail power of attorney service or a secure documentary management solution is necessary.

Are you a business or professional looking to systematize the management of your internal powers of attorney and mandates with complete legal traceability? Discover the Certyneo solution and create, sign and archive your powers of attorney in minutes, in compliance with the eIDAS regulation.