DHL tracking status
DHL “Awaiting Collection by Consignee”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionYour package is at a DHL location and is waiting for you to pick it up. DHL Express's On Demand Delivery asks you to collect from a Service Point or Locker within 7 days of arrival. DHL eCommerce UK holds a package at a ServicePoint for 10 days.
When to act: If no pickup address shows, or the pickup location still cannot find your package, after 2 days, file a complaint and we send it to DHL.
Also shown as: “Awaiting collection by the consignee” · “Awaiting consignee collection” · “Your parcel is ready for collection” · “Parcel ready for collection” · “Available for collection”
What to do now
- 1
Read the message or card for the address, the opening hours and the collect-by date.
- 2
Bring photo ID and your tracking number. DHL eCommerce UK also asks for the pickup code or shipment number, plus proof of address.
- 3
If you cannot get there in time, choose another option in DHL On Demand Delivery or 'Track & divert your parcel', if one is offered.
- 4
If duties are due, pay in DHL On Demand Delivery first, or at the Service Point when you collect.
- 5
Keep a screenshot of the line and your collect-by date until the package is in your hands.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to DHL, 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
- 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
- An Post: Your delivery is in D.S.U.
- DPD Ireland: Your parcel is held at the DPD depot
What does “Awaiting Collection by Consignee” mean?
DHL's tracking guide says this means the shipment has arrived in the destination country and is waiting for the receiver to pick it up in person. 'Consignee' is DHL's word for the receiver, so this is you. It often follows a missed delivery or your own choice in On Demand Delivery, and DHL Express UK says that in a limited number of cases door delivery is not possible at all. People also report it right after paying duties, with no delivery attempt they saw and no pickup address shown.
DHL eCommerce UK uses 'Your parcel is ready for collection'. The message goes out when the package is scanned at the ServicePoint or local depot, and it gives a collect-by date. The line does not mean the package is going back, but it can if the time runs out.
Why does DHL show it?
- A delivery attempt failed
- You chose pickup in DHL On Demand Delivery
- The driver could not leave it with a neighbor or in a safe place
- Door delivery is not possible at the address
- The seller's instructions send missed packages to a ServicePoint
- DHL moved it to a depot or Service Point without an attempt you saw
How long does it last?
If you chose pickup in On Demand Delivery, collect within 7 days at the Service Point or Locker. At a DHL eCommerce UK ServicePoint, you have 10 days. The message gives your date. On DHL eCommerce UK, an uncollected package goes back to the sender, and its message then says so.
Other DHL statuses
- Shipment on holdKeep an eye on it
- Clearance EventKeep an eye on it
- ExceptionKeep an eye on it
- Departure Origin DHL eCommerce FacilityNormal
- En route to DHL eCommerce Distribution Center or awaiting processingKeep an eye on it
- On Hold Awaiting for Payment of Shipment Related FeesTake action
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Delivery attemptedTake action
- Returned to ShipperTake action
- Collection eventKeep an eye on it
Who is responsible for a late or missing package from DHL?
When you buy online from a business, DHL is the seller's courier and the seller is DHL's customer, so putting a late, lost or missing order right, with a replacement or a refund, is in most cases for the seller. DHL's own documents fit that: its eCommerce FAQ calls the merchant its contract partner and says only the merchant can claim for a lost or damaged package, and its Express claims guide says that in almost all situations only the shipper can claim. If you are in the UK, the Consumer Rights Act (section 29) also keeps the goods at the seller's risk until they reach you or someone you named, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option.
If you sent the package yourself, your contract is with DHL, under the terms you accepted when you booked. DHL Express's US domestic terms limit its liability to $100 or the package's actual value, whichever is lower, and its international terms set a limit per kilogram unless you arranged more cover. Both say DHL is not liable for loss caused by delay, apart from a limited money back guarantee on some international services, and that claims must reach DHL in writing within 30 days of the date it accepted the package. Those are DHL Express terms. Sending through DHL eCommerce UK or Evri Premium falls under that service's own terms.
Questions about “Awaiting Collection by Consignee”
How long will DHL hold my package for pickup?
DHL Express's On Demand Delivery asks you to collect within 7 days of arrival at a Service Point or Locker. DHL eCommerce UK holds a package at a ServicePoint for 10 days and gives a collect-by date in its message.
What does 'consignee' mean on DHL tracking?
The consignee is the receiver, the person the package is addressed to. 'Awaiting Collection by Consignee' means DHL is waiting for you to pick it up in person.
What do I need to collect a DHL package?
DHL eCommerce UK asks for your pickup code or shipment number, photo ID and proof of address. DHL Express's public pages do not list what it needs, so bring the same, and any payment due on the package.
What happens if I do not collect it in time?
DHL eCommerce UK returns an uncollected package to the sender, and its message then says so. DHL Express does not publish what follows its 7 days. Move the delivery in DHL On Demand Delivery before the time runs out, if that option is offered.
Based on
- DHL: Shipment Tracking Status Explained
- DHL Express: On Demand Delivery, delivery preferences
- DHL eCommerce UK: Frequently Asked Questions
- DHL eCommerce UK: Delivery Notifications guide
- DHL Express UK: Parcel Delivery and Courier FAQs
- DHL Express US: tracking help, pre-transit
- DHL Express US: tracking help, missed delivery and returns
- r/dhl: Confused by Awaiting collection by the consignee
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29
- DHL eCommerce: Tracking and Shipment Status FAQ (US)
- DHL Express Claims Guide (UK)
- DHL Express U.S. Domestic Terms and Conditions of Carriage
- DHL Express Terms and Conditions of Carriage (UK)