An Post tracking
An Post tracking statuses explained
An Post is Ireland's national postal service and its universal postal service provider. It delivers for online shops and takes over parcels from postal services abroad, such as Royal Mail. A parcel usually passes through a hub or mail centre, such as the Dublin Parcel Hub or Portlaoise Mail Centre, then a local Delivery Service Unit (D.S.U.), and goes out with a postal operative. Tracking reads as short sentences such as 'Your item is being sorted for delivery', and recent histories mostly no longer name the place.
Every An Post tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| A customs charge has been applied | An Post cannot deliver your parcel until the customs charge is paid by the pay by date. | Take action |
| Customs charges have been paid | An Post has your customs payment, but this line can stay for days and the parcel may not have reached An Post yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Your item is being sorted for delivery | An Post has your parcel and is routing it towards your local delivery office, but it is not out for delivery yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Parcel delayed | An Post has no tracking line called delayed: a late parcel simply stops getting new scans or shows the wrong office. | Keep an eye on it |
| Tracking not updating | Tracking only changes when a parcel is scanned, so a quiet stretch usually means it is waiting for its next scan. | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivered but not received | An Post scanned your parcel as delivered, but it may be in a safe spot, with a neighbour or scanned early. | Take action |
| We tried to deliver your item | An Post recorded a delivery attempt, and what happens next depends on the notice and the wording. | Keep an eye on it |
| Your delivery is in D.S.U. | Your parcel is at a Delivery Service Unit (D.S.U.), An Post's local office, after a missed delivery or before going out. | Take action |
| We could not deliver your item | An Post could not deliver your parcel and will try to send it back, often over customs data, a charge or the address. | Take action |
| We have received information about your incoming item from the sender | The seller has told An Post your parcel is coming, but An Post does not have the parcel itself yet. | Normal |
An Post delays
An Post says standard post normally arrives one to two days after posting and that most delays come from incomplete, illegible or incorrect addresses. It also names items posted after the last collection, difficulty reaching the property, international post passing through several postal services and customs agents, and prohibited items. In busy seasons it asks you to allow up to 5 working days for processing after a parcel is scanned at its hub, and parcels from outside the EU can wait on customs data or a charge. In shared histories from the weeks after Christmas, the sorting line lasted 8 to 10 days.
Is your parcel from An Post late or missing?
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from An Post?
A parcel bought online from a business is usually the seller's to sort out until it reaches you. The Consumer Rights Act (section 35) leaves goods at the seller's risk until you, or a person you nominated, physically have them. The exception is a carrier you booked yourself and the seller did not propose. Section 36 requires delivery without undue delay and no later than 30 days after the contract was made, unless you and the seller agreed otherwise. Customs charges are different: An Post's customs terms make the person receiving the parcel liable for them.
When you sent the parcel yourself, you are An Post's customer and the terms of the service you bought apply. For Standard Post, compensation generally covers no more than postage and directly associated costs, often in stamps. For Express it may equal the postage, and Express with Signature is limited to the lower of the item's proven cost and €350. Registered Post is limited to the value you declared (€25 if you declared none), up to €350 plus charges within Ireland and less for places abroad.
Questions about An Post tracking
How long do I have to pay an An Post customs charge?
An Post's website and terms say 10 working days, counted from when it sends the postcard, so some of that time can pass before the card reaches you. Its app listing still says 22 calendar days. Go by the pay by date on your postcard, text or email and on the online payment page. If you miss it, the parcel goes back to the sender, so do not leave it until the last day.
How long after paying customs does An Post deliver?
An Post only says as soon as possible. In tracking histories people share, it ranges from the next morning to more than a week. One poster says An Post told them to allow 5 to 7 working days for the parcel to move.
What does 'Your item is being sorted for delivery' mean on An Post?
An Post does not define it. It appears after An Post has received the parcel and before it goes out for delivery, so the parcel is in An Post's network but not yet with your postal operative.
Are there An Post delays at the moment?
An Post's service update page lists suspended routes abroad, but its weather notices there are years old, so it may not show a local problem. A delay often shows only as a gap in your tracking, so check the date of your last scan first.
How often does An Post tracking update?
Throughout the day, but only when the parcel is scanned. No scan means no update, even if the parcel is moving.
Based on
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 35 (passing of risk)
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 36 (delivery of goods, 30 days)
- An Post: Terms and Conditions for all services (Standard and Registered Post compensation)
- An Post: Express Terms and Conditions, single piece mail
- An Post: Customs Terms and Conditions (who is liable for customs charges)