Letter returned to sender: what to do

The letter came back — with a red sticker or the note 'recipient unknown'. Annoying, but no reason to panic. Here are the most common reasons and how to get the letter properly on its way again.

Why does a letter come back?

The post office usually sticks the reason onto the envelope. The most common notes:

"Recipient unknown": The name is not on the letterbox — with authorities and companies often a department or P.O. box problem.
"Moved": The recipient has moved without a forwarding order — or the order has expired.
"Address incomplete/incorrect": A typo in the street, postcode or house number.
"Acceptance refused": The recipient deliberately did not accept the letter — legally this can still count as receipt.

Magnifying glass over an address label on an envelope, beside it a checklist with a correction — Check the address first: a typo in the house number is the most common reason for a return.

Step by step: what now?

Read the note: The sticker or stamp reveals the reason.
Check the address: Compare name, street, house number, postcode and city with the source (contract, letterhead, imprint). The guide Addressing an envelope correctly shows the correct format.
Find the new address: For "moved", an enquiry at the registration office or a look at the website's imprint helps.
Re-address and resend: Take a new envelope, label it correctly, frank it sufficiently — the postage calculator shows the current price.

The special case of deadline letters

If the letter was a cancellation or an objection with a deadline, the return does not count as receipt — the deadline keeps running. Act immediately: corrected address, new dispatch, ideally by Einwurfeinschreiben or online via the letter editor with a dispatch confirmation. More on proof in Proving receipt of letters.

Tip: When you send the letter online, the address is checked before printing — typos are caught immediately.