Iceland Post Tracking

Iceland Post tracking lets you follow a Pósturinn (Íslandspóstur) letter or parcel from acceptance to final delivery. Iceland Post is the national postal operator of Iceland, wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, and it handles most domestic mail as well as the international parcels that arrive in Iceland from abroad. To track a shipment, paste your tracking number into the tracking tool on this page and you will see the latest scan, location, and status.

Most Iceland Post tracking numbers are 13 characters long and end in the letters "IS", the country code for Iceland. If you bought from an overseas marketplace such as AliExpress, Temu, Shein, or Amazon, your parcel is usually handed to Pósturinn for the final leg inside Iceland, so the same tracking page shows the domestic delivery events once the item clears Icelandic customs.

Iceland Post Tracking Number Format

An Iceland Post tracking number follows the Universal Postal Union (UPU) S10 standard: two letters, nine digits, and a two-letter country code, for a total of 13 characters (for example, RA123456789IS). The first two letters identify the service class, the nine middle digits are the unique item serial with a check digit, and the final "IS" confirms the item is registered to Iceland's postal network.

The opening letter tells you the broad service type. A number beginning with "R" is registered mail that requires a signature, "C" is a tracked parcel, "E" is an EMS (Express Mail Service) express item, and "L" or "U" prefixes are typically used for tracked or unregistered letter-post and small packets. The leading letter alone does not guarantee a specific speed or price tier, so treat it as an indicator of the mail category rather than a precise service guarantee.

You will find the tracking number on your post office acceptance receipt, in the shipping confirmation email from the online store, or inside your marketplace order details. For inbound orders from overseas sellers, the number printed at checkout is often the seller's or first carrier's reference; once the parcel reaches Iceland it may also be traceable under an Iceland Post S10 number. Keep both references, because the seller's number is what you paste while the item is in transit abroad and the Icelandic number covers the last mile.

Iceland Post Tracking Number Example

The table below lists the Iceland Post number formats you are most likely to see, what each pattern indicates, and where it appears. Only the documented S10 service-letter conventions are shown; where a prefix can cover more than one service it is described as a commonly seen pattern rather than a guarantee.

Iceland Post Tracking Status Guide

Iceland Post tracking moves through a predictable set of statuses as your parcel travels from acceptance to your door or your nearest Póstbox locker. The table below explains the common Pósturinn statuses and what each one means for you.

What to Do If an Iceland Post Parcel Is Delayed or Not Updating

A Pósturinn tracking number that has not updated for several days is most often waiting in customs or in transit between countries, not lost. Inbound parcels from abroad commonly take longer than the quoted estimate because every commercial shipment to Iceland is assessed for VAT, and customs processing can add several days, especially during the November and December peak.

If your status has been static, first confirm you are using the correct reference: while a parcel is still overseas, track it under the seller's number, and switch to the Iceland Post number once the item reaches Iceland. Parcels held in a Póstbox locker are typically kept for 3 to 7 days before being returned, so collect promptly once you receive the pickup notification. If an item shows no movement for more than 10 working days after dispatch, or after a "customs" status persists, contact Pósturinn customer service on +354 580 1000 with both tracking references to open an inquiry.

Iceland Post Services and Delivery Times Compared

Iceland Post offers a tiered set of letter and parcel services, from registered correspondence to express EMS, plus heavy freight up to about 300 kg. The table below compares the main Pósturinn services, what they are best for, and indicative delivery times.

Iceland Post Delivery and Transit Times

Domestic Pósturinn parcels usually arrive within 1 to 3 business days, with the Reykjavík capital area served fastest and remote regions of the Westfjords, the East, and the Highlands taking a little longer. Iceland's small population, concentrated around Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Akureyri, and Reykjanesbær, means most deliveries route through the central sorting facility in the capital area before fanning out across the country.

International transit times vary by region. Pósturinn quotes roughly 5 to 7 days to the rest of Europe, 7 to 9 days to Africa, 7 to 15 days to Asia and North America, and up to about 20 days to more distant destinations. These are estimates rather than guarantees, and inbound parcels can run longer because of customs assessment in Iceland. As a neighbouring-network comparison, items routed via Faroe Islands Post or Greenland Post follow similar North Atlantic timelines.

Iceland Post Customs, VAT, and International Handoff

Every commercial shipment imported into Iceland is assessed for VAT, because Iceland applies a 0 ISK de minimis threshold, meaning there is no value below which goods arrive charge-free. Standard VAT is 24%, with a reduced 11% rate on items such as books, newspapers, magazines, and most food other than confectionery and drinks.

When an overseas parcel reaches Iceland, it is processed at the international exchange office in the Reykjavík area, where Pósturinn works with Icelandic Revenue and Customs (Skatturinn) to assess charges. If duties or VAT apply, Pósturinn adds a handling fee for clearing and storing the dutiable item: around ISK 599 per shipment from within Europe and ISK 799 per shipment from outside Europe. You will usually be notified to pay any charges online before the parcel is released for delivery or locker pickup.

"Value added tax is collected on goods imported to Iceland. Postal items containing goods are processed by customs, and a handling fee is charged for shipments that require customs clearance." (Pósturinn, Customs Services, 2024.)

For parcels you send out of Iceland, Pósturinn attaches the appropriate customs declaration (a CN22 or CN23 form depending on value and weight) and hands the item to the destination country's postal operator through the UPU network. Onward delivery in mainland Europe is frequently completed by partners such as Deutsche Post or the relevant national post, while Nordic routing often passes through PostNord.

Which Countries Does Iceland Post Deliver To?

Iceland Post delivers domestically across all of Iceland and connects to virtually every country worldwide through the Universal Postal Union and the Global EMS network. Domestically, Pósturinn covers the entire country, from the capital region of Reykjavík and its neighbours to regional centres such as Akureyri in the north, Egilsstaðir in the east, Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, and the towns of the south coast, using a mix of post offices, home delivery, and Póstbox lockers.

Internationally, Iceland Post is a member of the Universal Postal Union and the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation (SEPAC), and its membership in the Global EMS Cooperative lets it offer express service to and from destinations worldwide. Outbound items are handed to the destination's national post for last-mile delivery, and inbound items from any country are delivered by Pósturinn once they clear Icelandic customs. Representative destinations include:

• Domestic: Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Akureyri, Reykjanesbær, Selfoss, Ísafjörður, Egilsstaðir.
• Nordic and North Atlantic: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland, often via Denmark Post and other Nordic operators.
• Rest of Europe: Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Poland.
• North America: United States, Canada.
• Asia Pacific: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia.

What Is Iceland Post (Pósturinn)?

Iceland Post, known in Icelandic as Pósturinn and formally as Íslandspóstur ohf., is the designated universal postal service provider of Iceland and is wholly owned by the Icelandic state. Organised postal service in Iceland dates back to 1776, when King Christian VII of Denmark ordered a mail service to be established, with regular postal sailings between Iceland and Denmark beginning two years later.

The first Icelandic postage stamps were issued in 1873, and the first post office in Reykjavík opened in 1872 at Austurvöllur square before later moving to purpose-built premises on Pósthússtræti. The modern company took its current form in 1998, when the postal business was separated from the state telecommunications operator Síminn and incorporated as Íslandspóstur. A large central sorting facility was built at Höfðabakki in Reykjavík in 1998 to anchor the network.

In the 2020s, in response to financial pressure and falling letter volumes, Pósturinn restructured its retail footprint, reducing the number of staffed post offices and expanding self-service Póstbox lockers. The branch network fell from roughly 37 locations to around 27 after ten closures in June 2024, while parcel lockers, numbering about 90 across the country, took on a larger share of everyday pickups. This shift mirrors a wider European trend toward locker-based, 24/7 collection.

Iceland Post Marketplace Collaborations

Iceland Post is the final-mile carrier for most cross-border e-commerce parcels arriving in Iceland, including orders from the largest global marketplaces. Because Iceland has a small domestic e-commerce sector, a large share of Pósturinn's parcel volume originates from overseas platforms shipping into the country.

The China-based marketplaces are the biggest inbound source. Orders from AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and Alibaba are typically carried by a first-mile partner to Iceland, then assessed by Icelandic customs and delivered by Pósturinn to your home or a Póstbox locker. Western marketplaces also rely on the postal network: Amazon (often via Amazon.de or Amazon.co.uk), eBay, Zalando, Boozt, and ASOS orders frequently complete their last leg with Iceland Post. Local Icelandic retailers such as Heimkaup and Aha.is also use Pósturinn for nationwide fulfilment.

Whichever marketplace you buy from, the same principle applies: track the order under the seller's reference while it is in transit abroad, then follow it under the Iceland Post number once it arrives. For shoppers comparing how neighbouring networks handle the same marketplace parcels, the routing is broadly similar to that of Greenland Post and other small North Atlantic operators that also depend on inbound customs clearance before final delivery.