An Post tracking status
An Post “Your delivery is in D.S.U.”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionYour parcel is at a Delivery Service Unit (D.S.U.), An Post's local office, after a missed delivery or before going out. With a notice, it is held for 5 working days, 3 for Irish registered post and 16 from abroad, then goes back to the sender.
When to act: If you have no notice and no new scan 2 working days after this line, or the parcel went back before the hold period ended, file a complaint and we send it to An Post.
Also shown as: “Your delivery is in [place] D.S.U.” · “Your delivery is in [place]” · “We have your post in [place] D.S.U.”
What to do now
- 1
Check your letterbox for a Sorry we missed you notice. It says where and when to collect and which options you have.
- 2
Take the notice and personal ID, such as a driving licence, to the Delivery Service Unit named on it.
- 3
If someone else collects it, sign the notice. They bring it along with their own ID.
- 4
To have it redelivered instead, apply online before 3.30pm on day 2 for Irish registered post, day 4 for most items, or day 15 for items from abroad. You get one request, and any customs charge must be paid first.
- 5
Keep a photo of the notice and screenshots of the tracking.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to An Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
Waiting at a post office, shop or locker with another courier
- USPS: Held at post office
- DHL: Awaiting Collection by Consignee
- UniUni: Failed delivery attempt, returning to the warehouse
- Cainiao: Waiting for Pick Up
- Evri: Ready for collection
- DPD: Being held at the depot
- InPost: Ready to collect
- Parcelforce: Available for Redelivery or Collection
- Canada Post: Available for pickup
- Purolator: Shipment available for pickup
- Canpar: Held for pickup
- Intelcom: Ready for pickup
- Australia Post: Awaiting collection
- StarTrack: At Delivery Depot
- Aramex: Ready for collection
- CouriersPlease: Ready for collection
- Team Global Express: Awaiting collection
- NZ Post: Ready to collect
- DPD Ireland: Your parcel is held at the DPD depot
What does “Your delivery is in D.S.U.” mean?
A Delivery Service Unit is the local An Post office that post goes out from. A scan there can simply mean the parcel has reached your area and is waiting to go out. It can also mean delivery failed: after a failed attempt An Post returns the parcel to your local unit and leaves a 'Sorry we missed you' notice saying where and when to collect it. The same 'Your delivery is in' line can also name a hub, such as Dublin West Hub, and then the parcel has not reached your local office yet.
If you have a notice, the clock is running. Day 1 is the day after the notice was delivered. An Post holds the parcel for 5 working days, 3 for Irish registered post and 16 for any item from outside the Republic of Ireland, and then tries to return it if the sender's address is legible, with a sticker saying why. An Post's recent histories mostly no longer name the unit, so the notice is where to look for the location, although Amazon's own tracking can still show it. We last saw this line with a D.S.U. name in older histories.
Why does An Post show it?
- Nobody was home or the parcel needed a signature
- The parcel did not fit through the letterbox
- A normal stop before the parcel goes out for delivery
- The parcel went to the wrong office first
- A customs charge has to be paid before the parcel is released
How long does it last?
You collect it, or a redelivery takes about 3 to 5 working days. If nothing happens by the end of the hold period, the parcel goes back to the sender. With no notice and no failed attempt in the history, 'Your item is out for delivery' usually comes next, and one person asking to collect a parcel in that state was told they could not.
Other An Post statuses
- A customs charge has been appliedTake action
- Customs charges have been paidKeep an eye on it
- Your item is being sorted for deliveryKeep an eye on it
- Parcel delayedKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- We tried to deliver your itemKeep an eye on it
- We could not deliver your itemTake action
- We have received information about your incoming item from the senderNormal
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 “Your delivery is in D.S.U.”
What does D.S.U. mean on An Post tracking?
Delivery Service Unit, An Post's local delivery office. A D.S.U. scan means the parcel has reached that office, either on its way to you or after a delivery attempt.
How long does An Post keep a missed parcel?
5 working days for Standard and Express Post, 3 for Irish registered post and 16 for items from abroad. Day 1 is the day after the notice was delivered. After that An Post tries to return it to the sender.
What do I need to collect a parcel from An Post?
Your Sorry we missed you notice and personal identification, such as a driving licence. Any customs charge must be paid first.
Can someone else collect my An Post parcel?
Yes. You sign the Sorry we missed you notice, and the person collecting brings it along with their own identification.
Based on
- An Post: Delivery help (hold periods, collecting, nominating an agent)
- An Post: Receiving post (return to the local Delivery Service Unit)
- An Post: Redelivery and its terms (retention periods, 3.30pm cut-offs)
- An Post: Terms and Conditions for all services (Condition 7, docket and collection)
- boards.ie: history with 'Your delivery is in' a D.S.U.
- boards.ie: Inbound and internal An Post Delays, parcel in the local D.S.U.
- boards.ie: An Post thread, place names removed from tracking
- boards.ie: Amazon's tracking still showing a D.S.U. beside An Post's lines
- Trustpilot review: 'Your delivery is in' a hub
- Trustpilot review: told they could not collect from a sorting office
- 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)