diff --git a/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/de-de-formal.msg b/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/de-de-formal.msg
index 1267b8c44..f04b1cde1 100644
--- a/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/de-de-formal.msg
+++ b/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/de-de-formal.msg
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ ShowSexTip: Sollen in Kursteilnehmer:innen-Tabellen u.Ä. die Geschlechter der N
 PDFPassword: Passwort zur Verschlüsselung von PDF Anhängen an Email Benachrichtigungens
 PDFPasswordTip: Achtung, dieses Passwort ist für FRADrive Administratoren einsehbar und wird unverschlüsselt gespeichert!
 PDFPasswordInvalid c@Char: Bitte ein nicht-triviales Passwort für PDF Email Anhänge eintragen! Ungültiges Zeichen: #{char2Text c}
-PDFPasswordTooShort n@Int: Bitte ein PDF Passwort mit mindestens #{show n} Zeichen wählen.
+PDFPasswordTooShort n@Int: Bitte ein PDF Passwort mit mindestens #{show n} Zeichen wählen oder Post-Versand aktivieren
 PrefersPostal: Sollen Benachrichtigung möglichst per Post versendet werden anstatt per Email?
 PostalTip: Postversand kann in Rechnung gestellt werden und ist derzeit nur für Benachrichtigungen über Erneuerung und Ablauf von Qualifikation, wie z.B. Führerscheine, verfügbar.
 PostAddress: Postalische Adresse
diff --git a/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/en-eu.msg b/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/en-eu.msg
index a8ddfdfad..3c63fc06a 100644
--- a/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/en-eu.msg
+++ b/messages/uniworx/categories/settings/en-eu.msg
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ ShowSexTip: Should users' sex be displayed in (among others) lists of course par
 PDFPassword: Password to lock PDF email attachments
 PDFPasswordTip: Please note that this password is displayed to FRADrive admins and is saved unencrypted
 PDFPasswordInvalid c: Please supply a sensible password for encrypting PDF email attachments! Invalid character #{char2Text c}
-PDFPasswordTooShort n: Please provide a password with at least #{show n} characters.
+PDFPasswordTooShort n: Please provide a password with at least #{show n} characters or choose postal mail
 PrefersPostal: Should notifications preferably send by post instead of email?
 PostalTip: Mailing may incur a fee and is currently only avaulable for qualification expiry notifications, such as driving lincence renewal.
 PostAddress: Postal address
diff --git a/src/Handler/Profile.hs b/src/Handler/Profile.hs
index 9f94c00e4..93c2b9ff8 100644
--- a/src/Handler/Profile.hs
+++ b/src/Handler/Profile.hs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ data SettingsForm = SettingsForm
       , stgWarningDays          :: NominalDiffTime
       , stgShowSex              :: Bool
       
-      , stgPinPassword          :: Text
+      , stgPinPassword          :: Maybe Text
       , stgPrefersPostal        :: Bool
       , stgPostAddress          :: Maybe StoredMarkup
       
@@ -130,14 +130,14 @@ makeSettingForm template html = do
         <*> apopt checkBoxField (fslI MsgShowSex & setTooltip MsgShowSexTip) (stgShowSex <$> template)
 
         <*  aformSection MsgFormNotifications
-        <*> areq  (textField & cfStrip) (fslI MsgPDFPassword   & setTooltip MsgPDFPasswordTip) (stgPinPassword   <$> template)
+        <*> aopt  (textField & cfStrip) (fslI MsgPDFPassword   & setTooltip MsgPDFPasswordTip) (stgPinPassword   <$> template)
         <*> apopt checkBoxField         (fslI MsgPrefersPostal & setTooltip MsgPostalTip)      (stgPrefersPostal <$> template)
         <*> aopt  htmlField             (fslI MsgPostAddress   & setTooltip MsgPostAddressTip) (stgPostAddress   <$> template)
 
         <*> examOfficeForm (stgExamOfficeSettings <$> template)        
         <*> schoolsForm (stgSchools <$> template)
         <*> notificationForm (stgNotificationSettings <$> template)
-    return (result, widget) -- no validation required here
+    return (result, widget) -- no validation here, done later by validateSettings
   where
     themeList = [Option (toMessage t) t (toPathPiece t) | t <- universeF]
 
@@ -357,12 +357,6 @@ validateSettings User{..} = do
     userDisplayName == userDisplayName' ||  -- unchanged or valid (invalid displayNames delivered by LDAP are preserved)
     validDisplayName userTitle userFirstName userSurname userDisplayName'    
 
-  userPinPassword'  <- use _stgPinPassword
-  let pinBad = validCmdArgument userPinPassword' 
-      pinMinChar = 5
-  whenIsJust pinBad (tellValidationError . MsgPDFPasswordInvalid) -- used as CMD argument for pdftk
-  guardValidation (MsgPDFPasswordTooShort pinMinChar) $ pinMinChar <= length userPinPassword'
-
   userPostAddress'  <- use _stgPostAddress
   let postalNotSet  = isNothing userPostAddress'
       postalIsValid = validPostAddress userPostAddress'
@@ -371,7 +365,14 @@ validateSettings User{..} = do
 
   userPrefersPostal' <- use _stgPrefersPostal
   guardValidation MsgUserPrefersPostalInvalid $
-    not $ userPrefersPostal' && postalNotSet    
+    not $ userPrefersPostal' && postalNotSet
+
+  userPinPassword'  <- use _stgPinPassword
+  let pinBad     = validCmdArgument =<< userPinPassword'
+      pinMinChar = 5
+      pinLength  = maybe 0 length userPinPassword'
+  whenIsJust pinBad (tellValidationError . MsgPDFPasswordInvalid) -- used as CMD argument for pdftk
+  guardValidation (MsgPDFPasswordTooShort pinMinChar) $ userPrefersPostal' || pinMinChar <= pinLength
 
 
 data ButtonResetTokens = BtnResetTokens
@@ -429,7 +430,7 @@ serveProfileR (uid, user@User{..}) = do
         , stgNotificationSettings = userNotificationSettings
         , stgWarningDays          = userWarningDays
         , stgShowSex              = userShowSex
-        , stgPinPassword          = fromMaybe "" userPinPassword
+        , stgPinPassword          = userPinPassword
         , stgPostAddress          = userPostAddress
         , stgPrefersPostal        = userPrefersPostal  
         , stgExamOfficeSettings   = ExamOfficeSettings
@@ -457,7 +458,7 @@ serveProfileR (uid, user@User{..}) = do
         , UserWarningDays          =. stgWarningDays
         , UserNotificationSettings =. stgNotificationSettings
         , UserShowSex              =. stgShowSex
-        , UserPinPassword          =. Just stgPinPassword
+        , UserPinPassword          =. stgPinPassword
         , UserPostAddress          =. stgPostAddress
         , UserPrefersPostal        =. stgPrefersPostal
         , UserExamOfficeGetSynced  =. (stgExamOfficeSettings & eosettingsGetSynced)