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An Post tracking status

An Post tracking not updating: why, and what to do

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Tracking only changes when a parcel is scanned, so a quiet stretch usually means it is waiting for its next scan. It does not mean lost. On a parcel from outside the EU, an unpaid charge or poor customs data can be the reason.

When to act: If there is no new scan after 5 working days, or 15 days for a parcel from abroad, file a complaint and we send it to An Post.

Bizzy online

Tell me what happened. I write your complaint with you and we send it to An Post.

Also shown as: “Your item was received in [country]” · “We don't have information on your parcel yet”

What to do now

  1. Check the number: two letters, nine digits, two letters, such as RR123456789IE. The Trans Ref ID on a receipt is not a tracking number.

  2. Compare it with the sender's own tracking. If that stops at the handover to An Post, note the date.

  3. If the parcel came from outside the EU, check your post, texts and emails for a customs charge, and look in your An Post account.

  4. Ask others at home and check your safe spot, then look at the history once a day.

  5. Save screenshots of the last scan, your order confirmation and the delivery date you were given.

  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.

    Start my complaint

No update for days with another courier

What is going on

An Post says tracking updates through the day as items are scanned. Between scans nothing changes, and shared histories show long gaps, often between 'Your item has been handed to An Post' and the first scan at a hub. For a parcel coming from abroad, another postal service's tracking can show it in Ireland while it is still in transit elsewhere: An Post says an item does not show up in its network until it has been physically received and scanned, though a line from the sender's data or a customs charge can appear before that.

On parcels from outside the EU, stopped tracking can mean a customs problem. An Post says the sender's electronic customs data must be complete, and items without it can be delayed or sent back. One person whose parcel sat for 10 days then found that a customs charge was due, with no message about it. For post sent abroad, An Post says it may not be able to track it once it leaves Ireland. One person whose parcel was a week late saw the tracking change to 'We don't have information on your parcel yet'. An Post has no tracking line that says lost, and its terms treat post as substantially delayed after 7 days within Ireland or 10 days for international items.

Why it happens

  • The parcel is waiting for its next scan at a hub or delivery office
  • Another postal service has not handed it to An Post yet
  • A customs charge is due and the message has not reached you
  • The sender's customs data is missing or incomplete
  • You are using a receipt reference and not a tracking number
  • The parcel has left Ireland and An Post can no longer follow it
  • The parcel may have gone astray

What usually happens next

A new scan appears once the parcel moves. If you see 'We have your item and will process it for delivery', it is moving again. If 5 working days pass with nothing, or 15 days for a parcel from abroad, treat it as late.

Other An Post statuses

All An Post statuses →

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 “Tracking not updating”

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.

Has An Post lost my parcel?

A quiet history alone does not show that, and An Post has no line that says lost. Its terms treat post as substantially delayed after 7 days within Ireland or 10 days for international items, and its Express terms treat an item as lost after 10 working days with no delivery or attempt. Once you reach 5 working days, or 15 days from abroad, file a complaint here.

Why is my parcel not on An Post tracking when the sender says it is in Ireland?

An Post says a parcel is not in its network until it has been physically received and scanned. It says another postal service's tracking can show a parcel in Ireland while it is still elsewhere.

Can An Post track a parcel abroad?

Only in part. An Post says it may not be able to follow an item once it leaves Ireland. Parcels coming in can be tracked once they have been received in Ireland.

Who is responsible for a lost An Post parcel?

If you bought online from a business, usually the seller. The Consumer Rights Act leaves goods at its risk until you or a person you nominated physically have them. When you sent the parcel yourself, you are An Post's customer.

Based on

  • An Post: Track and Trace help (scans, items from abroad, tracking number format)
  • An Post: Customs information (My item has not moved)
  • An Post: Terms and Conditions for all services (substantially delayed: 7 and 10 days)
  • An Post: Receiving post (5 working days and 15 days)
  • Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 35 (passing of risk)
  • boards.ie: An Post thread, parcel sat 10 days, customs charge was due
  • boards.ie: An Post thread, stuck on 'handed to An Post'
  • boards.ie: An Post thread, 'Your item was received in the Netherlands'
  • An Post: Express Terms and Conditions, single piece mail (lost after 10 working days)
  • Trustpilot review: 'we don't have information on your parcel yet'
  • 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)

Parcel still not here?
File a complaint about An Post.

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