Mail Redirect vs. Mail Service: Which Fits Your Business

A mail redirect from the post office buys you time after a move: letters follow you to the new address for a limited period, then the redirect expires. A dedicated mail service solves the problem permanently. At 1010 Works, a registered Vienna address with unlimited scans costs 79 euros per month plus VAT on annual billing, cancellable monthly. Here is how the two options compare for businesses, and how to combine them during a move. Last updated June 2026.

What does a postal redirect do, and where does it stop?

A redirect re-routes letters from your old address to a new one for a set period, for a fee, and then it ends. That works for a private move. For a company, the trouble starts at expiry: mail sent to the old address stops arriving or goes back to the sender, and nobody tells you about it.

The redirect also leaves the root cause untouched. Your old address still sits in the Austrian company register, your website imprint, your bank records and every customer database. Each entry needs a manual update, and the next move restarts the whole exercise from zero.

How does a dedicated mail service work?

A mail service gives your company a permanent receiving address that never has to change again. At 1010 Works that address is Seitenstettengasse 5/37 in Vienna's first district, a real street address rather than a PO box. Incoming mail is received, scanned on request and delivered as a PDF by email, or physically forwarded to you.

Your office can move, your team can go remote, you can relocate abroad: the receiving address stays put. Self-pickup is available Monday to Sunday via a digital access system, unlimited scans start with the Plus plan, optional physical forwarding does too, and EU-wide forwarding is part of Premium.

Redirect vs. mail service: what are the key differences?

The core difference is direction: a redirect patches up a past move, a mail service makes future moves irrelevant for your mail. In detail:

• Duration: a redirect is time-limited, a mail service runs as long as you want and cancels monthly.
• Format: a redirect moves paper to one fixed address, a mail service emails you PDFs wherever you are.
• Reputation: with a mail service, a first-district Vienna address appears in your imprint and in the company register.
• Official mail: RSb registered letters can be accepted with a postal authorization, included in the Premium plan. RSa letters must be delivered to the addressee in person, so no service can accept them; the post office holds them for pickup.
• Control: you decide per item whether to scan, forward or pick up.

When is a redirect enough for a business?

A redirect is enough for the transition right after a move, rarely for ongoing company mail. As soon as deadlines hang on your letters, think tax assessments or payment demands, a time-limited redirect becomes a risk: once it lapses, mail goes missing silently.

The proven setup is to combine both. Switch to a permanent business address in Vienna, let a short redirect bridge the first weeks, then everything runs through the new address. Premium additionally includes 6 months of mail service after an address change, which softens the transition even further: letters still carrying the old address keep reaching you while you update senders and registers.

What does a mail service cost?

Entry starts at 49 euros per month plus VAT with annual billing. The three plans at a glance:

• Basic (49 or 59 euros): registered address, mail and parcel reception, self-pickup Monday to Sunday, nameplate on the mailbox.
• Plus (79 or 89 euros): adds unlimited scans as PDF via email and optional physical forwarding.
• Premium (129 or 149 euros): adds EU-wide forwarding, RSb acceptance with postal authority, 4 hours of meeting room per month and 6 months of mail service after an address change.

The lower price applies with annual billing, and every plan cancels monthly. Full details are on the pricing page.

Conclusion

A redirect is a patch, a mail service is infrastructure. Move your company mail to a stable Vienna address once and no future relocation will touch it again: unlimited scans from 79 euros per month, EU-wide forwarding at 129 euros with Premium, all cancellable monthly. Set up mail forwarding from Vienna and retire the address-change problem for good.