PostNL Tracking

PostNL tracking follows a letter or parcel across the Dutch postal network in near real time, from the moment the label is registered until the item reaches a door or a PostNL point. PostNL is the designated universal postal operator of the Netherlands and handles well over one million parcels on a typical delivery day, with more than 95% of domestic parcels delivered the next delivery day. To follow a shipment, paste the PostNL barcode (and the recipient postcode for domestic items) into the tracker on this page.

PostNL Tracking Number Format

A PostNL tracking number, called a barcode, is the identifier that links a shipment to its scans across the network. Domestic parcels usually carry a barcode that begins with 3S (some flows begin with 2S), followed by one to four letters and six to nine digits, for a total length of 13 or 15 characters, for example 3SABCD1234567. International letters and registered items use the Universal Postal Union S10 standard: two letters, eight digits, a check digit, and the country code NL, 13 characters in total, for example RR123456789NL.

The number is often called a barcode, a track and trace code, or simply a tracking number, and it is not the same as the retailer's order number. The order number identifies the purchase in the shop's own system, while the barcode is what PostNL scans. When following a missed-delivery card, the code printed on the note starts with the letters KG followed by digits (for example KG123456789), which lets the recipient look up where the parcel is being held.

Where to Find a PostNL Tracking Number

The PostNL barcode appears wherever the shipment was created, so the fastest place to find it depends on who sent the parcel. Common locations include:

• The shipping confirmation email or account order page of the online store the item was bought from.
• The parcel label or the drop-off receipt, when the item was posted at a PostNL point.
• The PostNL account or app, when the shipment was created online.
• The KG-prefixed card left at the address after a missed delivery.

For deliveries inside the Netherlands, PostNL also asks for the recipient postcode alongside the barcode before it will show full details. The order number from the shop will not work in the tracker; only the barcode resolves to PostNL scans.

PostNL Tracking Number Example

PostNL issues several barcode formats depending on whether the item is a domestic parcel, an international item, or a pickup note. The table below lists the patterns that public tracking sources document, with example numbers where a real pattern is available.

The two leading letters of an S10 number are a service-type code rather than a guarantee of a specific product, so the prefix alone does not reliably indicate the exact service. A barcode that does not match these patterns exactly can still be valid, because many retailers and consolidators issue codes that route through PostNL. Any of them can be entered into the tracker on this page.

PostNL Tracking Status Guide

Each PostNL status describes where a shipment sits in its journey from registration to delivery. The table below explains the statuses shown most often in PostNL Track and Trace.

Why PostNL Tracking Is Not Updating or Not Working

When PostNL tracking is not updating, the cause is almost always the stage the parcel has reached rather than a broken system. The most common reasons are below.

Awaiting the first scan. A newly created label shows "Shipment announced" and stays there until PostNL physically receives the parcel. Until the sender hands it over, there is nothing to scan and the status will not move.

In transit between centres. Between sorting-centre and depot scans a parcel can go several hours with no new event. This is normal, and the status typically updates again once it reaches the next scan point.

Crossing a border. International items often go quiet for a day or two while they move between PostNL and the partner operator and pass through customs. Tracking usually resumes once the destination operator records its first scan.

Failed delivery or a hold at a PostNL point. If delivery was attempted or the parcel was routed to a PostNL point, the status stalls at "Ready for pickup" until it is collected within the hold period.

Wrong barcode or missing postcode. A domestic lookup needs both the barcode and the recipient postcode; without the postcode, or with spaces in the barcode, PostNL will not show full details.

Genuinely delayed. During peak periods such as the December holidays, sorting and pickup points fill up and parcels can run behind. If a parcel is overdue and tracking has not updated for several days, the sender is PostNL's direct customer and should open the inquiry first, then PostNL customer service.

Services and Delivery Times

PostNL runs a range of letter and parcel products, most of which include Track and Trace at no extra cost. The table summarises the common services and their typical delivery windows.

Delivery times are estimates and vary with distance, customs handling, and seasonal volume. Domestic parcels with Track and Trace are typically delivered on the next delivery day, Monday through Saturday, and PostNL also offers Sunday and evening delivery on selected parcels and locations.

Delivery to PostNL Points and Parcel Lockers

PostNL operates more than 6,700 service points across the Netherlands, including roughly 1,100 automated parcel lockers, so almost everyone in the country has a PostNL point within about one kilometre of home. Service points sit inside supermarkets and convenience stores, while lockers are typically accessible 24/7. When a recipient is not home, a parcel may be delivered to a neighbour or routed to the nearest PostNL point or locker, and the Track and Trace status shows exactly where it is held and for how long.

Use of out-of-home delivery is growing quickly: PostNL reported about 40% more parcels delivered outside the home in 2025 and roughly 60% higher locker use, and the company aims to run about 3,600 parcel lockers in the Netherlands by the end of 2028. For a parcel routed to a locker, the status update includes the pickup code needed to open the compartment.

Returns and Claims

Most PostNL returns are arranged through the retailer, which supplies a prepaid return label or a QR code that is scanned at a PostNL point. Once the return is dropped off, the same barcode shows the item moving back through the network, which gives the shopper proof that the parcel is on its way to the sender.

For a lost or damaged parcel, the recipient should re-check the tracking first, then contact the sender or retailer, because the sender holds the contract with PostNL and can open an inquiry or claim. Registered Mail (Aangetekend) includes proof of delivery, which strengthens a claim for valuable or important items. PostNL customer service can also assist directly with missing or damaged shipments.

Which Countries Does PostNL Deliver To?

PostNL international tracking follows a parcel while it is in the Dutch network and then continues through the destination country's operator once the item is handed over. Domestically, PostNL covers the entire Netherlands, from the Randstad cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht to rural areas and the Caribbean Netherlands, supported by 31 parcel sorting centres and a dense delivery network.

Internationally, PostNL sends letters and parcels worldwide through the Universal Postal Union framework and its own cross-border e-commerce network, handing items to partner operators for final-mile delivery. Cross-border volumes are heaviest within Europe, where PostNL and its Benelux neighbours exchange large parcel flows. Example destinations by region include:

• Domestic: the Netherlands, including the Caribbean Netherlands.
• Europe: Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Poland.
• North America: the United States and Canada.
• Asia Pacific: China, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

Within the Benelux and neighbouring markets, parcels frequently transfer between PostNL and operators such as Bpost in Belgium, Deutsche Post in Germany, and Royal Mail in the United Kingdom, while PostNL's own DHL Netherlands competitor shares much of the same delivery geography.

Cross-Border Customs and International Handoff

For shipments crossing a border, PostNL hands the parcel to a partner postal operator or carrier in the destination country, and the local operator takes over final-mile delivery. This is why an international parcel can show detailed scans while in the Dutch network, then go quiet for a day or two during the international leg, and resume updating once it clears customs and reaches the destination postal system.

Parcels entering or leaving the European Union may be assessed for duty and VAT, and since 2021 EU rules require customs data on all non-EU parcels regardless of value. Duties and taxes are the recipient's responsibility unless the sender has prepaid them, and a parcel can be held at customs until any charge is settled. To follow an international item end to end, the barcode (and, where requested, the postcode) can be entered in the tracker on this page, which stitches together scans from both the origin and destination carriers.

Marketplace Collaborations

PostNL is the default carrier for a large share of Dutch and Belgian e-commerce, so many marketplace orders arrive with a PostNL barcode. The biggest local marketplace, Bol (formerly Bol.com), and the electronics retailer Coolblue both rely heavily on PostNL for parcel delivery within the Netherlands and Belgium, and their tracking pages hand off to the same PostNL Track and Trace status.

International marketplaces feed the Dutch network too. Fashion orders from Zalando, second-hand purchases shipped through Vinted, and many Amazon parcels are commonly delivered in the Netherlands by PostNL. Lower-value orders from China-based platforms such as AliExpress, Temu, and Shein also frequently complete their final leg on PostNL after arriving in the Netherlands, which is why one barcode can show both an origin operator's scans and PostNL's Dutch delivery scans.

What Is PostNL?

PostNL is the designated universal postal provider of the Netherlands and the country's largest mail and parcel operator. The company was created out of TNT N.V.: in 2011 the group split its mail and express divisions, floating TNT Express separately and renaming the remaining Dutch mail-and-parcel business PostNL. It traces its roots to the historic Dutch state post and today employs around 35,000 people.

PostNL runs 31 parcel sorting centres and a nationwide delivery and pickup network, handling over one million parcels on a typical delivery day and several million letters, alongside a large inbound and outbound international flow. Its combination of next-day domestic parcel delivery, free Track and Trace on most parcel services, and a dense network of PostNL points and lockers makes it the backbone of e-commerce logistics in the Netherlands. Whichever PostNL barcode a shipment carries, it can be followed with the universal tracker on this page.