PO Box vs Virtual Mailbox in Spain: Which Is Right for You?

Prices and details from Correos and other providers were checked on 2 November 2026. Follow the links to see the current figures before you decide.

What Is a PO Box in Spain?

A PO box (apartado de correos, or apartado postal) is a lockable box at a Correos post office. Mail addressed to your box number is sorted by Correos and placed in your box, and you visit the office to collect it.

According to Correos’ apartado postal page, you can receive post in any town through a PO box without having a home there or being registered (empadronado) there. The box can be shared by up to five authorised people or companies, and the address only needs the box number, so your own name and home address stay private. You collect your post during the office’s opening hours, or you can ask Correos to deliver it to your home. Larger items that do not fit are kept inside the office, and a notice is left in your box.

What a PO box provides:

• A numbered box at a specific post office
• Secure storage for letters, with larger items held at the counter
• An address in the format: Apartado de Correos [number], [postcode], [town]

What a PO box does not provide:

• Mail scanning or digital access
• International forwarding
• Email or app notifications when mail arrives
• A street address. Many couriers deliver only to street addresses, and some organisations ask for one, so check with the sender first

How to Get a PO Box in Spain

Correos says you can take out an apartado at any of its offices. In practice it works like this:

1. Choose an office that you can reach easily during its opening hours, because that is where you will collect your post.
2. Ask at the counter for an apartado and choose a quarterly or annual contract. Correos will tell you what it needs from you to sign up.
3. Add any extra holders (up to five in total) if a partner, family member or business needs to use the same box.
4. Give out your new address as “Apartado de Correos” plus the number, then the postcode and town. Our guide to how to write a Spanish address shows the format.

What a PO box costs in 2026

These are Correos’ published 2026 prices, tax included:

Sources: Correos 2026 tariffs, Península y Baleares (PDF) and Correos 2026 tariffs, Canarias (PDF).

Getting a PO Box in Barcelona or Another Spanish City

The process is the same wherever you are: you sign up at a Correos office and collect from that office. What changes is the price, which is slightly lower in the Canary Islands because IGIC applies there instead of IVA. Big-city offices can be busy, so it is worth choosing one near where you live or work rather than the most central one.

If you want a street address in a city rather than a box number, Letterbox.es has addresses in Gran Canaria, Cambrils and Barcelona, where staff receive letters and parcels for you.

What Is a Virtual Mailbox in Spain?

A virtual mailbox is a service provided by a private company that gives you a real Spanish street address. Your mail is received at that address by staff, and you manage it remotely through an online portal.

Depending on your plan and provider, a virtual mailbox can:

• Receive and store your mail securely
• Scan your letters, so you can read them online
• Forward your physical mail to any address internationally
• Accept parcels from private couriers (DHL, MRW, SEUR, Amazon)
• Serve as a registered business address

What a virtual mailbox provides:

• A real street address (not a box number)
• Digital access to your mail from anywhere in the world
• Scanning, forwarding, and storage options
• Notifications when new mail arrives

Comparison Table

PO Box vs a Real Street Address for Official Letters

A PO box is a perfectly good place to receive ordinary letters. The question is whether it suits everything you need an address for. Forms from banks, insurers, employers and public bodies often ask for a street address, and each organisation sets its own rules about what it will accept. If a letter or form matters, ask the organisation which kind of address it needs before you give it a box number.

Registered letters are the other thing to think about. If nobody can collect in time, a signed-for letter can go back to the sender. Our guide to what happens to registered letters in Spain when you are away explains how notices and collection work. For non-residents, our guide to a postal address for non-residents in Spain covers which kinds of address suit which letters.

When a PO Box Is the Right Choice

A PO box makes sense in a narrow set of circumstances:

• You live in Spain full-time and can regularly visit your local post office
• You mainly receive letters — not parcels from private couriers
• You do not need digital access to your mail and are happy checking in person
• You want a low-cost option and your mail volume is low
• You do not need a street address for banking, business registration, or official purposes

For residents who are physically present and have simple mail needs, a PO box is a low-cost, no-frills option.

When a Virtual Mailbox Is the Right Choice

A virtual mailbox is the better option in most situations where you are not always physically present:

• You live abroad or spend extended periods outside Spain — you need digital access
• You receive registered mail from banks, tax authorities, or government agencies — you need someone to deal with it while you are away
• You receive parcels from online shopping, work equipment, or personal shipments
• You need a business address for company registration or professional correspondence
• You want notifications when mail arrives, rather than checking a physical box periodically
• You need international forwarding — a PO box does not offer this

If you are still deciding how to handle post before a move, our guide to receiving mail in Spain without living there covers the wider options, and PO box alternatives in Spain looks at other ways to get a private address.

Moving over from the UK? Our guide to redirecting UK post when you move to Gran Canaria covers the handover. If you travel around Spain, see how to receive post in a motorhome in Spain, and our guide on whether expats can receive Spanish post answers the common questions.

Privacy and the Real Cost of Each Option

Both options keep your home address off routine post. A PO box does it with a locked box; a virtual mailbox does it by having staff receive your post at a managed address. With a PO box, you only find out what has arrived when you open the box. With a virtual mailbox, you are told when something comes in and can decide what to do with it.

The monthly fee is only part of the cost. Trips to the post office, letters that wait weeks before anyone opens them, and parcels that go back to the sender all have a cost too. If none of those apply to you, a PO box is good value. If they do, a service that includes scanning and forwarding can work out cheaper overall.

Virtual Mailbox Providers in Spain

If you decide a virtual mailbox is the right choice, here are the main providers. For more detail, see our virtual mailbox providers in Spain compared.

Letterbox.es

• Location: Gran Canaria, Cambrils and Barcelona (with Madrid, London, Rome, Porto planned)
• Plans: €10/month (Receive & Hold), €15/month (Receive & Scan), €25/month (Receive, Scan & Send). See our plans and prices
• Parcel receiving: Yes, from all major couriers
• Business address: Yes
• Best for: Expats, non-residents, and businesses who need mail handling, parcel receiving, and business services from one provider

Roja Mail

• Location: Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Madrid, Seville, Valencia
• Plans: Store Only, Store + Scan and Store + Scan + Post, listed at €20, €25 and €30 a month when we checked (Roja Mail)
• Parcel receiving: Not prominently offered
• Business address: Lists “Virtual Address” products for Malaga and Barcelona
• Best for: Non-residents on mainland Spain who need a simple virtual mailbox for letters and documents

Anytime Mailbox

• Location: A global platform; its Spain page lists Tarragona and Valencia
• Plans: Vary by location; check the individual location page
• Parcel receiving: Varies by location
• Business address: Varies by location
• Best for: Digital nomads who need addresses in multiple countries on one platform

Cost Comparison

PO box prices are from Correos’ 2026 tariffs (linked above); Letterbox.es prices are from our plans page. A PO box is cheaper at the entry level, but once you factor in trips to the post office, the lack of digital access and collecting larger items from the counter, a virtual mailbox often gives better value for non-residents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a PO box in Spain?

It is an apartado de correos: a numbered, lockable box at a Correos office where your post is delivered for you to collect. You do not need to live in the town or be registered there to have one, and up to five people or companies can share it.

How much does a PO box cost in Spain?

Correos’ 2026 prices on the mainland and Balearics are €41.02 a quarter, or €99.84 for the first year and €91.83 a year after that, IVA included. In the Canary Islands they are €36.27 a quarter, or €88.29 and then €81.20 a year, IGIC included. A basic Letterbox.es virtual mailbox is €10 a month (€120 a year).

How do I get a PO box in Spain?

Go to the Correos office you want to collect from and ask for an apartado. Choose a quarterly or annual contract and add any extra holders. Correos will tell you what it needs from you to sign up. Your address is then “Apartado de Correos” plus the box number, postcode and town.

Can I get a PO box in Barcelona or another Spanish city?

Yes. Correos offers apartados through its offices, so you sign up at the office you want to collect from, in Barcelona or any other town. The price is the same across the mainland and Balearics and slightly lower in the Canary Islands. Bear in mind that a box number is not a street address, and some forms ask for one, so check with the organisation first.

Is there an alternative to a PO box with a real street address?

Yes. A virtual mailbox gives you a staffed street address where letters and parcels are received for you, scanned if you want, and forwarded when you ask. You can sign up online from abroad, and Letterbox.es has addresses in Gran Canaria, Cambrils and Barcelona. If you already have a PO box, you can switch by giving your new address to your bank and other senders before you cancel the box.

Conclusion

A PO box and a virtual mailbox solve different problems. If you live in Spain, visit the post office regularly, and mainly receive letters, a PO box is a low-cost option that works. For everyone else — non-residents, expats, digital nomads, business owners, or anyone who receives parcels or needs access to their mail remotely — a virtual mailbox is the more practical choice.

Letterbox.es plans start at €10 a month. For that, you get a real street address, digital access, and the peace of mind that your mail is being handled securely whether you are in Spain or anywhere else in the world.