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Canada Post tracking status

Canada Post “Available for pickup”: what it means

The short answer

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Your parcel has reached a post office and is ready to collect. Canada Post holds it for 15 calendar days, with a Final Notice Card after 5, then returns it to the sender. Bring government-issued photo ID and your Delivery Notice Card if you have one.

When to act: If the post office cannot find your parcel, or it went back before the 15 calendar days were up, file a complaint and we send it to Canada Post.

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

Also shown as: “Item available for pickup at Post Office” · “Item available for pick-up”

What to do now

  1. Find the post office on your Delivery Notice Card or in Track, using your tracking number or the card number.

  2. Go well within 15 calendar days of the notice, as Canada Post does not say which day the count starts.

  3. Bring your government-issued photo ID and the card if you have it.

  4. If someone else is going, sign the card and print their name on it. They need their own government-issued photo ID, and a letter of authorization works in place of the card.

  5. If staff cannot find it, give your name as well as the tracking number, then note the date and time of your visit.

  6. Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Canada Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

    Start my complaint

Waiting at a post office, shop or locker with another courier

What does “Available for pickup” mean?

Canada Post says the parcel has safely arrived at a post office. If you got a Delivery Notice Card, follow it. If not, Track shows where and how to collect when the information is available. Parcels sent to a FlexDelivery address or with the Deliver to Post Office option get an email when they arrive, and a second reminder if nobody has collected them after 5 days.

The post office keeps a parcel for 15 calendar days, then sends it back to the address on the label. This is separate from Hold Mail, which is a service you ask for when you are away. In histories people share, tracking sometimes showed a parcel as ready before any notice arrived, and sometimes a parcel was at the counter while tracking said it was not.

Why does Canada Post show it?

  • Nobody could receive the parcel, and there was no safe place to leave it
  • The sender chose Card for Pickup or Deliver to Post Office
  • You used a FlexDelivery address
  • The parcel needs a signature, and there was no answer at the door
  • Duty and taxes are owed
  • The parcel was too big for the mailbox, parcel compartment or Post Office Box

How long does it last?

If nobody has picked it up after 5 calendar days, Canada Post sends a Final Notice Card. After 15 calendar days it goes back to the sender, and any refund or new delivery is then up to the seller.

Other Canada Post statuses

All Canada Post statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Canada Post?

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose Canada Post and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Canada Post also says that only the sender can receive compensation for a missing parcel.

For a parcel you sent yourself, Canada Post's General Terms and Conditions are the contract between you. Most Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel shipments include cover of up to $100, the first $100 must be bought for Regular Parcel, and you can add more when you mail it, up to $5,000 within Canada and $1,000 for most US and international shipments. Compensation is the lowest of the item's value, the cover you bought or the cover included, plus postage where it applies. A claim for a missing parcel has to start within 90 days of the shipping date within Canada, or 6 months for the US and abroad. A late parcel on a guaranteed service may earn the sender a postage refund, but the terms excuse causes beyond Canada Post's control, including labour disruptions and customs.

Questions about “Available for pickup”

How long does Canada Post hold packages?

A post office holds a parcel for 15 calendar days, and a Final Notice Card goes out if nobody has collected it after 5. After that, the parcel goes back to the sender. A parcel in a building parcel locker stays for up to 5 days, then you get a card to collect it from a post office.

What ID do I need to pick up a Canada Post parcel?

Government-issued photo ID, plus your Delivery Notice Card if you have one.

Can someone else pick up my Canada Post package?

Yes. They need their own government-issued photo ID and either the card, signed by you with their name printed on it, or a letter of authorization or legal document showing they can act for you.

What happens if I don't pick up my Canada Post package?

After 15 calendar days it goes back to the sender, and the sender pays for the return. If you bought it, any refund or new delivery is up to the seller.

Can I get more than 15 days to pick up my parcel?

Canada Post's pages mention no extension for one parcel. After one strike it restarted the 15 days for all held parcels, so check the date in Track after any stoppage.

Based on

  • Canada Post: Tracking statuses (available for pickup, ID, sending someone else)
  • Canada Post: Delivery options (Final Notice Card after 5 calendar days, 15 calendar day hold)
  • Canada Post: Flexible delivery options (FlexDelivery, Deliver to Post Office)
  • Canada Post: Tracking Events and Services (final Delivery Notice Card)
  • Canada Post: I set a delivery preference location but my package went to the post office
  • Canada Post: Can I refuse delivery of a letter or parcel? (15 days, sender pays the return)
  • Canada Post: Temporarily stop mail delivery (Hold Mail)
  • Canada Post: Resuming operations, important information for customers (15 days restarted)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Canada post notification card left for flex delivery (Item available for pickup at Post Office)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Canada Post lost my package (shared experience at the counter)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Canada Post In Transit to Post Office (shared experience at the counter)
  • Canada Post: Parcel lockers (held for up to 5 days, then a delivery notice card)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared history (Notice card left, then Item available for pickup at Post Office)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared history (Item available for pick-up)
  • Canada Post: My package hasn't arrived (who can be paid, time limits, $100 base cover)
  • Canada Post: My package was delivered late (postage refund for the sender, guaranteed services)
  • Canada Post: Coverage options, parcel guide ($100 included, first $100 bought for Regular Parcel, up to $5,000)
  • Canada Post: General Terms and Conditions, customers without a Standing Offer Agreement (liability cover, excusable delay)

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

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