Where is the post office in Playa Del Carmen?
Do you need to mail post cards off to tell everyone what a good time you are having? You might have a hard time finding the Post Office or even spotting a mailman in Playa Del Carmen. You can live in Playa for months before ever seeing a mail delivery person.
You have to know what they look like, usually they are on a motorcycle with the lime green and pink colored uniform. The truth is, mail here in Mexico is very different from other places . Most people don’t use it. In fact you will be hard pressed to find mail boxes on houses. A lot of the time mail is left in gates and even bushes. It is a good thing that most things don’t go by mail, and you don’t get much junk mail in Mexico.
If you do own a house or condo, it is good to set up your own box in case, you do get mail. If you miss paying your electric or water then you might find yourself in the dark or without water very quickly, so getting your bill, and paying on time is important.
Mexican Post for Mailing
Mexican Post is a good service if you have bought something that is too big for your suitcase, or you have extra stuff from traveling and want to send it home. Some higher end stores will offer shipping of bought items to your home country if you are in Playa Del Carmen on vacation, but the cost is often too exorbitant. There are companies like DHL and FedEx, but the cost is significantly higher, sometimes triple or more the cost of the item you want to send. If you do send something Mexican Post, it is good to register your package and get the tracking for it so you can follow it. If you have something very important and need it quickly sent, then using DHL or FedEx is a better recommendation. If you go into the Post office in Playa Del Carmen, you will be surprised to see people wrapping up things to be sent that seem impossible to make it to their destination, but they do. We once saw a person trying to box up a child size train with track in a makeshift box and a lot of tape. The truth is most things get to where they are supposed to go and in a reasonable amount of time.
If there is more than 5 people in line, you might be in for a long wait. The regular guy that works there is very knowledgeable and helpful, but things do move slowly. The good thing is when it is your turn you will be treated as if you are the only one there and get attention for your needs.
Here are some of the services offered at the post office here in Playa
These services might be of benefit to tourist and those that now live in Playa Del Carmen.
- Letters and post cards sent.
- National package delivery
- Money orders
- Express delivery of documents and packages
- Poste Restante, this service enables the user to receive correspondence in the post office of his choice, either because there is no delivery at his physical address, he is temporarily away from his address, or simply he prefers that correspondence delivery be confidential.
- Post Office boxes.
- Tracking
- Registered Mail
- Postal insurance
Location
The main post office in downtown Playa Del Carmen is on 2nd St. between 20th Avenue and 25th Avenue. Here is a photo so you can find it. As you can see from the photo, you could easily miss it if you did not know what to look for.
Since you might be in the area of the Post Office you should check out the roast chicken restaurant right across the street from the Post Office. It is called Asadero El Pollo, and we highly recommend this very local place.
About The Author
Hi Mr Yucatan,
Useful post, as usual.
If we live in a gated community, do they deliver there or should I use poste restate?
They should deliver to you. Every private community or building is different. Some have a main gate or office where mail goes and then they deliver it to your door. In general though most people don’t get anything in the mail. That means no junk mail, but since people are not used to getting mail everyday, you can miss bills or forget about things easily.
Thanks for the info. My wife had been asking me about a mailman and we both had not even seen one and had no idea where the post office was in Playa Del Carmen. Not that we needed it, but googled it and found your article.
You are not the only ones that had not see a mailman or the post office. They certainly are not as viable as the mail in other countries. But, often they get the job done and the good thing is, there is a lot less junk mail here in Mexico!
I am amazed that anything can get mailed in Mexico. The post office always has a line but the guy that usually works there is very used to helping foreigners.
I mailed some post cards from the post office in Playa Del Carmen and they arrived about 3 1/2 weeks later at home. It worked but slow as anything.
Very good to hear about the post office. I was wondering where it was and could not find the info anywhere online.
I am waiting for some mail to arrive in playa, it was sent to the hotel I am staying at express from Australia and with my tracking I could see it arrived in Mexico City on the 16th of February but it has not been updated since then. Just wondering if anyone might have an idea of how long it would take to get from Mexico City to playa as I am waiting here until it arrives before I can continue with the rest of my trip.
Thanks
It can take one to two weeks at times from Mexico City to Playa Del Carmen but generally is faster. We would check with the post office here and ask if they can give you any insight. If it was something that needed to go through customs or needed to be inspected, it might take longer.
Do the residents of Playa del Carmen get a message to their cell phone when the package get to the maill?
No there is no such service.
Hi there,
Do you know if they post internationally from Playa Del Carmen to Australia?
Thank you for this post! Was helpful 🙂
You can do this. It is much more affordable than DHL and Fedex but if it is something important, it is better to ship with the big companies. You will have a tracking number for the whole journey and much faster service.
I cant figure out how to write address for package im sending to playa del carmen from canada how is it donr
You should be able to ask the business or person what their address is. The format is basic. Name, Street, Colonia or neighborhood, City and zip code plus in this case you would add Mexico and the country.
Hello Mr Yucatan!
Thanks for the helpful information. Can you tell me how much it is to get a Post Office box in Playa del Carmen?
We don’t think they offer that service, but we could be wrong. The places that might be better suited are Fed-ex or one of the shipping companies. For example, Fed-ex offers package collection services.
Hi,
Was wondering if I want to post my souvenirs back to New Zealand should I go to Mexican Post or DHL etc? I’m on a tour and have limited amount of time before leaving a place and going to another place.
Thank you
Mexican post will be much cheaper but will take longer. DHL is much more secure and quicker but cost more.
Hi,
Thank you for this post. My bank in Canada is sending mail through UPS. They were unable to give me a tracking number and I have my phone off for roaming. I worried i will miss the delivery. Do you know if they will leave a delivery slip? Or try contacting me through whats app? I am in an Airbnb. Thank you
UPS is not as big in Mexico as some of the other delivery services. They do have 4 centers in Playa. Check with them because they will be able to hold or have your package somewhere if it cannot be delivered. Sometimes delivery services will call you, but most of the time it is easier for them to attempt to deliver quickly and then hold it at a center where you have to go pick it up.
Thank you, much appreciated