DHL tracking status
DHL “Returned to Shipper”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionDHL is sending your package back to the sender, or already has. DHL lists customs requirements, a bad address, repeated failed attempts and a shipper's request as reasons. If you bought it online, a refund or a new delivery is then usually for the seller.
When to act: If your address was right and you refused nothing, and this line has not changed after 3 days, file a complaint and we send it to DHL.
Also shown as: “Returned to Sender” · “Undeliverable as Addressed”
What to do now
- 1
Read the line and press 'Show details' for any reason DHL recorded.
- 2
Compare the address in your order confirmation with the one on the tracking, including the apartment number and postal code.
- 3
Look for a missed card, a duty payment request or a customs message that you may have overlooked.
- 4
Keep your order number and proof of payment. If you bought from a business, the refund or new delivery is for the seller to put right.
- 5
Save a dated screenshot of the tracking history.
- 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.
Going back to the sender with another courier
- USPS: Insufficient address
- Amazon: Undeliverable
- OnTrac: Returning package to the shipper
- GOFO: Delivery Failed
- UniUni: Undeliverable
- SpeedX: Return to Shipper
- Cainiao: Return
- Royal Mail: Returned to sender
- Evri: Returned to sender
- DPD: On its way back to the sender
- Parcelforce: Returned to sender
- Canada Post: Item being returned to sender
- Purolator: Item being returned to sender, determined as undeliverable
- Canpar: Returned to sender
- Intelcom: Sorry, your package was undeliverable
- Australia Post: Returning to sender
- Aramex: Return to sender
- CouriersPlease: Return to Sender In Progress
- Sendle: Returned
- NZ Post: Undeliverable
- An Post: We could not deliver your item
What does “Returned to Shipper” mean?
DHL's tracking guide says the shipment is returning to the original sender for reasons like customs issues, a refusal by the receiver or payment problems. Its tracking help adds a bad address, a receiver who has moved, repeated failed attempts and a shipper's request. The line means delivery has stopped. It does not say who is at fault, and the package may not have reached the sender yet.
For DHL eCommerce, an international shipment counts as undeliverable if the address is incomplete, illegible, incorrect or cannot be located, if it cannot clear customs, if duties and taxes are unpaid, if it holds prohibited items, or if it is refused before opening. Those shipments first go to a DHL eCommerce facility, which identifies the customer and their return preference.
Why does DHL show it?
- Customs requirements were not met
- A bad address, or the receiver has moved
- Delivery failed after several attempts
- The receiver refused the package
- Duties or taxes were not paid
- The shipper asked for it back
- It was not collected in time
How long does it last?
The package travels back through DHL's network. DHL publishes no time for this. DHL Express's terms say the return is at the shipper's cost, and that a package it cannot return may be released, abandoned, disposed of or sold. DHL eCommerce says the shipper may have to pay return and storage charges unless DHL was at fault.
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
- Awaiting Collection by ConsigneeTake 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 “Returned to Shipper”
Why was my DHL package returned to the sender?
DHL lists missing customs requirements, a bad address or a receiver who has moved, failed delivery after several attempts, and a shipper's request. Press 'Show details' on the tracking page to see any reason recorded for your package.
Who pays for a DHL return?
DHL Express's terms say the return is at the shipper's cost. DHL eCommerce says the shipper may be liable for return and storage charges unless DHL was at fault. Whether a seller can pass any of that on to you depends on the seller's own terms.
Do I get my money back if DHL returns my package?
If you bought from a business, that is in most cases for the seller to put right, because the seller chose DHL. In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act keeps the goods at the seller's risk until you or someone you named has them. If it went back because of an address you gave or charges you refused, the seller's terms may decide what you get back. Keep your order number and the tracking history.
What does 'Undeliverable as Addressed' mean?
A delivery partner could not deliver to the address as written. DHL eCommerce lists it as an event from its delivery service partners. Compare the address on your order with your real one, including any apartment number.
Based on
- DHL: Shipment Tracking Status Explained
- DHL Express US: tracking help, missed delivery and returns
- DHL eCommerce: International Undeliverable Shipment Policy
- DHL Express Terms and Conditions of Carriage (UK)
- DHL eCommerce UK: Delivery Notifications guide
- DHL eCommerce: Shipment Protection quick reference
- 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