> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thepostalcompany.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get a Letter

> Retrieve a single letter by its ID.

# Get a Letter

Retrieve the details of a letter by its ID. You can only access letters that belong to your account.

## Path parameters

<ParamField path="letterId" type="string" required>
  The unique letter ID returned when the letter was created.
</ParamField>

## Response

<ResponseField name="id" type="string">
  The unique letter ID.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="status" type="string">
  The letter status. One of: `draft`, `processing`, `sent`, `delivered`, `failed`.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="recipient" type="string">
  The recipient name, if provided.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="address" type="object">
  The structured address object.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="content" type="string">
  The letter body text.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="created_at" type="string">
  ISO 8601 timestamp of when the letter was created.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="updated_at" type="string">
  ISO 8601 timestamp of the last update.
</ResponseField>

## Examples

<RequestExample>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl https://thepostalcompany.com/api/v1/letters/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890 \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer tpc_your_api_key"
  ```

  ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
  const response = await fetch(
    "https://thepostalcompany.com/api/v1/letters/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    {
      headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer tpc_your_api_key" },
    }
  );

  const letter = await response.json();
  console.log(letter.status);
  ```
</RequestExample>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json 200 — Success theme={null}
  {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "status": "sent",
    "recipient": "Jane Doe",
    "address": {
      "street": "Keizersgracht",
      "number": "123",
      "suffix": "",
      "postalcode": "1015 CJ",
      "city": "Amsterdam",
      "country": "NL",
      "fullAddress": "Keizersgracht 123, 1015 CJ Amsterdam, NL"
    },
    "content": "Dear Jane,\n\nThis is a letter sent via the API.\n\nBest regards",
    "created_at": "2026-04-14T10:00:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-04-14T10:00:05.000Z"
  }
  ```

  ```json 404 — Not found theme={null}
  {
    "error": "Letter not found"
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>

## Error codes

| Status | Description                                         |
| ------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `401`  | Missing, invalid, or revoked API key                |
| `404`  | Letter not found or does not belong to your account |