PostNL (Sinterklaas)

Brief aan Sinterklaas (2026) — Letter to Sinterklaas from the Netherlands

Brief aan Sinterklaas — how to send a letter to Sinterklaas via PostNL, the postal address, the December 5 pakjesavond deadline, and how the reply program works.

Last verified against PostNL (Sinterklaas) sources: May 2026

Sinterklaas's address in Netherlands

Sinterklaas Postbus 167 8200 AD Lelystad Spanje

Copy the address exactly — extra punctuation or missing lines can route the letter to the wrong sorting office.

Mailing deadline

November 25

Reply rate

high

Postage required

Yes

Reply languages

Dutch

What makes this program different

→Dutch children write to Sinterklaas, who according to tradition lives in Spain (Spanje) and sails to the Netherlands by steamboat in mid-November.
→Gifts arrive on the evening of December 5 — Pakjesavond — not Christmas. Christmas Day in the Netherlands is more about family and quiet meals.
→The PostNL Sinterklaas mailbox at Postbus 167 in Lelystad handles the national Sinterklaas reply service. Standard Dutch stamp required.
→If you write in Dutch and include your address, you'll receive a reply on Sinterklaas letterhead. Letters in other languages may not be processed.

While you wait for Santa's reply

Once the letter is mailed, the wait begins. On Christmas Eve, you can watch Santa fly his sleigh through Netherlands in real time on our free Santa tracker. It's a privacy-first simulation that runs in your browser, no signup, no tracking — and we've been refining it for years.

A short history of the Netherlands Sinterklaas letter program

Sinterklaas — Saint Nicholas — has been the dominant gift-bringing figure in the Netherlands since the medieval period, and the modern celebration goes back to the 19th-century writer Jan Schenkman, whose 1850 book gave the world the steamboat, the white horse Amerigo, and most of the rituals Dutch families still follow today.

PostNL runs the official Sinterklaasbrief service from a dedicated mailbox at Postbus 167 in Lelystad. Letters are accepted from mid-November until late November, with replies sent on Sinterklaas letterhead before December 5. The service has run in some form since PostNL's predecessor PTT formalised it in the 1970s.

Sinterklaas's mid-November arrival from Spain by steamboat — the Intocht — is broadcast live on national television and pulls millions of viewers each year. Every Dutch town greets its own local Sinterklaas at the harbour or town square, and the letter-writing season kicks off the next day.

What kids in Netherlands traditionally ask for

🎁Dutch kids put a shoe (schoen) out at night during the weeks leading up to December 5, with a carrot or some hay for Amerigo, the white horse. In the morning the shoe contains a small gift, a chocolate letter (the first letter of the child's name), or pepernoten.
🎁Pakjesavond on December 5 is the main event — the whole family gathers and a big sack of presents either arrives at the door or is found waiting. Each gift comes with a hand-written poem (a sinterklaasgedicht) that gently teases the recipient. Adults exchange these too.
🎁Wishlists feature LEGO, books, Playmobil, and Dutch favourites like Nijntje (Miffy) merchandise for younger kids. Older kids increasingly ask for AirPods, gaming gear, and Ajax or PSV football kit.
🎁Christmas Day itself in the Netherlands is calm — a family meal, no gifts. The big commercial Christmas push lands later than in most of Europe because the gift-giving has already happened at Sinterklaas.

Sample letter template (Netherlands)

A starting point — change the names, the gift list, and the kind thing you did this year. Sinterklaas likes specifics over generic wish lists.

Dutch

Lieve Sinterklaas,

Ik heet [naam] en ik ben [leeftijd] jaar oud. Ik woon in [stad].

Ik ben dit jaar lief geweest. Ik heb [iets specifieks — geholpen thuis, lief geweest voor mijn broertje of zusje, mijn best gedaan op school].

Voor pakjesavond wil ik heel graag:
- [grootste wens]
- [kleinere wens]
- [kleine wens]

Ik leg een wortel en wat hooi in mijn schoen voor Amerigo, en ik heb een tekening voor je gemaakt (achterop deze brief). Goede reis vanuit Spanje!

Liefs,
[naam]

PS: Mijn adres is [adres] zodat je terug kunt schrijven.

English

Dear Sinterklaas,

My name is [name] and I am [age] years old. I live in [town].

I have been good this year. I [something specific — helped at home, was kind to my sibling, did well at school].

For Pakjesavond I would love:
- [main wish]
- [smaller wish]
- [small wish]

I will leave a carrot and some hay in my shoe for Amerigo, and I drew you a picture (on the back of this letter). Have a safe journey from Spain!

Love,
[name]

PS: My address is [address] so you can write back.