Colissimo Tracking

Colissimo tracking follows a parcel through the network of La Poste, the national postal operator of France, from the first scan until delivery to a home address or a chosen pickup point. Colissimo is the parcel arm of La Poste and processes more than 500 million parcels a year, making it France's leading parcel carrier (Ordertracker, 2024). Paste any Colissimo tracking number into the tracker on this page to see the full scan history, whether the parcel carries a French domestic reference or an international number ending in FR.

Colissimo Tracking Number Format

A Colissimo tracking number is the reference that identifies a shipment inside the La Poste network, and it usually contains 13 characters. Domestic parcels follow a national pattern of two leading characters (a letter and a digit, such as 6A, 8L, or 8R), then a run of digits, forming a 13-character reference like 6A12345678901. This same reference is variously called a tracking number, a parcel number, or a shipment number, but they all point to the same barcode on the label.

International parcels shipped by Colissimo use the Universal Postal Union (UPU) S10 standard: two letters for the service class, nine digits (the last of which is a Mod-11 check digit), and a two-letter ISO country code. Items injected by La Poste in France end in FR, for example CC123456785FR or LB987654325FR. The order ID from a retailer or marketplace is not the same as the Colissimo reference; the order ID identifies the purchase in the shop's system, while the Colissimo reference is the number that returns scan events in a tracker.

Where to Find a Colissimo Tracking Number

The Colissimo tracking number is issued when the parcel is shipped and reaches the recipient through the sender rather than from La Poste directly. It usually appears in one of these places:

• In the shipping confirmation email or SMS from the online store where the order was placed.

• In the order history or delivery section of the account on that retailer or marketplace.

• On the proof of posting or receipt, if the parcel was sent in person at a post office.

• Printed on the parcel label itself, near the barcode.

When a parcel starts as a marketplace purchase, the marketplace order page is often the fastest place to find the Colissimo reference. If only an order ID is available and it returns no scans, it is usually because the retailer has not yet handed the parcel to La Poste, so the reference is not live in the network.

Colissimo Tracking Number Example

Colissimo assigns different prefixes to different services. The two leading characters commonly seen on domestic parcels indicate the service class, though a prefix alone does not always reliably indicate the exact product, so treat the meanings below as commonly observed patterns rather than guarantees.

In every S10 example the final two letters are the ISO country code of the postal operator that injected the item, so a number ending in FR was shipped from France by La Poste. The ninth digit of an S10 number is a check digit calculated from the preceding eight, which is how a tracker can flag an obviously mistyped reference.

Colissimo Tracking Status Guide

Each Colissimo status marks a stage in the parcel's journey and updates in real time whenever the parcel is scanned. The table below maps the most common Colissimo statuses to what they mean for the recipient.

Why Colissimo Tracking Is Not Updating or Not Working

Colissimo tracking that has not moved for a day or two is usually normal, because scans are recorded at network events rather than continuously. Work through the common reasons below before raising an inquiry.

Awaiting the first scan. Tracking begins when La Poste physically takes charge of the parcel, not when the label is created. A gap of 24 to 48 hours between the shipping notification and the first status is normal, and a reference that shows "no information" often just means the retailer has not handed it over yet.

In transit between facilities. A parcel can go quiet while it moves between sorting platforms, because no scan is generated until it reaches the next checkpoint. Domestic parcels rarely stay silent for more than a day or two.

Crossing the border. International parcels frequently pause between the French export scan and the first import scan abroad, when responsibility passes to the destination postal operator. This handoff is the single most common reason international tracking looks stuck.

Customs clearance. A parcel held at customs in the destination country will not move until the declaration is processed and any duties or taxes are paid. Customs checks can add one to five days to the delivery timeline.

Failed delivery attempt. If no one was present, the parcel is usually redirected to a nearby post office or relay point rather than reattempted immediately, and the status will switch to available for pickup.

Wrong number or missing postcode. A single mistyped character returns no result, so the reference should be checked against the source email. An S10 number ending in FR is a good sign the format is correct.

Genuinely delayed. If a parcel has not moved for several days beyond the expected window, the sender is the right first contact, because the shipping contract is with them and only the sender can open a formal inquiry with La Poste.

Services and Delivery Times Compared

Colissimo runs a focused range of parcel services for individuals and businesses, and tracking is included on all of them at no extra cost. The table summarizes the main options and their typical timelines.

The standard domestic service carries a delivery commitment of 48 business hours, which is why La Poste describes Colissimo France as a two-working-day service (Ordertracker, 2024). Business days exclude Sundays and public holidays, so a parcel posted on a Friday is typically delivered the following Tuesday. For faster or time-slot delivery, La Poste Group directs customers to its express subsidiary Chronopost.

Delivery and Transit Times by Destination

Colissimo delivery times depend on the destination and the service, and Saturday counts as a delivery day while Sundays and public holidays do not. The ranges below are indicative estimates rather than guarantees.

• Mainland France: generally 2 business days from posting, under the 48-hour commitment.

• Neighbouring Europe (Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy): generally 3 to 5 business days.

• Long-haul international (North America, Asia, Oceania): generally 6 to 12 business days, subject to customs clearance.

• Overseas territories: around 5 to 7 days for standard Outre-Mer, longer for the economy option and for the most distant collectivities.

Peak periods, weather, and customs inspections can extend any of these ranges. Because international delivery is completed by the destination country's own postal operator, the final-mile speed also depends on that carrier rather than La Poste alone.

Pickup Points, Lockers, and Missed Deliveries

Colissimo operates more than 17,000 access points across France, including post offices, Pickup relay shops, and automated parcel lockers (Ordertracker, 2024). Choosing Colissimo Point Retrait sends the parcel to a selected access point instead of a home address, which suits recipients who are out during the day. Pickup relay shops, drawn from a network of over 7,500 partner retailers, often stay open into the evening and on Saturdays.

When a home delivery cannot be completed, the carrier leaves a delivery notice (Avis de Passage) and routes the parcel to the nearest post office or relay point. Collecting a held parcel usually requires the tracking number or a collection code plus photo identification. Parcels are generally held for about 15 calendar days at a post office (around 14 days at a relay point) before being returned to the sender, so prompt collection matters once the status shows the parcel is ready.

Returns With Colissimo Retour

Colissimo Retour is the returns service many French retailers use, and it is designed to be simple for the buyer. With a prepaid return label, the parcel can be dropped in a personal mailbox for collection or handed in at a post office or relay point, with no postage to pay at the counter. The return is tracked end to end, so both the buyer and the retailer can see when the item is on its way back and when it arrives, which is usually the point at which a refund is processed.

Which Countries Does Colissimo Deliver To?

Colissimo international tracking covers shipments to more than 200 countries and territories, with continuous updates from the French export scan through to the destination operator's final delivery (Ordertracker, 2024). Domestically, Colissimo serves every French municipality, from major cities to remote villages, six days a week, a reach that stems from La Poste's public-service mission. Monaco and Andorra fall within the domestic distribution area, and the overseas departments and collectivities are served through the dedicated Outre-Mer services.

Internationally, Colissimo relies on the global postal network and Universal Postal Union agreements. A parcel sent abroad is carried by La Poste to the border and then handed to the destination country's postal operator for final delivery, so tracking continues under that operator's system. A shipment to the United States is completed by USPS, a parcel to the United Kingdom by Royal Mail, and a parcel to Germany by Deutsche Post.

• Domestic: all French municipalities, plus Monaco and Andorra within the distribution area.

• Overseas territories: Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion, Mayotte, plus New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and other collectivities.

• Europe: all 27 EU member states plus Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Norway.

• North America: the United States and Canada.

• Asia Pacific and worldwide: more than 200 countries and territories in total.

Cross-Border Customs and International Handoff

Colissimo provides tracking from collection in France through the export scan, and updates continue once the destination operator or partner carrier takes over. Within the European Union, parcels circulate freely and most shipments need no customs declaration, which makes European destinations the fastest and simplest to reach.

For destinations outside the EU, the sender must complete a CN23 customs declaration describing the contents, value, and origin, ideally accompanied by a commercial or pro forma invoice. Import duties and taxes are usually the recipient's responsibility and are assessed by the destination country's customs authority; the parcel can be held with a status such as "awaiting payment of charges" until they are settled. Colissimo does not prepay duties on the recipient's behalf, so a status showing a customs hold generally means a charge is waiting to be paid rather than a lost parcel.

Marketplace Collaborations

Colissimo is one of the default carriers for parcels bought from online marketplaces shipping to or within France, so many of the references people look up here come from a marketplace order rather than a private shipment. Vinted offers Colissimo home delivery and pickup-point drop-off for French sellers, and large retailers and marketplaces such as Amazon and Cdiscount route a share of their French parcels through the Colissimo network. Cross-border orders from AliExpress and other China-based marketplaces are also frequently completed on the French leg by La Poste.

If a parcel started as a marketplace purchase, the marketplace order page is often the quickest place to find the Colissimo reference. For eBay buyers, the eBay order tracking guide explains where the seller's number appears and how it maps to the carrier that actually delivers, including Colissimo on French routes.

What Is Colissimo?

Colissimo is the parcel delivery brand of La Poste Group, the historic postal operator of France, headquartered in Paris. The service launched in May 1989 as the first French parcel offering with a guaranteed delivery commitment, backed by compensation if the deadline was missed (Ordertracker, 2024). That promise made it a turning point for French postal services, and the growth of e-commerce from the 2000s onward turned Colissimo into a major industrial operator.

Today Colissimo processes more than 500 million parcels a year through 18 industrial sorting platforms and a distribution network reaching every French municipality (Ordertracker, 2024). Alongside domestic parcels within France and the overseas territories, it reaches more than 200 international destinations through partnerships with postal operators worldwide. Within France it operates alongside other major carriers such as Mondial Relay and Colis Prive, while La Poste's own letter and express arms handle mail and time-critical shipments. Whatever the reference, a French domestic number or an international UPU number ending in FR, it can be followed with the universal tracker on this page.