Royal Mail are adding barcodes to their regular stamps.
They were to be used or swapped out by the 31st of January 2023. However, there is now a 6 month grace period, allowing you to either use up these stamps before this deadline or swap them for the new barcoded ones.
The grace period will end on the 31st of July 2023. After this date, old stamps without a barcode will no longer be valid.
The stamps that are changing are the stamps that will be very familiar to you. They feature the profile of Her Late Majesty The Queen on a plain coloured background. The barcodes will enable exciting new services by connecting physical stamps to the digital world through the Royal Mail app which you can download here.
Swapping them out
Your non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the Stamp Swap Out scheme. To swap out your stamps, simply complete one of our Stamp Swap Out forms and send it back to us along with your non-barcoded stamps.
Find out more on the details of swapping your stamps here.
