TNT Reference Tracking

TNT is the international express carrier now operated as part of FedEx, moving business and e-commerce freight across more than 200 countries through a European road network built on thousands of depots and sorting hubs. A TNT reference is the sender's own code, an order number, invoice number, or account reference of up to 24 characters, that a shipper attaches to a consignment so it can be found later without the 9-digit consignment number. Searching by that reference is what TNT reference tracking means, and it lets a buyer or supplier follow a parcel using a number they already recognise. The reference sits alongside the permanent 9-digit consignment number, and a lookup by reference can return one shipment, several parcels, or none, depending on how the sender applied it.

TNT Reference and Tracking Number Format

A TNT consignment number is a 9-digit numeric code, for example 946907500, and it stays fixed for the life of the shipment. TNT treats this as the permanent identifier for a booking, while the customer reference is a separate, sender-defined field. The reference can be any internal code the shipper chooses, up to 24 characters, and it is optional rather than system-generated. Older or partner-handled shipment numbers sometimes appear as 8 digits, and cross-border items routed through postal or partner networks can surface as a 13-character alphanumeric code in the pattern AB123456789CD: two letters, nine digits, and two closing letters. The 9-digit consignment number is the value the tracking tools treat as authoritative; the reference is a convenience layer mapped on top of it. Both can be entered in Track and Trace, but only the consignment number is guaranteed to identify a single booking.

Where to Find Your TNT Reference Number

The customer reference is set by whoever booked the shipment, so it usually appears on the paperwork the sender controls rather than on a carrier-issued receipt.

• The shipping or dispatch confirmation email from the retailer or supplier.
• The order or account page in the sender's online store or shipping portal.
• The commercial invoice, where the reference is printed as an internal code.
• The consignment note (waybill) attached to the parcel, which also shows the 9-digit consignment number.
• The parcel label, where a reference is often printed under or beside the barcode.

The customer reference and the consignment number are not the same thing: the reference is the sender's order or invoice code, while the consignment number is the TNT-generated 9-digit identifier. When a reference returns several results, the consignment number printed on the label is the fastest way to isolate the exact parcel. If neither number is to hand, the sender who booked the shipment holds both and can supply them. Retailers and freight desks that ship at volume often quote the reference to a customer before a consignment number is generated, so early tracking attempts may only work by reference until the booking is scanned into the network.

TNT Tracking Number Example

The table below sets out the identifiers a TNT shipment can carry and where each one is seen. The leading letters of an alphanumeric code alone do not reliably indicate a service level.

Because a reference is chosen by the sender, two different shippers can use the same value, and one shipper can reuse an account reference across many bookings. That is why a reference search behaves differently from a consignment-number search: the consignment number is unique to one shipment, and the reference is only as specific as the sender made it.

TNT Tracking Status Guide

TNT records a scan event at each handover, and a single consignment typically passes through six to ten status updates between collection and delivery. The statuses below cover the full express lifecycle, and the same events appear whether the shipment is looked up by reference or by consignment number. The exact wording varies slightly between the TNT site and the FedEx tracking screens now that the two networks share infrastructure. Reading the statuses in order shows where a parcel physically is, and a reference lookup returns the same sequence of events, so the two search methods surface identical progress even though the field used to look up the shipment differs.

Why TNT Reference Tracking Is Not Updating or Not Working

Most reference-tracking problems come from how the reference maps to a booking rather than from a fault in the shipment itself. The reasons below explain the common cases, each with the quickest way to move past it.

Reference returns several results. A customer reference is not guaranteed to be unique, so an order or account number can be attached to more than one consignment. A returned list can be narrowed by date, origin, and destination, and the 9-digit consignment number on the label always points to a single parcel.

Reference returns no results. If the sender did not enter a reference at booking, or entered a different value, the search finds nothing. Switching to the 9-digit consignment number, or asking the sender for the reference they actually used, resolves it.

Awaiting the first scan. A newly created consignment shows label and booking data but no movement until TNT physically collects and scans it, which can take several hours or until the next working day.

In transit between depots. On longer road or air legs a parcel can go a day or more between scans, so a gap between updates is normal and does not mean the shipment is lost.

Customs clearance. Cross-border parcels can sit at a customs status while documents are checked or duties are settled, and the tracking will not advance until clearance completes.

Failed delivery attempt. When no one is available the parcel is returned to the local depot and held; the status shows an attempted delivery, and rebooking or collection is arranged from there.

Multi-piece shipment out of sync. On a consignment with several parcels each piece is scanned separately, so one box can read delivered while others are still in transit under the same consignment number.

Genuinely delayed. If a parcel has stalled at one scan well beyond the quoted transit time, the sender should be contacted first, because the account holder can raise a formal trace with the carrier.

Services and Delivery Times Compared

TNT runs a tiered set of express services, and every one is fully tracked at consignment level, so a reference or consignment number returns the same event history regardless of speed. The time-definite options guarantee delivery by a stated hour on the next business day, while the economy tiers trade speed for cost. The table compares the main services.

The service a sender picks also affects how a reference search reads: a time-definite express booking usually shows a firm estimated delivery time once collected, while an economy consignment shows a wider window. Freight consignments that combine several pallets or parcels carry one consignment number but multiple piece scans, which is the most common reason a reference lookup shows mixed statuses. Each tracked service records the same event types, so the choice between a 09:00 Express and an Economy Express booking changes the delivery window and the price rather than the depth of tracking a reference returns.

Delivery and Transit Times

Transit time depends on the service and the lane, and the figures below are estimates for planning rather than guarantees. Within a single European country, express delivery is commonly 1 to 2 business days. Intra-European road freight between neighbouring markets such as the Benelux, Germany, France, and Italy typically runs 1 to 5 business days on Economy Express. Intercontinental air express to Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and the Americas generally completes in 2 to 6 business days, with customs clearance adding time on dutiable goods. A reference or consignment lookup shows the same estimated delivery date the tools calculate once the parcel is scanned into the network, so the projected date can shift as the shipment clears each stage. Remote destinations, weekend cut-offs, and pickup or delivery outside standard business hours can extend these ranges, and the tracking record reflects the revised estimate rather than the original booking window.

Which Countries Does TNT Deliver To?

TNT international tracking covers shipments to more than 200 countries and territories, reached through the combined TNT and FedEx network. Domestically, TNT operates dense road networks in markets including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany, where parcels move between local depots before final delivery and each leg adds a scan to the tracking record. The European road backbone is the carrier's historic strength, giving it same-day and next-day reach across neighbouring countries by truck rather than air.

Internationally, that road network connects to FedEx air hubs, so a single consignment can cross from a regional European depot to another continent under one number. The reference stays attached throughout, which is why a sender's order code can still surface a parcel after it has changed networks.

• Domestic: Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany.
• Europe: Spain, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordics, and Central and Eastern Europe.
• Middle East and Africa: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
• North America: United States, Canada, Mexico.
• Asia Pacific: China, India, Singapore, Australia, Japan.

For UK domestic movements handled through the local operation, the TNT UK network manages collection and delivery, while cross-border legs continue on the international tracking record under the same consignment number.

Cross-Border Customs and International Handoff

On international shipments the customer reference often doubles as the link between the parcel and the sender's commercial paperwork, which speeds customs matching. Every dutiable international consignment travels with a commercial invoice, and the Incoterms agreed between sender and receiver, commonly DAP or DDP, decide who pays duty and import tax. An EORI number is required for commercial shipments moving in and out of the European Union, and a missing or incorrect one is a frequent cause of a parcel sitting at a customs status. TNT clears the shipment through its own brokerage or a nominated broker, and the tracking shows a customs stage until clearance is granted. Prohibited and restricted items follow the standard express list, including undeclared hazardous goods, currency, and counterfeit products. When a parcel moves onto the FedEx air network for a long-haul leg, the consignment number and reference continue to return the same unified event history rather than splitting into two separate records. For lost or damaged goods, the account holder who booked the consignment files the claim, and the consignment number is the reference the carrier uses to open and track that case, since a customer reference alone may not resolve to a single shipment.

Marketplace Collaborations

TNT and FedEx carry business-to-business freight and a growing share of European e-commerce parcels, which is where reference tracking is most common, because retailers pass their own order numbers to the carrier. Large online retailers and marketplaces such as Amazon and Zalando rely on express carriers across European lanes for faster fulfilment, and the sender's order reference is frequently the number a shopper sees before a carrier consignment number appears. When a marketplace hands a parcel to TNT, the retailer's reference is stored against the consignment, so the shopper can track using either value. For cross-border e-commerce from China-based platforms, express and postal handoffs mean the same shipment can appear under both a marketplace order code and a TNT consignment number, which is why a single parcel sometimes seems to have two identifiers. In practice, the marketplace order number is the reference a shopper starts with, and matching it to the carrier consignment number is what turns a partial tracking view into a full event history.

About TNT

TNT was founded in 1946 in Adelaide, Australia, as Thomas Nationwide Transport, and grew into one of the world's largest express and logistics operators before becoming a Dutch-headquartered company under the KPN and TPG group in the 1990s. TNT Express was later established as a standalone international express business and built a European road network spanning thousands of depots and sorting centres. The company is now integrated into FedEx, which combined the two express networks across European hub and station locations, so TNT-branded services and FedEx services increasingly share the same sorting, linehaul, and tracking systems. The TNT name and its consignment-note format remain in use across much of Europe, which is why customer references and 9-digit consignment numbers are still the identifiers most shippers and recipients encounter.

"The consignment number is your permanent reference number for your shipment." (TNT, Consignment Note support, tnt.com, 2026.)

"The shipment number used to track parcels may not be unique to your shipment. This means that your number might bring up a selection of shipments." (TNT, Track and Trace, tnt.com, 2026.)

Further company background is documented on the TNT Express encyclopedia entry, and current tracking runs through the official TNT Track and Trace tool.