Looking at your budget and wondering exactly how much that P.O. Box will cost? Whether you’re setting up a business address or need somewhere secure for personal mail, post office box charges in Kenya have changed dramatically over the past year.
If you’re seeing information online saying boxes cost KES 400, that’s outdated. Posta Kenya restructured everything in 2024. Individual boxes now start at KES 2,050, corporate boxes hit KES 10,060 for first-time applications, and the old payment methods no longer work.
As of 2026, all the Post Office Box fees in Kenya have been moved to the eCitizen Portal. In addition, the digital Virtual Box (Mpost) charges have jumped by over 2,000% for some categories. Here is all to know.
2026 P.O. Box Charges: Quick Reference
Here’s what you’ll actually pay:
| P.O. Box Type | Customer Category | First-Year Cost (KES) | Renewal Cost (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical P.O. Box | Individual | 2,610 | 2,050 |
| Physical P.O. Box | Corporate | 10,060 | 9,500 |
| MPost (Virtual Box) | Individual | 2,050 / year | 2,050 / year |
| MPost (Virtual Box) | Corporate | 9,450 / year | 9,450 / year |
Physical P.O. Box Charges (Traditional Boxes)
These are the oldest Physical boxes that are located as Metal Boxes in any Post office branch in Kenya. Once you apply for this box office type, you get a physical key, a designated box number, and a secure slot where your mail gets sorted daily. These are still required for limited company registrations with the Business Registration Service and are strongly preferred for government tender applications.
The charges for the Phycalc Boxes are of two types.
New Application Fees (First-Time Setup)
It is meant for first-time applicants to pay the fee in two components: the annual rental fee plus a refundable key deposit of KES 560. The individual Boxes go for KES 2,050 annually, Corporate/Business go for KES 9,500, Special Corporate/NGO go for KES 6,275, Learning & Religious Institutions go for KES 7,775, and finally, there are the Sub Post Office Boxes going for KES 1,320. The Sub Post Office Boxes are located at agent-run sub post offices in convenient locations like petrol stations or shopping areas, not at main head post offices.
Here’s a comparative Table of all the Physical Boxes prices :
| Category | Annual Rental | Key Deposit | Total First Payment | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual/Personal | KES 2,050 | KES 560 | KES 2,610 | Sole proprietors, freelancers, HELB applications, personal mail |
| Corporate/Business | KES 9,500 | KES 560 | KES 10,060 | Limited companies, tenders, import/export, high mail volume |
| Special Corporate/NGO | KES 6,275 | KES 560 | KES 6,835 | NGOs, children’s homes, philanthropic organizations |
| Learning & Religious Institutions | KES 7,775 | KES 560 | KES 8,335 | Schools, universities, churches, mosques, temples |
| Sub Post Office | KES 1,320 | KES 560 | KES 1,880 | Budget-conscious, agent-run locations |
Annual Renewal Costs (Existing Physical Boxes)
Renewal is simpler and cheaper than first-time applications. You only pay the annual rental fee, and this time, no key deposit is required since you already have the keys. The Charges are as follows.
- Individual: KES 2,050 per year
- Corporate: KES 9,500 per year
- Special Corporate/NGO: KES 6,275 per year
- Learning & Religious Institutions: KES 7,775 per year
- Sub Post Office: KES 1,320 per year
The Renewal process is entirely online through posta.co.ke. The process to follow is the same for applying for a new Box Number, as all you need to do is log in, enter your box number, select the renewal period (12-60 months), pay via eCitizen, and you’re done. What you need to remember is that your renewal deadline is the same month you first registered the box. Failure to renew on time can lead to penalties or, in the worst case, your Box being reassigned to someone else.
Virtual P.O. Box Charges (MPost – Posta Mkononi)
MPost is Posta Kenya’s digital postal solution, where your phone number becomes your postal address. It is unique in that no physical box, no key, just your phone, and when you have a new Mail in your Virtual Box, you get an SMS alert, visit with your ID to collect.
The Prices for the Mpost Virtual Boxes increased by 413% increase for individuals from KES 400 pre-July 2024 to KES 2,050 per year. At the same time, the corporate process also increased by 2,262.5% to KES 9,450
How to Pay for P.O. Box Fees In Kenya
All P.O. Box payments, including first-time applications, renewals, and everything, are now done exclusively through the eCitizen portal. As of the writing, the old Posta Kenya Paybill 506500 no longer works. You can easily pay directly from the Posta Kenya website and be redirected to the eCitizen platform for you to make your payments, or use the eCitizen Paybill number 222222, and for the account number, use your application reference or box number.r
The eCitizen portal offers several Payment methods directly integrated on the platform, and they are:
- M-Pesa (most popular)
- Airtel Money
- Debit/Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard)
- Direct bank transfer (KCB, National Bank, Co-op Bank, Absa)
- Equity Cash
NOTE: Paying through the eCitizen portal means that there is a convenience fee of KES 50, which is added to every transaction.