Royal Mail Tracking

Royal Mail is a UK based courier company providing nationwide postal services up to seven days a week. It is also the UK’s universal postal service providing fast and reliable deliveries across the country. The company delivers both collection and delivery services nationwide, supplying logistical support to business and communities. Royal Mail tracking is available on many delivery options and can keep you up to date on your parcel’s journey.

Royal Mail has two subsidiary companies supplementing international deliveries and parcel tracking. These companies are Parcelforce, which provides worldwide deliveries, and General Logistics Systems, providing one of the largest logistics networks in Europe. Royal Mail tracking is available on several international services giving peace of mind on speedy international shipping.

Royal Mail Tracking Number Format

A Royal Mail tracking number is usually a combination of between 9-27 alphanumeric characters, most commonly 13, beginning with two letters and ending with the letters GB. For Parcelforce tracking, these last two letters are not necessarily GB, and the first two letters of these tracking numbers will be: EA, EB, EC, ED, EE, or CP. Therefore, Royal Mail Tracking numbers will not begin with these two characters.

Royal Mail International tracking numbers:

• XH545554533GB
• FG367456258GB
• FP576389720GB
• EA738472947FO

Royal Mail Domestic tracking numbers:

• 05AAAAAAAAA  -  number starts with 05 + 9 alphanumeric characters
• 021AAAAAAAAAAAAA - number starts with 021 + 13 alphanumeric characters
• 3209999999999AAAAAAAA -  number starts with 320 + 10 digits + 8 alphanumeric characters

"1st Class Parcels", "2nd Class Parcels"
tracking number formats: 05AAAAAAAAA and 021AAAAAAAAAAAAA  

"Royal Mail Parcels"
tracking number formats:  3209999999999AAAAAAAA 

* A - alphanumeric characters
* 9 - any digit from 0 to 9

Track Royal Mail Package

To track your Royal Mail package, please enter the tracking number given to you by Royal Mail or the sender into the tracking tool above. Your Royal Mail tracking code could be in your shipment confirmation email or the online store order page. It will also be located on your item’s label or your Post Office® receipt if you are the sender. Whether you have had your package collected or dropped a box off, you can use this tool to follow the status of your shipment.

Royal Mail Tracking Service

Royal Mail tracking is available on shipments sent with the tracking option. You can use our Tracking Service with the search box above. Enter the tracking number which you have, and press “Find”.

Once you have entered your Royal Mail tracking code, you can check any vital information regarding your parcel. For example, parcel tracking shows the most recent depot that your package has been checked into, whether it is in transit between two depots and the origin of your parcel. Also, post office tracking shows the days since despatch, the class of service and approximate delivery date and time. Suppose your package is with the final courier delivering to its destination. In that case, you can see a more accurate time for delivery and stops before its arrival.

Our website will store all your tracking numbers in the “My Tracking List” page. This feature allows you to quickly check on your shipment without the hassle of finding and retyping the tracking reference number.

Royal Mail Products and Services

Royal Mail tracking offers several services both within the UK and internationally with options of Royal Mail tracked and untracked options. The services also vary the delivery time.

Services within the UK:

• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am ®
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm ®
• Royal Mail Tracked 24®
• Royal Mail Tracked 48®
• Royal Mail Signed For® 1st Class
• Royal Mail Signed For® 2nd Class
• Royal Mail 1st Class
• Royal Mail 2nd Class
• Royal Mail Sameday

International Services:

• International Tracked & Signed
• International Tracked
• International Signed
• International Standard
• International Economy

Royal Mail will also offer these services at reduced prices for businesses who are sending more than 20 items every week. Please contact Royal Mail through their website for more details on this option.

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am ®

These are Royal Mail tracked deliveries up to 2kg guaranteed to arrive before 9am the following day. A signature is required to complete delivery. Compensation covers up to £50 with additional coverage available for an extra fee. Prices from £20.24.

This service is excellent for sending valuables to arrive swiftly.

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm®

This Royal Mail tracking service allows shipping of parcels up to 20kg with guaranteed arrival before 1pm the following day. This service also requires a signature upon delivery. Compensation on this service starts at £500 with additional coverage available. Prices from £6.70.

This service is ideal for sending larger valuables.

Royal Mail Tracked 24®

Royal Mail Tracked 24® ships parcels up to 20kg intending to deliver on the next working day. Parcels sent using this service will be tracked to the delivery point with SMS or email notifications sent to the recipients. Compensation covers up to £100, and there is the option to alter delivery preferences before delivery. There is the option of “signed for” delivery and age verification so that you can be sure the parcel arrives at the correct person. Prices from £4.02.

Royal Mail Tracked 24® is ideal for tracking urgent items.

Royal Mail Tracked 48®

Royal Mail Tracked 48® ships parcels up to 20kg intending to deliver in two or three working days. Parcels sent using this service will be tracked to the delivery point with SMS or email notifications sent to the recipients. Compensation covers up to £100, and there is the option to alter delivery preferences before the delivery of the package. There is the option of “signed for” delivery and age verification so that you can be sure the parcel arrives at the correct person. Prices from £3.60.

Royal Mail Tracked 48® is ideal for tracking non-urgent items

Royal Mail Signed For® 1st Class

Parcels sent using this service can weigh up to 20kg and will aim to deliver the next working day, including Saturdays. Completing delivery requires a signature and delivery can be confirmed using an online check. Confirmation of delivery is the only form of tracking on this service. Compensation covers loss of up to £50. Prices from £2.06.

Royal Mail Signed For® 2nd Class

Using this service allows transport of parcels up to 20kg with the aim of delivery within three working days, including Saturdays. Completing the delivery requires a signature from the recipient, and this includes online confirmation of delivery. Proof of delivery is the only form of tracking on this service. Compensation covers up to £50. Prices from £1.95.

Royal Mail 1st Class

Royal Mail 1st Class aims to deliver parcels of up to 20 kg for the next working day, including Saturdays. There is no tracking available on this service, and compensation covers up to £20. Prices are consistent for all addresses across the UK depending on weight and size; there is no added expense for further transport. Prices from £0.76.

Royal Mail 2nd Class

Royal Mail 2nd Class aims to deliver parcels of up to 20kg in two to three working days, including Saturdays. There is no tracking available on this service, and compensation covers up to £20. Prices are consistent across all UK addresses, depending only on parcel weight and size. Prices from £0.65

Royal Mail Sameday

For very urgent items, Royal Mail Sameday is ideal. This service allows delivery of parcels of any weight to arrive on the same day as postage. This delivery option includes full tracking and full recording with email delivery confirmation, and this is ideal for delivery on every day of the year, including holidays. The service automatically provides compensation up to £2500. Prices are highly dependent on addresses and size and weight of the parcels.

International Tracked & Signed

This Royal Mail tracking international service allows parcels of up to 2kg delivered outside of the UK with an extra piece of mind for important or valuable items. Delivery times to Europe are 3-5 working days and times worldwide are 5-7 working days. Royal Mail tracking occurs through the course of the journey. Completing delivery requires a signature, and the online service provides the sender with confirmation of delivery. Undelivered items are returned free of charge and include coverage for loss and damage of goods up to £50 with additional compensation available. Prices from £6.45.

International Tracked

Royal Mail International Tracked allows delivery of parcels up to 2kg to beyond the UK with tracking to the delivery point. Delivery times to Europe are 3-5 working days and times worldwide are 5-7 working days. Confirmation of delivery is available online. Undelivered items are returned free of charge. The service includes coverage for loss and damage of goods up to £50 with additional compensation available. Prices from £6.45.

International Signed

International Signed deliveries aim to transport parcels within 3-5 days for European destinations and 5-7 working days for worldwide destinations. Packages can weigh up to 2kg. Shipments using this service require a signature upon delivery but are only tracked to the point that they leave the UK. Free returns for undelivered items and all deliveries covered up to £50 with additional compensation available. Prices from £6.45

International Standard

International Standard is an everyday international delivery option aiming to deliver to Europe in 3-5 working days and worldwide in 6-7 working days. Parcels can weigh up to 2kg. The service includes compensation covering up to £20 with free returns if the package is undelivered. This service does not have any tracking. Prices from £1.45.

International Economy

This option is a slower service for bulkier parcels which do not need to arrive in a hurry without incurring to much cost. Packages can weigh up to 2kg, and the service includes compensation up to £20 as standard. Royal Mail returns goods free of charge if they are undelivered. Delivery times for Western Europe are up to 2 weeks, Eastern Europe up to 5 weeks, North America in 6 weeks, South America, Africa and Asia in 8 weeks and Australia in up to 12 weeks. Prices from £1.26.

Royal Mail Tracking Not Working or Showing Updates

There could be several reasons why your tracking number is not working:

• Royal Mail tracking systems do take some time before they start showing updates. If you have just had your item collected or dropped it off, please allow time before updates begin to appear.
• Please ensure that the tracking number entered is correct.
• If you are receiving the shipment, please ensure that the sender has given you the correct tracking number. Do get in contact with the sender if you believe they have sent you an incorrect tracking number.
• Ensure that the reference number that you have for the Royal Mail tracking is for a service which provides tracking. If the service does not include tracking, then you cannot follow the package.

How Long Does It Take Royal Mail to Ship from the UK to the US?

There are five services available which deliver from the UK to the US, three of which provide parcel tracking. These are International Tracked & Signed, International Tracked, International Signed, International Standard and International Economy. Of these available services, International Tracked & Signed, International Tracked, and International Signed will aim to delivery in 5-7 working days to the US. These options all offer some form of parcel tracking with International Signed being the least comprehensive here, only notifying you of successful delivery. The other options will give more details.

International Standard will aim to deliver to the US slightly slower at 6-7 working days; however, this service does not offer any form of tracking.

International Economy will aim to deliver to the US in 6 weeks. This service does not offer any tracking. This service is best for the delivery of larger parcels which are not urgent to avoid incurring high costs.

Royal Mail Domestic Restricted Items

For deliveries within the UK restrictions are in place for many goods:

• Any dangerous objects such as flammable liquids, waste and banned weapons Royal Mail services will not transport.
• Please ensure items such as kitchen knives and liquids, including alcohol below 70% ABV, are package to avoid injury or spillage during the transport of goods. Mark these items with a return address.
• Royal Mail will not deliver any illegal items, for example, counterfeit currency.

For further information and more detail, please refer to https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/96/~/prohibited-and-restricted-items---advice-for-personal-customers

Royal Mail International Restricted Items

For shipping to international addresses, there are tighter restrictions:

• Again, no dangerous goods such as flammable liquids and radioactive substances.
• Ensure packaging is secure whenever sending items like scissors, glass containers and alcohol, which must be less than 24% ABV for international parcels.

For further information and more detail, please refer to https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/96/~/prohibited-and-restricted-items---advice-for-personal-customers

Royal Mail Stores

With the number of delivery options offered to the recipients, Royal Mail is working with various eCommerce businesses including AliExpress, eBay, Amazon etc., to satisfy their delivery need.

Royal Mail Contacts

Royal Mail customer service telephone: UK 0345 774 0740

Royal Mail Company History

Founded in 1516, Royal Mail has been a vital part of British life and history ever since. Until 2011, the company operated as a government department in the UK until privatization of the company began. Most Royal Mail shares floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2013 and the final shares retained by the British government were sold in 2015 ending almost 500 years of ownership of the company.

Area served:  United Kingdom, worldwide
Employees:   162,000 (2019)
Founded:   1516; 504 years ago
Headquarters:   100 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0HQ
Website:   royalmail.com