If the address information on a letter is incomplete or incorrect, the letter is delivered to Traficom which tries to ascertain the correct addressee or sender. Traficom keeps the letter for six months.
Posti Ltd. and other postal undertakings are obliged to deliver a letter to the address marked on the item. Postal undertakings must also try to ascertain the correct address information of the recipient, if it is incomplete or incorrect. If the address information on the item is so incomplete or incorrect that the postal undertaking cannot ascertain the correct address of the recipient or return the item to the sender, the letter is delivered to Traficom.
Traficom may open letters
Traficom may open a letter if it is necessary in order to find out the addressee or sender.
If the postal item contains information based on which it may be conveyed onward, Traficom returns the item to a postal undertaking to be redelivered either to the addressee or the sender. If the contact information of the addressee or the sender cannot be found in the content of the postal item, either, Traficom keeps the item for six months.
The item will be destroyed if the addressee or sender does not enquire after the item within six months. If the item only contains goods, it is returned to the postal undertaking which is responsible for handling undeliverable goods items.
Traficom may also open the letter if its content prevents it from being redelivered by aircraft for safety reasons. Traficom removes from the item any content that would prevent its redelivery and returns the item to a postal undertaking for delivery. Any content removed from the item is always destroyed without complying with the six-month period.
In case of undeliverable items, it is advised to always contact the postal undertaking first. The postal undertaking is best able to find out what has happened to the postal item.