By the end of 2024, a total of 103 public entities in Iceland had connected and used the Digital Mailbox on Ísland.is for communication with individuals and legal entities. The estimated benefit from that digitalization of services in 2024 is approximately ISK 2.8 billion. The introduction of the Digital Mailbox is progressing well and has already resulted in great optimization and increased efficiency. The aim is that all public entities have connected to the mailbox by mid 2025.

Accessibility and simplification for users

A digital mailbox combines all important communications with public institutions in one place, whether it be notifications, decisions, or rulings. Digital publication saves time and costs for both users and institutions, simplifies communication, and makes it more efficient. Users can use their documents and data in the Digital Mailbox themselves, for example, by highlighting important messages, storing other less urgent items, printing documents, and/or saving.

Recently, all notification functionality around the Digital Mailbox was updated, and now users can receive notifications regarding new documents with push notifications (screen notifications) by phone from the Ísland.is app, along with the traditional function to receive notifications by e-mail.

The solution ensures that all citizens, regardless of location and circumstances, have access to information in digital form. This ensures equal access, equality, and transparency in public relations.

An environmentally friendly solution

By reducing the need for paper documents in communication with public institutions, the Digital Mailbox contributes to sustainable development. Reducing the amount of mail and paper printing significantly reduces the carbon footprint of public services and is therefore an important step towards more environmentally friendly public service.

Government benefits

The Digital Mailbox simplifies and shortens the means of communication between the public and the government. This reduces time, work, and resources that would otherwise be wasted in unnecessary paperwork.

The following figure shows the benefits of the Icelandic government sending documents digitally instead of traditional mail. This calculation does not take into account the time and work of an employee in printing documents and sending them to the post office, so it can be assumed that the benefits are considerably greater.

A vision for digital transformation

The Digital Mailbox is a key step towards greener and more efficient administration, focusing on the use of new technologies to serve society more responsibly. In this way, the solution supports the UN goals of sustainable development, such as climate action (goal 13) and infrastructure innovation (goal 9).

Public recognition and success

Users have expressed satisfaction with the Digital Mailbox and it's role in improving their communication with the government. The Gallup national poll from autumn 2024 showed that nearly 94% of respondents are satisfied with the Digital Mailbox.

Digital Iceland's vision is that Iceland will be the world's leading digital service provider. Digital communication will be the main communication channel for people and companies with the government. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs is responsible for the government's information technology policy. Digital Iceland is working on projects across the government's institutions with the goal of promoting digital services. One of the projects that contributes to this is the Digital Mailbox.

The Digital mailbox is a unique example of how innovation and efficiency can transform public services. It offers a user-friendly, secure, and convenient solution that increases access to information and simplifies communication between the public and the public sector.

Read more about the Digital Mailbox