Malta Post Tracking

MaltaPost tracking lets you follow a letter, registered item, parcel, or EMS courier shipment handled by Malta's national postal operator from acceptance to delivery. MaltaPost p.l.c. is the sole licensed Universal Service Provider of postal services in Malta, delivering to every address across Malta and Gozo six days a week. To track a MaltaPost item, enter your tracking number in the tracker at the top of this page and you will see the latest scan, location, and status drawn directly from the MaltaPost Track and Trace network.

MaltaPost Tracking Number Format

A MaltaPost international tracking number is a 13-character code that follows the Universal Postal Union (UPU) S10 standard: two letters, nine digits, and a two-letter country code (for example, EE123456789MT). The two leading letters identify the service category, the nine digits are the unique item serial number, and the final "MT" is the ISO country code for Malta, confirming the item was registered into the MaltaPost network.

The first letter of the prefix tells you what kind of service the item travels under. Under the S10 standard, "E" prefixes indicate EMS (Express Mail Service) items, "R" prefixes indicate registered items, and "C" prefixes indicate ordinary parcels and small packets. MaltaPost uses the same terms interchangeably that you will see on receipts and portals, so a "tracking number", a "registered number", and an "item number" all refer to this S10 code. Letters and registered mail posted inside Malta also carry barcoded labels you scan into Track and Trace, while bulky domestic parcels collected through Easipik lockers may show a shorter numeric reference instead of a full S10 code.

For an item arriving from abroad, the tracking number is created by the origin postal operator, not by MaltaPost. A parcel from China keeps its "...CN" S10 number, an item from the United Kingdom keeps its "...GB" number, and so on, until it is handed to MaltaPost for final delivery in Malta. The same number stays valid end to end, so there is no need to look up a new MaltaPost reference once the item reaches the islands.

Where to Find MaltaPost Tracking Number

The MaltaPost tracking number appears in a different place depending on whether you posted the item yourself or you are receiving an online order. It is not the same as an order or invoice number: the tracking number is the 13-character S10 code (or the barcode reference for domestic items), while the order ID is the reference the shop uses for your purchase. Look for the tracking number in these places:

• The post office receipt handed over when a registered, parcel, or EMS item is lodged at a MaltaPost branch.
• The barcoded label stuck on a registered letter or parcel, printed next to the barcode.
• The shipping or dispatch confirmation email sent by the online seller once the order leaves the warehouse.
• The order or shipment page in your account on the marketplace or retailer's website or app.
• The SMS or email notification MaltaPost sends when an item is ready for collection at a branch or an Easipik locker.

For an inbound parcel bought from a non-EU marketplace, the number in the seller's email is the origin operator's S10 code, and MaltaPost scans begin against that same number once the item reaches the Malta office of exchange.

MaltaPost Tracking Number Example

The table below lists the MaltaPost and inbound number formats you are most likely to see, with the prefix meaning drawn from the UPU S10 service categories. Where a prefix can cover more than one product, treat it as a commonly seen pattern rather than a guarantee, because the first letter alone does not always pin down the exact service.

MaltaPost Tracking Status Guide

MaltaPost Track and Trace records a scan each time your item changes hands, from acceptance at a Malta or Gozo branch through customs clearance to final delivery. The table below explains the statuses you will commonly see and what each one means for your parcel.

Why MaltaPost Tracking Is Not Updating or Not Working

When MaltaPost tracking is not updating, the item is almost always still moving even though the status looks frozen, because scans are recorded at handover points rather than continuously. The reasons below explain the most common stalls and what each one means for the parcel.

Awaiting the first scan. A newly created label can show "no information found" for a day or two because the seller has generated the number but the item has not yet been physically lodged and scanned into the network. The record only goes live once MaltaPost or the origin operator first handles the item.

In transit during the cross-border handoff. International shipments often go quiet after leaving the sender's country and before the first MaltaPost scan at the office of exchange. Parcel Post items can take 10 to 20 working days depending on origin, and tracking may only refresh at major milestones rather than at every step.

Held for customs or an unpaid VAT charge. The single most common reason MaltaPost tracking stops is a parcel sitting at the office of exchange awaiting customs clearance or payment. If you bought from a non-EU marketplace, check whether MaltaPost has sent a customs notification requesting VAT or a clearance fee, because the item will not move until that is settled.

Failed delivery attempt. If a signed-for item could not be handed over, the status switches to delivery attempted and then to available for collection, and the parcel is held at a branch or an Easipik locker. Tracking will point to the holding location and the collection window.

Wrong number or missing detail. A mistyped character or the wrong reference (an order ID entered instead of the S10 tracking number) will return no result. Re-check the 13-character code against the receipt or the seller's confirmation email before assuming the item is lost.

Genuinely delayed or lost. For EMS International Courier items, MaltaPost asks that any enquiry about a consignment be submitted within 30 days of the posting date. If a registered or insured item has stalled well beyond its expected window, contact MaltaPost customer care with the tracking number so a formal trace or claim can be opened, and contact the sender first for an inbound online order.

Services and Delivery Times Compared

MaltaPost runs a full range of services, from everyday letter mail to express international courier, and each comes with its own speed and tracking level. The table below compares the main products so you can match the service shown on your label to a realistic delivery expectation.

Delivery times are estimates and depend on the destination, customs, and seasonal volumes. Registered Mail, Parcel Post, and EMS all capture a signature on delivery, while ordinary letter mail is delivered without a tracked end-to-end record.

Delivery and Transit Times Across Malta and Gozo

MaltaPost delivers to every address in Malta and Gozo six days a week, covering the entire archipelago including the main island of Malta, the sister island of Gozo, and the smaller island of Comino's serviced points. Domestic registered and parcel items typically complete their journey within a few working days of acceptance, with most of the transit time spent in sorting rather than line-haul, given Malta's compact geography.

For collections and missed deliveries, MaltaPost operates a retail network of sub-post offices and hundreds of stamp vendors across the two islands, plus a growing Easipik parcel-locker network that runs 24 hours a day. As of 2026 MaltaPost operates 34 Easipik locker stations across Malta and Gozo, and collection from a locker is free for parcels delivered by MaltaPost itself. If a parcel cannot be delivered to your door, tracking will usually switch to "available for collection" and point you to the holding branch or locker.

Easipik works with a PIN sent by SMS: registered users receive a code to open the assigned locker, and the parcel is held for 72 hours before it is transferred to the nearest post office for counter collection. To use the service, customers register free at maltapost.com/easipik, choose a preferred locker, and verify their identity once at any branch with valid ID.

Inbound parcels take longer because the clock includes the origin country's processing, the flight to Malta, and customs. A small packet from within the EU often arrives faster than one from Asia or the Americas, since EU items move under the single market and usually skip the duty and VAT hold that non-EU parcels face.

Which Countries Does MaltaPost Deliver To?

MaltaPost international tracking follows an item both ways across the border: MaltaPost delivers domestically across Malta and Gozo and reaches the rest of the world through the Universal Postal Union network and its own express products, with MaltaPost Express International quoted as serving over 200 countries. As a UPU member operator, MaltaPost hands outbound mail to partner postal operators abroad, who complete the last mile, and receives inbound mail from those same partners for delivery in Malta.

Domestically, coverage spans the urban harbour region around Valletta, the Three Cities, and Sliema, the central towns of Birkirkara, Mosta, and Qormi, the south around Marsaxlokk and Zejtun, and the whole of Gozo from Victoria (Rabat) outward. Internationally, the heaviest flows are with Malta's main trading partners in Europe, followed by parcels from China and the wider Asia Pacific region driven by online shopping.

Typical destinations and origins handled by MaltaPost include:

• Domestic: Malta, Gozo, and serviced points on Comino.
• Europe: Italy, where many parcels transit or originate via Poste Italiane; the United Kingdom, a major trade and diaspora link served on the British side by Royal Mail; and France, Germany, and Spain, with French items handled by La Poste.
• MENA and North Africa: nearby markets across the Mediterranean.
• North America: the United States and Canada.
• Asia Pacific: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

Cross-Border Customs, VAT, and International Handoff

When you buy from outside the EU, you become the importer, and the parcel must clear Malta customs before MaltaPost can deliver it. Import VAT in Malta is generally charged at 18% on the value of the goods including shipping and any duty, and when that VAT was not collected by the seller at checkout, it must be paid to MaltaPost before the item is released.

"When you buy a product from a non-EU country such as China, you effectively become an importer and are liable to Customs and Excise Duty as well as Value Added Tax (VAT) payments." (MaltaPost, Customs and VAT, 2024.)

From 1 July 2026, the EU removes the customs-duty exemption on low-value parcels, and Malta applies a new charge of 3 euros per distinct product category (HS code) on consignments valued at or below 150 euros from outside the EU, rather than a single charge per parcel. MaltaPost also provides customs clearance facilitation to help move postal items through Malta Customs, and may apply a handling fee on items that need additional scrutiny.

Payment for customs charges is made online through the MaltaPost website or at a post office branch, and the item stays in the "held for customs" state until the charge is cleared. Items with a commercial invoice or a CN22/CN23 customs declaration attached clear faster, because the declared value and contents are what Malta Customs assesses the charge against.

For outbound international mail, MaltaPost completes export formalities and dispatches the item from Malta's office of exchange to the destination country's postal operator, which then handles delivery. This UPU-based handoff is why an outbound tracking number stops updating in MaltaPost's system once the item leaves Malta and continues under the partner operator abroad.

Marketplace Collaborations and Online Shopping

Most parcels MaltaPost handles for consumers today are online orders, and the heaviest inbound volumes come from the big China-based marketplaces that ship to Malta: AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and Alibaba, alongside Amazon and EU retailers such as Zalando. Because Malta has no dominant home-grown marketplace of its own, these international platforms account for the bulk of the cross-border parcels arriving on the islands.

When you order from these marketplaces, the parcel travels from the seller's country to Malta and is handed to MaltaPost for the final leg, which is why your marketplace tracking number often only starts showing MaltaPost scans once the item reaches the office of exchange. For non-EU orders, expect a customs and VAT step before delivery, and from 1 July 2026 the new 3 euro per HS-code charge on low-value parcels as well.

MaltaPost also runs SendOn, a personal shopping and forwarding service that gives customers UK and other overseas delivery addresses so they can buy from retailers that do not ship to Malta directly, then have the goods consolidated and forwarded home. Whether your order comes through SendOn or straight from a marketplace, you can follow the Malta leg of the journey with the MaltaPost tracking number in the tracker on this page.

What Is MaltaPost and How Big Is Its Network?

MaltaPost p.l.c. is the national postal operator of Malta and the country's sole licensed Universal Service Provider, regulated by the Malta Communications Authority. The modern company was registered on 16 April 1998 and began operations on 1 May 1998, taking over from the former Posts Department, and it has since carried Malta's letters, parcels, and express shipments under one brand.

Postal services on the islands run far deeper than the modern company. A formal postal service was first established under the Order of Malta in 1708, the General Post Office in Valletta was set up in 1885, and Malta has long been a member of the Universal Postal Union, the United Nations body that coordinates international mail. MaltaPost today operates the EMS Express Mail Service alongside its letter and parcel products as part of that global framework.

Ownership has moved steadily into private hands: the government sold 35% of MaltaPost to Transcend Worldwide Ltd. in 2002, a further 25% went to Lombard Bank plc in 2007, and Lombard Bank has since become the majority shareholder. Malta's postal market was fully liberalised on 1 January 2013 in line with EU directives, so MaltaPost now competes in an open market while keeping its Universal Service Provider obligations. Beyond postal services, the company has diversified into financial and insurance products sold through its branch counters, using the same retail footprint that delivers its mail.