Scan German mail via API

Letters to your German address become searchable PDFs plus structured data: who sent it, what it's about, deadlines and amounts due. This lets your agent handle the Finanzamt, health insurers and banks without anyone opening an envelope.

Contact sales for API accessBeta · custom pricing

Endpoints

GET/items?type=letterLetters with envelope photos
POST/items/{id}/scanOpen and scan a letter
GET/items/{id}/scanPDF link, OCR text and extracted fields
POST/items/{id}/forwardSend the original by post
POST/rulesAuto-scan or auto-shred by sender

Webhook: letter.scanned

{
  "event": "letter.scanned",
  "item": {
    "id": "itm_k3v7pq",
    "pdf_url": "https://files.germanmailbox.com/itm_k3v7pq/scan.pdf",
    "pages": 2,
    "language": "de",
    "extracted": {
      "sender": "Finanzamt Berlin-Mitte",
      "type": "tax_notice",
      "deadline": "2026-11-04",
      "amount_due_eur": 312.50,
      "iban": "DE12 1005 0000 0123 4567 89",
      "summary": "Income tax assessment 2025, payment due within one month."
    }
  }
}

Beta: rough edges you should know about

Scans are done once a day on business days. Expect a few hours, not seconds.
Handwritten letters are scanned, but OCR and extraction are unreliable on them.
Extraction only supports German and English letters right now.
PDFs are capped at 30 pages. Thicker documents are scanned on request through sales.
Registered letters (Einschreiben) need a signed power of attorney before we can accept them.

API access is invite-only

We onboard API customers individually so we can set up your addresses, webhooks and volume pricing. Tell sales what you want to automate and we'll get you an API key.

Contact sales on WhatsApp API overview

Envelope first, then content

Every letter arrives as an envelope photo first. Your system decides whether to scan, forward the original, or shred it, or you can set a rule to scan everything automatically.

Structured extraction

Scans come with OCR text and an extracted summary: sender, document type (invoice, tax notice, reminder…), deadlines, amounts and IBANs. You can feed them straight into your agent or accounting tool.

Originals

We keep originals for 90 days by default. You can request forwarding of the physical letter at any time with POST /items/{id}/forward.

Frequently asked questions

Can it translate letters?

Add translate=en to the scan request and you get an English translation alongside the German text.

Is the extraction always right?

No. Extraction is automatic and works best for common letter types. Always check deadlines and amounts on the PDF for anything important.

Ready to go digital with your German mail?

Contact sales for API access

Need instructions? Contact support on WhatsApp. WhatsApp: +49 159 0104 5767