PostNL Privacy Statement

You sometimes share personal details with us, such your address, so we can deliver (a) parcel(s) to your home. We are committed to protecting this personal data, and we comply with the laws and regulations regarding the use and retention of this data. We would like to explain to you how we use your personal data. This Privacy Statement applies to all businesses and services featuring the PostNL logo; these are all online services falling within the remit of PostNL Holding BV.

What is personal data?

‘Personal data’ refers to data which provides information about you or which we can somehow relate to you, such as your name and address. You might share personal information with us in the following situations:

You are a PostNL customer.
You have been in contact with us.
You have been using one or several of our services.

If you visit our website or use our app, you may, in some cases, share personal data with us.

Why do we process your personal data?

We process your personal data because we seek to provide you with personalised services. We use information relating to you which we have stored for this purpose, so as to enable us to assist you as quickly and efficiently as we can if you have any questions regarding any of our services. By ‘processing’, we mean storing, analysing, altering/updating/modifying, deleting, forwarding, etc.

How do we use your personal data?

Below you can read about the various ways in which we use your personal data.

We do our work

PostNL provides a full range of services, including:

Delivering parcels and mail
Storage Service
Digital Stamps
Forwarding Service
Next-of-kin Service
Online Shipping Tool
Relocation Service

We require your name and address for many of these services.

We will notify you when your parcel is on the way

If you have ordered an item for home delivery, we will keep you updated by sending you an email containing the status of your order. Alternatively, we may do this by sending you push messages through the PostNL-app, or you can track your status using our Track & Trace feature.

We make sure the PostNL-app works properly

The PostNL-app enables you to track your parcel or, for example, to see which mail items are on the way to you.

We make sure the PostNL website works properly

We use your personal data to analyse how you use the website. We use our customer data to ensure the site operates as effectively as possible.

Sometimes we share your data with authorities

In some cases, we are compelled to provide personal data to various authorities, including the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM), law enforcement authorities, and investigation services. We always check the competencies of these authorities before sharing this data.

We improve our services

We can improve our services by analysing and aggregating information derived from personal data. In analysing this information, we use anonymous data as much as possible which we cannot link to any individuals. Examples of items we create and improve through this analysis includes:

We improve pages and forms on our website.
We resolve the root causes of complaints.
We develop new products, such as the Stamp Code, which you can use to send cards if you have run out of stamps.
We produce reports for other organisations. These reports never contain any names and addresses, as this information relates to large groups of users (e.g. the number of parcels delivered in a specific postcode area).

We provide you with interesting information on our website and the PostNL-app

We are pleased to share with you information on our website and the PostNL-app which is interesting to you, and we analyse your interests by carefully checking the following:

When, and how often, do you visit the website?
What pages do you view?
What search terms do you enter?

If you give your consent, we will create a profile of you and store cookies on your phone, tablet or computer.

We also create different groups of users which are highly similar to each other – a process known as profiling. Business customers, for example, are interested in other products than consumers. This enables us to determine, for example, which products suit your needs and interests, or what questions you might like to ask us.

If you hold a PostNL account and have given your consent, we will create a customer profile for you and combine the information from your profile with other information relating to you which we may have in our possession, e.g. how many parcels you send on an annual basis. We will then create a customer profile, so as to be able to tailor our website and e-mails to your needs and interests, while our employees can use your customer profile to provide you with superior assistance and support.

In addition, we can, with your permission, use encrypted keys to display relevant advertisements to you on websites outside PostNL.

We prevent fraud

As part of our ongoing efforts to control and prevent fraud, we also use personal data if we believe someone is misusing our service. For example, we check video images if we suspect that an employee has engaged in fraud.

We read job applicants' CVs

If you apply for a job with us, you send us your CV. We will keep this document and use it as reference during (an) interview(s). Read more about what we do with your personal data.

We use our employees' personal data

We use the personal data of employees and former employees for various purposes, including to pay their salaries. The law provides for what types of employee personal data we are authorised or required to have on file.

Whom does PostNL collect personal data from?

We keep personal data from anyone who has been in contact with us either directly or indirectly. An example of indirect contact is if you order an item from an online retailer and PostNL delivers the parcel to your home. In this case, you have not shared your address with us personally, but we receive it from the retailer instead.
We are also in possession of personal data relating to contacts, representatives and vendors with whom we maintain business relationships.

What types of personal data do we process?

Below is a list of the categories of personal data we process:

Mail delivery

Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Document number of each letter or card

Parcel delivery

Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Document number of parcel

Storage service

As part of this service, we temporarily store your mail instead of delivering it to your home. After the retention period, all mail held for you during your absence will be delivered to your home. Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address

Digital Stamps

You can stamp your mail by printing the appropriate amount on labels: Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address
The amounts you use to stamp your mail

Forwarding Service

This service enables you to temporarily have your mail delivered to a different address. Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address

Next-of-kin Service

This service enables you to have mail addressed to a deceased person delivered to another address. Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address
Death certificate
Identification document of the estate executor (if applicable)
Statement of power of administration provided by a civil-law notary (if applicable)

Online Shipping Tool

You can use this service to send parcels quickly and efficiently. Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address
Telephone number
Sex
Date of birth
Bank account number
Username and password
User logins
IP address of your PC, mobile or tablet

Relocation Service

This service allows you to have your mail delivered to your new address. Alternatively, you can arrange for us to share your address with companies and organisations personally selected by you. Some examples of data we process:

Name
Address
Email address
Date of birth
Sex

PostNL's website and app

When you visit our website or use our app, we process your personal data. Some examples of data we process:

The IP address of your PC, mobile or tablet.
Details regarding your visit to the site or use of the app:
- When did you visit these pages?
- What were you looking for/what search terms did you enter?
- Are you logged in to PostNL?
Your cookie settings.
Information we collect by using cookies. In our Cookie Statement, we explain what types of cookies we use and why, and how you can change your cookie settings.

PostNL's app

The PostNL-app may use the following personal data:

Your location details, for example to find a post office in your area.
Your address book, for example to send a card to one of the contacts in your address book.
Your camera – for example, to upload a picture or scan a code. You must give permission for this.

We only use this data for these activities – we do not store the data and do not use it for any other purposes.

Your feedback on PostNL and about PostNl on social media

If you ask PostNL a question on social media or tag PostNL in a social-media post, we will save the message and your account name. This allows us to respond to your message and share information on PostNL.

Your PostNL account

If you have a PostNL account, you can use your personal data for multiple PostNL services. We track what services you use, and with what frequency. We store your ID account number for this purpose.

Customer service

You can phone, and chat with, our customer service agents. If you chat, we will save the chat and we also keep records of the details of all phone calls – which is convenient if you contact us again in the future. Sometimes we outsource our customer service to a third-party service provider; in this case, this organisation will save your data. However, they will save this data only for the benefit of PostNL.

If you are applying to PostNL

If you are applying for a job with us, we will process all the data you have included in your CV.

If you are a PostNL employee

We keep various personal data relating to employees and former employees. If you would like to know what data this involves, please contact our HR department.

With whom do we share this personal data?

As a rule, we do not share your data with any individuals or organisations outside PostNL, except when this is necessary to provide the service we have promised you, for example if you are using our Relocation Service. In this case, you indicate which companies should receive your address change through PostNL. In some cases, we may be required to provide personal data, for example when reporting cases of fraud. The following organisations are entitled by law to request data from us in specific cases:

Law enforcement agencies
Judicial organisations
Regulators such as the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) and the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM)
Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst)

How long do we store your data?

We generally do not retain your data any longer than necessary. How long we keep your data depends on the following factors:

For what purpose do we store your data?
How long are we required by law to store the data?

How do we protect your personal data?

We seek to treat your data with the highest level of security in the following ways:

We spend a significant amount of time and money on protecting our systems containing personal data. We have a specific department for this purpose: Cybersecurity.
If there is a problem involving our security, causing people outside PostNL to be able to view the personal data, or if there is a situation which creates a risk of the data being compromised, we make a record of this and handle the situation with care. We report these incidents to the regulator, and, if necessary, to you.
Only employees who require access to your data can view this data. All our employees have signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which remains in force even after they have left the company.
Our data processing operations are supervised by two organisations and a dedicated Data Protection Officer:
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) monitors whether we comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.
- The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) monitors whether we deal appropriately with:
  - Cookies
  - Direct marketing
  - The National Do Not Call Registry (bel-me-niet-register)
- The Data Protection Officer monitors whether PostNL handles personal data appropriately, and its legal duties are provided for under the law. The Data Protection Officer reports directly to the management board. If you have any questions for the Data Protection Officer, please send an e-mail to: fg@postnl.nl.

What are your rights in relation to the personal data we store on you?

You are permitted to perform the following acts with the personal data we keep on you:

View/access
Update/correct
Restrict
Delete
Object to the processing of the data
Receive the data in a manner that enables you to easily share it with others

Viewing and updating your data in your PostNL account

You can view and update your data in the following ways:

If you hold a PostNL account, you will see what data we store on you. There are many details you can change on the spot.
Please use this form to request or update your personal data. Alternatively, you can also object to the processing of your personal data.
If you have no computer or do not wish to send an e-mail, please send a letter, enclosing a copy of your identity document (for example, a passport or driving licence). Please note: make sure your Citizen Service Number/Burgerservicenummer (if applicable) is invisible on the copy of your ID. We request that you also write down the date and the reason for sending us a copy. This is a way of preventing fraud. Please send your letter, along with a copy of your ID, to the following address:

PostNL
Privacy Office
Verzoek persoonsgegevens (Personal data request)
Postbus 30250
2500 GG The Hague

You will receive a reply by mail, so as to prevent others from viewing your personal data.

About this Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement applies to all businesses and services featuring the PostNL logo and was created on 23 May 2018. This Privacy Statement is subject to change.

Do you have any questions about privacy?

If you have any questions after reading this Privacy Statement about how we use your personal data, please contact our Customer Service department or our Data Protection Officer: fg@postnl.nl.
Of course, we hope that we answer your privacy-related questions correctly. If you are nevertheless dissatisfied with our response, please submit a complaint to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).