To send and receive IncaMail messages, you can open an IncaMail account free of charge at www.incamail.comTarget not accessible. To do so, click on “Create account” and complete the information correctly and in full. During the registration process, an activation code will be sent to your e-mail address. Please enter the activation code to complete the registration. If you have not received the code (please also check your spam folder), click on “Resend”. Only the most recent activation code is valid.

After registering, you will have access to a Basic account with the following functions:

• Sending IncaMail messages
• Receiving and opening encrypted messages
• Managing account settings
• Viewing the Logbook

If your e-mail address changes, you can open a new IncaMail account and complete the standard registration process.

Choosing a password

The password must comply with the following requirements:

• At least eight characters
• At least three of the following elements: upper- and lower-case letters, numbers or special characters
• Must not contain your own name or e-mail address

Please follow these instructions when setting your password and never divulge it to third parties.

Verifying the postal address

If you have your postal address verified by IncaMail, it will be displayed to your recipient. A verified postal address increases trust. To have your postal address verified, click on “Verify postal address” in the settings and enter your correct postal address. Within a few days, an activation code will be delivered to the postal address you specified. To complete the verification, log in to your IncaMail account, click on “Verify” and enter the activation code you have received.

You can change your postal address in the settings at any time. With every change, a new activation code will be delivered to you by post.

Registration with SwissID

People with a SwissID can use this to register directly on IncaMail. When registering, click on “Other logins” and then on “SwissID login”. Then follow the instructions. The information in SwissID will be imported into IncaMail without any changes. When registering with SwissID, e-mail verification is not necessary and you can access all IncaMail functions immediately.

Registration with a Canton of Geneva or Zug login

People with a Canton of Geneva (AeL) or Canton of Zug login can register with this directly on IncaMail. To do so, click on “Other logins” and “Canton of Geneva login” or “Canton of Zug login” and follow the instructions. The information in the Canton of Geneva or Zug login imported into IncaMail without any changes. When registering with the Canton of Geneva or Zug login, e-mail and address verification are not necessary. You can access all IncaMail functions immediately.

Login via swisspost.ch (Swiss Post Customer Login)

People with a Swiss Post Customer Login can register with this directly on IncaMail. When registering, click on “Other logins” and on “Login over swisspost.ch”. Then follow the instructions. The information in your Customer Login will be imported into IncaMail without any changes. When registering with the Swiss Post Customer Login, e-mail verification is not necessary and you can access all IncaMail functions immediately.

To receive a new password, please proceed as follows:

• Click on “Password forgotten?” on the IncaMail homepage.
• Enter the e-mail address registered in IncaMail and confirm by pressing “Send”.
• Depending on the login format you selected, you will either receive an SMS with a code or be prompted to answer your security question.
• You will receive an SMS on your mobile phone. Enter the code you received by SMS in the corresponding field and click on “Send”.
• Answer your security question and click “Send”. Please note that the answer must match your saved answer exactly (including upper- and lower-case letters).
• Set your new password and click on “Send”.

You are now logged in and have successfully set a new password. If you were unable to set a new password, start the process again. If you are unsuccessful again, please contact our Support team.

Once you have opened your account, you have a free Basic account. This enables you to receive IncaMail messages and send 10 confidential or personal messages per month free of charge. By upgrading to a Premium account for CHF 99 or EUR 99 per year, you can send up to 50 messages (all dispatch types) per day. Your virtual mailbox is also activated. To upgrade to a Premium account, click on “Purchase Premium” and follow the instructions. In this section, you can also extend the duration of your Premium account.

You can manage the details about yourself under “Personal information”. You also have the option of verifying your postal address. If you have not yet verified your postal address, you can do this at any time. To do so, click on “Verify postal address”. Changes of addresses can also be entered here. A new activation code will be sent to you by letter, as for the initial verification. If you registered with a different login such as SwissID or Canton of Geneva login (AeL), you can still manage your address. However, the information (last name, first name and company if applicable) from your SuisseID or Canton of Geneva login (AeL) cannot be changed. In this case, no letter containing an activation code will be sent. You can find further information under the topics “Registration” and “Verifying the postal address”.

You can change your password in the settings. The password must comply with the following requirements:

• At least eight characters
• At least three of the following elements must be included: upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters
• Must not contain your own name or e-mail address

Please follow these instructions when setting your password and never divulge it to third parties.

You can also manage your password recovery information. This is required if you forget your password and wish to set a new one. You can choose between the “Security question” and “SMS code” methods. Enter your preference, ensure the spelling is correct and keep your information up to date.

IncaMail is available in German, French, Italian, English, Dutch and Romanian. You can change the language in the settings at any time. Confidential e-mails are displayed in the language you have selected.

Newsletter

You can choose whether you would like to receive the IncaMail newsletter. The newsletter is published four times a year, providing news and other information relevant to IncaMail.

Messages

You can configure different settings for sending IncaMail messages:

• Configure signature: set an automatic signature which is inserted into every e-mail.
• Envelope message: set a customized text which is displayed to the recipient in the e-mail before they open the message. This can include a note on support options or other information. Avoid mentioning any confidential or personal information in this message.

The virtual mailbox provides you with a secure contact form. Share the link to your virtual mailbox with your customers and partners by adding it to a website or automatic e-mail signature. People with access to the link can send you confidential e-mails without registering or paying. Files up to 1 GB in size can also be securely transmitted using the contact form. These files are encrypted and stored on Swiss Post’s IncaMail server. The files are available for download for a maximum of seven days, after which they are irrevocably deleted.

The virtual mailbox is available to Premium or business customers. The costs are invoiced to business customers as per the customer contract. For Premium customers, use of this service is included in the subscription price. The virtual mailbox can be activated and deactivated. It is deactivated by default.

You can set a personalized image or logo and your own text. The image and logo are displayed above the virtual mailbox. Images are automatically scaled to the maximum size of 250 x 150 pixels (w x h). The lower the resolution, the faster the image is displayed. You can also determine whether the sender must enter a spam protection before sending.

You can block receipt of registered IncaMail messages. Click on “Configure ‘Registered’ settings” and follow the instructions. A comprehensive guide can be found here.

You can delete your IncaMail account yourself. To do so, click on “Delete account”. Please note that you will no longer be able to open or read any IncaMail messages you have received once the account is deleted. Deleting an IncaMail account is irreversible.

You receive e-mails from IncaMail directly in the inbox of your existing e-mail address. Delete the e-mail only if you are sure that you no longer need it. Swiss Post cannot deliver the message again as no copy is saved. The confidential and encrypted message can be opened in the message using the “Read” button. To ensure the message is displayed correctly, an Internet connection is required.

You can find detailed instructions on opening IncaMail messages using different devices here:

Note:

The message might not contain a “Read” button. In this case, you can open the IncaMail message simply by clicking on the IncaMail.html attachment. If the HTML attachment cannot be opened directly in the e-mail program, save the attachment on the desktop then open the saved version in the browser.

Confidential IncaMail message

After clicking the button “Read”, recipients without an IncaMail account receive a key link by e-mail which enables them to read the message. Recipients with an IncaMail account can open the message using their personal IncaMail password.

Personal IncaMail message

If you are sent a personal message, you will be asked to log in to IncaMail after clicking the button “Read”. After logging in, the e-mail will be displayed in your browser. If you are not yet registered with IncaMail, you must first register once. 

IncaMail registered mail

Every valid e-mail address can receive registered messages.

The procedure when receiving a registered message differs from the procedure for other messages as follows.

Collection period:

The message must be opened within 7 days. Once this period has expired, the message can no longer be opened. If you have opened the message during this period, you can view it again at any time.

Acceptance:

When clicking on the button “Read” for the first time, you can decide after logging in whether you want to accept or refuse the registered message. To do so, click on the corresponding button. The sender is notified of your decision with a receipt. The decision can be postponed until a later point within the collection period. Once accepted, the attachment can be reopened without prompting you to make this decision.

Receipts:

For registered messages, submission and acceptance receipts in the form of a signed PDF are delivered to both the sender and the recipient.

Just as it is for IncMail, the security and privacy of its users are at the heart of what Swiss messaging service Threema is all about. This is why IncaMail messages sent by someone with a business customer contract can be received and opened in the Threema App/Threema Web Client and Threema Work.

Here’s how it works:

1. Log in to your IncaMail account at incamail.com.
2. Go to “Settings” and scroll down to the tab “Threema settings”.
3. Next, enter your 8-digit Threema ID and confirm with “Add Threema ID”.
4. You will then receive a Threema message with an activation link.
5. Click on the link and log on to incamail.com to complete the activation process. 

You will be able to view the IncaMail messages you receive both in your incamail.com inbox and in Threema. This works for both Threema and Threema Work.

Please note: You can only receive IncaMail messages in Threema that have been sent by someone with a business customer contract. You cannot respond to an IncaMail message or compose a new IncaMail message in Threema itself. To do this, you can use your IncaMail account on incamail.com as usual.

The IncaMail message is displayed to you as the recipient in your browser. The following options are available for saving the message:

• Forward as a normal e-mail: the message is forwarded as normal and in an unencrypted format. IncaMail cannot guarantee that the information will be protected against access by third parties. The security of the message is your own responsibility.
• Save as an e-mail message (.eml): the message can be saved in the general e-mail client format. Please note that the message is not automatically saved to your e-mail inbox. However, you can open the file with various e-mail clients (e.g. Outlook or Thunderbird).
• Save as a PDF: the message can be saved locally as a PDF.

All you need to do to save files sent using large file transfer is to click on the corresponding links within the message. More information on large file transfer can be found in the section “Receiving large files (large file transfer)”.

You will receive an IncaMail message as usual as a recipient of a large file transfer from IncaMail. Open this as described in the section “Receiving and opening messages”. There will be links in the message which you click on to easily download the sent files.

The links will indicate the title, format and size of the files and show how long they are available for download. Please be aware that the data is available for download for a maximum of seven days after which it is irrevocably deleted.

Clicking on the link takes you to a separate IncaMail website. The file download starts automatically. The file will be on your computer once successfully downloaded, usually under “Downloads”.

Brief instructions Large File Transfer (video)

You can reply to every IncaMail message once free of charge in the web interface. If you wish to select a dispatch type other than “Confidential” for your reply or add extra recipients, the reply is subject to a fee.

Notifications of IncaMail messages are always provided with a signature for security reasons. Please always check the validity of the signature and the sender. The sender of the e-mail should always be as follows:

Sender: swisspost@im.post.ch

Unfortunately, some e-mail clients and web mailers show the signature to be invalid or unknown, despite the fact that the certificate is valid. In these cases, a manual inspection of the relevant certificate is recommended.

You can find out how to check the signature in the different e-mail clients in the following document entitled “Checking the signature”.

Checking the signature (German version) (PDF, 279.6 KB)[Media | Not Accessible]

The trust level of each sender and recipient is indicated in IncaMail with up to three stars. The stars illustrate to what extent the user’s identity has been checked.

You have the option of hiding your own trust level in the settings. Users with a hidden trust level receive no information concerning the trust level of their communication partner.

With the “Registered” dispatch type, confidential information can be sent via IncaMail in a traceable and encrypted manner. In principle, everyone can receive registered messages via IncaMail and can open the messages they contain within 7 days. The sender and recipient receive signed receipts in PDF format which serve as proof of the transaction. The “Registered” dispatch type can be used in Switzerland to send messages as per the FDJP ordinance concerning the recognition of platforms for the secure delivery of documents relating to legal proceedings (SR272.11).

More specifically, this means that the “Registered” dispatch type can be used for the electronic transmission of documents relating to civil and criminal proceedings, debt collection and bankruptcy proceedings and administrative proceedings.

Comments:

• Messages as per Swiss communication with authorities intended for registered recipients on other recognized delivery platforms are sent to the corresponding platform for delivery (in step 3).
• Thanks to the “Auto-Accept” option, business customers can automatically accept IncaMail messages.
• If an IncaMail message cannot be delivered (e.g. because it has been rejected by the recipient’s system), the sender and recipient will be notified by means of a normal e-mail and the status of the message will be changed.

To send registered IncaMail messages, senders must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• Registered IncaMail account with e-mail verification
• Premium account or business customer contract

Registered IncaMail messages can be sent via all existing product variants and to one or more recipients. Every valid e-mail address can be selected as the recipient of a registered IncaMail message.

IncaMail account holders have the option of blocking registered IncaMail messages in the settings. Registered messages can be received via all existing product variants. Once accepted, messages can still be opened by the recipient after the deadline has expired.

Every customer can decide whether or not they want to be registered and visible in the directory for IncaMail registered messages. “Visible” means that other IncaMail customers can look for them in the directory. To participate in communication with Swiss authorities, users must be recorded in the eGov directory Switzerland.

The receipts allow senders and recipients to confirm transactions. The receipts are delivered to the sender and recipient by normal e-mail as a PDF file signed by Swiss Post. The receipts contain all key elements of the transaction. They are not saved in IncaMail; storage is the responsibility of the sender and recipient.

The following receipts are created and sent:

In the event of an interoperable transfer via another recognized delivery platform as per communication with Swiss authorities, the receipt may also be sent by the other delivery platform.

The legal effects of IncaMail messages sent and received using the “Registered” dispatch type shall be governed in individual cases by the applicable statutory provisions and judicial and institutional practice of the national jurisdiction responsible for adjudication, as well as any existing private agreements. It is the exclusive responsibility of the customer to undertake due diligence concerning the legal effect and admissibility of electronically transmitted messages in individual cases.

The following facts must apply to IncaMail registered messages to ensure legal evaluation:

• The PDF receipts contain all relevant data and are signed electronically by Swiss Post.
• As an independent third party, Swiss Post can, on request, demonstrate transaction data at any time by means of log files (but not the associated content).
• Transmissions within the framework of the Ordinance of 18 June 2010 on Electronic Service in Civil and Criminal Proceedings and Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Procedures comply with this ordinance.

As per the requirements of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), we wish to point out that end-to-end encryption of electronic messages is not required:

An unencrypted message can be available on the delivery platform in unencrypted format and can therefore be viewed by the service provider or commissioned third parties, even if this prohibited. Users who cannot take the risk of a document being seen must not use the delivery platform or must use additional encryption for the message (e.g. the recipient’s public signature key).

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces new provisions for handling personal data. IncaMail, the e-mail encryption service from Swiss Post, is key to success in GDPR-compliant e-mail communication.

• GDPR-compliant e-mail security
• Send IncaMail messages directly from your existing e-mail client
• Communicate securely in a verifiable, encrypted manner

The new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been directly applicable since 25 May 2018. It changes provisions concerning the protection and security of personal data, and can affect all companies in the EU as well as a large number of companies from non-EU countries that process personal data. Do you have business relationships with companies in the EU? Do you actively offer products and services to private customers who are domiciled in the EU? Do you send e-mails to partners or suppliers in the EU? If so, you will have to deal with the GDPR. With IncaMail, the service for secure encrypted e-mail correspondence, you can communicate securely at all times directly from your existing e-mail client (e.g. Outlook 2007–2016, Office 365).

The GDPR changes the provisions relating to the protection and security of EU citizens’ personal data. Here are a few of the most important changes:

• If personal data is to be processed, there needs to be legal justification. This could, for example, be fulfilling a contractual obligation.
• For companies, there is an obligation to provide information. If personal data is to be processed, the company must inform the persons affected (data subjects) of the exact purpose for which the data will be used, among other aspects.
• E-mails within the EU containing personal information are to be sent encrypted where possible.
• Obligation to notify: companies need to report data breaches to a supervisory authority. The data subjects need to be informed if the breach is likely to constitute a high risk to their personal rights and freedoms.
• The encryption of e-mails can be beneficial with respect to the obligation to notify: under some circumstances, data subjects do not need to be notified provided the data was encrypted.

Remark: the statements made above are no substitute for legal advice.

Personal data concerns all information which relates to an identified or identifiable natural person and allows conclusions to be drawn concerning this person or their personality, for example:

• Name and date of birth
• Contact information such as postal address, e-mail address, telephone number
• Physical characteristics, e.g. height, weight, hair colour
• Relationships such as those with relations, friends or employers
• Bank account information

The GDPR also defines personal data which requires special protection. The processing of such data is subject to strict requirements. This includes, for example:

• Ethnic background
• Political, religious and ideological opinions
• Health data
• Information on sexual life
• Biometric data which clearly identifies a person

If the processed data features no personal references, processing is generally not covered by the data protection provisions.

The GDPR may affect all companies in- and outside the EU which process personal data relating to EU citizens.

It is advisable to encrypt e-mails if they contain personal data in need of special protection such as political views or health status information. Encrypting e-mails can save companies a great deal of effort and even protect their reputation since any data breaches need to be reported to a supervisory authority. The data subjects also need to be informed if there is a high risk to their personal rights and freedoms. The time-consuming task of notifying the data subjects is in some cases not required if the data was encrypted.

The add-ins provided by IncaMail allow you to communicate in an encrypted, verifiable manner at all times and also feature GDPR-compliant e-mail security directly from your existing e-mail client (e.g. Outlook 2007–2016, Office 365).