Italy SDA Tracking

SDA tracking lets you follow an SDA Express Courier shipment from pickup to your door in real time. Paste your SDA tracking number into the tracker at the top of this page to see every scan, the current status, and the estimated delivery date, with events pulled straight from the SDA and Poste Italiane network. SDA Express Courier is the express-parcel arm of Poste Italiane tracking, Italy's national postal operator, and it routes domestic and international parcels through roughly 90 distribution centres spread across the country.

SDA Tracking Number Format

An SDA tracking number is the unique code printed on your shipping label and confirmation email that identifies a single parcel across the SDA and Poste Italiane network. The most common SDA number is a 13-character UPU S10 code: two letters, nine digits, and the ISO country suffix "IT" (for example, ZA123456789IT). The two-letter prefix indicates the service class, and the closing "IT" marks Italy as the country of origin. SDA also refers to this code as the "numero di spedizione" or "codice di spedizione" (shipment number), and business shippers may call it the LDV (lettera di vettura, the waybill number).

SDA also issues other formats depending on how a shipment was booked. Domestic e-commerce and business parcels frequently carry a numeric or mixed alphanumeric code of 12 to 13 characters (for example, 5P52C22026674, 9900024312E79, or 123456789012) rather than the S10 layout. Because SDA shipments are increasingly booked through poste.it, an order from a retailer may show a separate order ID alongside the SDA consignment number, and only the SDA consignment number resolves on the tracker. If your retailer gives you a number that will not track here, check whether it is the seller's order reference rather than the SDA shipping code.

SDA numbers are case-insensitive, but typing the letters in capitals avoids confusion between similar characters. Tracking becomes active only once SDA physically collects and scans the parcel, so a number issued at label creation may show nothing for 24 to 48 hours until the first pickup scan is recorded.

Where to Find SDA Tracking Number

An SDA tracking number is generated the moment the sender creates the shipping label, and it reaches the recipient through several channels. Look for it in these places:

• The shipping confirmation email or SMS sent by the retailer or sender when the order is dispatched.

• The order page or order history in your account on the store where you bought the item, usually under "track order" or "shipment details".

• The printed SDA label on the parcel and the receipt given at a post office or SDA agency when the shipment is booked over the counter.

• Your poste.it account, under shipment history, for parcels booked online through Poste Italiane.

The SDA consignment number is distinct from the seller's order reference, and the two often sit next to each other in the same email. Only the SDA number, not the order ID, resolves on the tracker, so enter the code that matches the S10 or mixed-alphanumeric patterns described above.

SDA Tracking Number Example

SDA Express Courier uses several number layouts, so the table below shows the patterns you are most likely to receive and where each one comes from. Prefixes on the S10 format signal the service category, but a prefix alone does not guarantee a service level, so treat the rightmost column as a guide rather than a rule.

If you have more than one code, enter the SDA consignment number rather than the seller's order ID. For inbound parcels that travel internationally, the foreign postal partner may also assign its own tracking number for the leg before SDA takes over in Italy.

SDA Tracking Status Guide

SDA reports tracking events in Italian, which can be confusing if you are following a parcel from abroad. The table below translates the SDA statuses you will encounter most often, ordered roughly along a parcel's journey from acceptance to delivery, including the all-important "in giacenza" hold state.

A status that has not moved for two or three working days is usually a sorting backlog or a customs queue, not a lost parcel. The "in giacenza" state is the one to act on quickly, because the storage window is short.

What to Do If an SDA Parcel Is In Giacenza or Not Updating

The most common reason an SDA parcel stalls is that it has gone "in giacenza" after a failed delivery, and there is a tight window to act before it is returned to sender. SDA leaves a failed-delivery notice, and within 3 days of that notice the recipient can request a free redelivery through the "Svincolo spedizioni" section on sda.it or the MySDA portal; after those 3 days the parcel enters a storage period of up to 15 days at the nearest SDA branch before it is sent back.

Awaiting the first scan. A number that shows "no information" usually means the label exists but SDA has not physically collected the parcel yet. Tracking typically goes live 24 to 48 hours after the sender books the shipment.

In transit between hubs. A status that has not changed for two to three working days is normally a sorting backlog rather than a lost parcel, especially during peak retail periods when sorting centres handle far higher volumes.

Customs clearance. International parcels routinely pause on "in dogana" or "in sdoganamento" while Italian customs processes them, and unpaid import duty or VAT can extend that pause.

Failed delivery attempt. "Destinatario assente" followed by "in giacenza" means you should request a new delivery or arrange a pickup at the holding branch as soon as possible, within the redelivery window above.

Wrong number or missing detail. Confirm you are entering the SDA consignment number and not a seller order reference, since the two often look similar and only the SDA code resolves here.

For shipments booked through Poste Italiane, the poste.it shipment history and the "Ufficio Postale" app carry the same events shown here, and you can also keep an eye on the parcel alongside other couriers from one screen on InstantParcels. If a parcel still shows no movement well beyond the expected window, the sender (the merchant or shipper who created the label) is the right party to open a trace, because SDA handles claims through the contracting account holder.

SDA Express Courier Services and Delivery Times Compared

SDA Express Courier runs a tiered set of domestic and international services, most of which deliver an Italian parcel within 24 to 48 hours. The table below summarises the core SDA offerings, their scope, and realistic delivery estimates; treat the times as typical ranges rather than guarantees.

SDA couriers generally deliver between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and the network operates six days a week, with agreements with large retailers extending some deliveries into Saturdays. For recipients who cannot be home, SDA leans on an extensive pickup-point network and on post-office collection through the Poste Italiane retail estate.

Alongside these general tiers, SDA runs specialised services for particular sectors: PharmaExpress moves temperature-controlled medicines, vaccines, and samples under a maintained cold chain; 2ruotExpress carries motorcycles, scooters, and bulky sporting equipment in protective cages with real-time geolocation; Capi Appesi delivers hanging garments on rails without folding them; and Round Trip lets a courier collect a signed document or returned item at the same visit as a delivery. Weight and size limits vary by service, from around 20 kg on Poste Delivery Standard up to the no-limit Extralarge service that handles pallets to roughly 300 kg.

"With the International Express service, SDA provides reliable global shipping to over 200 countries, covering the entire process from pick-up to customs clearance." (SDA, International Express service, 2024.)

SDA Delivery Options and Pickup Points

SDA delivers to the recipient's address against a signature by default, but it offers several alternatives for people who cannot be home. The Punto Poste network spans thousands of collection points across Italy, including post offices, partner shops, and automated lockers where a parcel can be picked up with a code sent by SMS or email.

Recipients can reschedule a delivery, redirect it to a pickup point, or set a preferred date through the MySDA portal or the Poste Italiane website, and the Smart Alert service sends proactive SMS or email notifications at each key stage of the journey. Punto Poste automated lockers are accessible outside normal business hours, which suits shoppers with busy schedules, while post-office collection uses the roughly 12,000 Poste Italiane branches nationwide. For online sellers, SDA also bundles storage, pick-and-pack, and returns handling into end-to-end logistics contracts.

SDA Delivery and Transit Times Across Italy

SDA Express Courier delivers to every address in Italy, and most domestic express parcels arrive within 24 to 48 hours thanks to a network of around 90 distribution centres. Transit time depends mainly on the distance between the origin hub and the destination province, plus local geography.

Parcels moving between major mainland cities such as Milan, Turin, Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Naples typically clear in one working day on express services. Shipments to and from the South, Sicily, and Sardinia, or to small mountain communities in regions like Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, and Calabria, can take an extra day because of ferry connections and longer last-mile routes. In certain isolated or low-frequency areas, deliveries may be grouped on set days of the week rather than run daily. SDA describes its reach as covering every Italian address, including remote mountain villages and small islands, which is the practical benefit of riding on the Poste Italiane footprint of about 12,000 post offices. Peak retail windows, especially the weeks around Black Friday and Christmas, add load to sorting centres and can stretch these estimates by a day or more.

SDA Returns and Claims for Lost or Damaged Parcels

SDA Express Courier supports reverse logistics, so e-commerce shoppers can send items back through the same network that delivered them. Returns ("reso") are usually arranged by the retailer, which generates the return label or a pickup, and the parcel then travels back to the sender's warehouse with its own tracking number.

For a parcel that is lost or arrives damaged, the claim is opened by the contracting sender, because SDA's commercial relationship is with the account holder who booked the shipment, not the recipient. Reporting deadlines are strict: visible damage should be noted as a reserve on the delivery slip at the moment of receipt, hidden damage must be reported within 8 calendar days for domestic Italian transport, and a suspected loss should be flagged within 48 hours of the originally expected delivery date. SDA reviews a claim for at least 30 days, and any reimbursement can take up to 90 days from when the claim is opened.

If you are the recipient, report the problem to the merchant promptly and keep photos of any damaged packaging and contents, since these support the claim; the waybill number (LDV), a description of the contents, and a purchase invoice or repair quote are usually required. Claims can be filed through the online form on the Poste Italiane website or by registered mail to SDA Express Courier, Viale Europa 175, 00144 Roma. Shipments can be insured on request, and if a dispute is not resolved, AGCOM (the Italian communications regulator) can open a conciliation procedure that must conclude within 60 days. Acting within the published reporting windows matters, as claims filed late are harder to substantiate.

Which Countries Does SDA Deliver To?

SDA Express Courier delivers throughout Italy and, through Poste Italiane's International Express offer, reaches more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, so SDA international tracking follows a parcel from an Italian hub all the way to the destination country. Domestically, SDA covers all 20 Italian regions, every province, and the islands, from large metro areas down to small comuni, using the Poste Italiane distribution backbone.

Internationally, SDA acts as the Italian origin and final-mile operator within the Poste Italiane and Universal Postal Union framework: it collects and exports parcels from Italy, clears them through customs, and hands them to partner carriers and foreign postal operators for delivery abroad, while inbound parcels are received from those partners and delivered inside Italy. For European destinations, the RoadEurope service, developed with the Eurodis network, offers an economical road alternative with 2 to 4 working day transit to major capitals. Some destinations carry restrictions: Switzerland, for instance, requires shipments between VAT-registered entities rather than private individuals, and food products are generally not accepted to countries outside the European Union.

"Thanks to Poste Italiane's International Express offer managed by SDA, parcels can be shipped to more than 200 countries and territories." (SDA / Poste Italiane, 2024.)

Representative destinations SDA reaches through this network include:

• Domestic: all of Italy, including Sicily, Sardinia, and the smaller islands.

• Europe: Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and Poland.

• North America: the United States and Canada.

• MENA: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

• Asia Pacific: China, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

SDA Customs Clearance and International Handoff

For parcels crossing the Italian border, SDA Express Courier manages the export and customs steps before a shipment leaves the country, and the customs queue is a common reason an international parcel pauses in tracking. Outbound items are presented to Italian customs with the required documentation, and you will typically see an "in dogana" or "in sdoganamento" event while clearance is in progress. Low-value non-EU shipments use a CN22 declaration, while goods bound for countries outside the EU require the fuller CN23 declaration, usually integrated into the waybill.

On inbound shipments, parcels arriving from abroad enter Italy through the Poste Italiane international gateways, clear Italian customs, and are then delivered by SDA on the final leg. Import duty and VAT, where they apply, are the recipient's responsibility and may need to be settled before release, which can add a day or two to the timeline; on the International Express service, customs-clearance fees are included in the rate. Because SDA operates as part of the national postal group, cross-border parcels often move under postal and Universal Postal Union arrangements alongside partners such as the destination country's own post, with the tracking number remaining valid across the handoff. Rules can change: after a July 2025 U.S. executive order revised the customs treatment of parcels, Poste Italiane reactivated shipments to the United States from 1 December 2025 through its business and online channels.

What Is SDA Express Courier?

SDA Express Courier is an Italian express-delivery company founded in Rome in 1984 and fully acquired by the Poste Italiane Group in 1998. The name comes from "Servizi Doganali Associati," reflecting its origins in associated customs services and express messaging, and over four decades it grew from an independent courier into the express-parcel and logistics operator of Italy's national post, combining the speed of a private courier with the reach of the state postal network.

SDA runs its operation through roughly 90 distribution centres and agencies, 5 main sorting centres, and 2 international platforms, with a fleet of more than 5,600 vehicles and about 1,300 people working directly within the SDA Express Courier structure, supported by the wider Poste Italiane network. Its administrative offices sit in Rome and in Zingonia, in the province of Bergamo.

A major reorganisation on 1 November 2019 refocused SDA as an internal logistics operator for Poste Italiane, with express-messaging services progressively folded into the wider Italian postal portfolio and booking moving to poste.it. More recently, from 1 July 2024, a partial spin-off transferred certain integrated-logistics and freight activities to a new entity, Poste Logistics S.p.A. Today SDA handles sorting, routing, and distribution and delivers to every address in Italy on the Poste Italiane network. The brand remains widely used on labels and tracking events, which is why shoppers still receive "SDA" tracking numbers even as the operation sits inside Poste Italiane.

SDA Marketplace Collaborations

SDA Express Courier is one of the main last-mile carriers for online orders delivered in Italy, handling parcels for domestic retailers and international marketplaces alike through the Poste Italiane network. If you have bought from a major marketplace and your parcel is moving inside Italy, there is a strong chance SDA or its Poste Italiane parent is completing the delivery.

Poste Italiane has secured significant e-commerce agreements, including with Amazon Logistics tracking, where arrangements with large retailers can include Saturday deliveries. The group has also extended its partnership with fashion marketplace Zalando tracking, letting customers collect and return purchases through the Punto Poste network and the group's roughly 12,000 post offices acting as pickup and drop-off points. Marketplace orders from eBay order tracking sellers shipping into Italy are also frequently completed by SDA and Poste Italiane on the final mile.

Italy is a large destination for cross-border parcels from China-based marketplaces such as AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and Alibaba, and many of those inbound shipments are handed to Poste Italiane and delivered by SDA once they clear Italian customs. Whatever marketplace your order started on, entering the SDA consignment number in the tracker on this page shows the live status for the Italian delivery leg.