Royal Mail tracking
Enter your Royal Mail tracking number to see where your parcel is. If you booked with ParcelMatch, you will see live updates here. For a parcel posted or bought elsewhere, we will point you to Royal Mail’s own tracking.
Where to find your Royal Mail tracking number
Most Royal Mail tracked items use a 13 character number: two letters, nine numbers, then GB. For example, AB123456789GB.
No number at all? Standard 1st and 2nd Class post is not tracked. Only tracked and signed for services get a number.
Which Royal Mail services can you track?
Sending with Royal Mail? Compare Tracked 24, Tracked 48 and Special Delivery against every other courier on your route.
| Service | What you get | Delivery aim |
|---|---|---|
| Tracked 24 | Tracking to the door | Next working day, aimed not guaranteed |
| Tracked 48 | Tracking to the door | Two to three working days, aimed not guaranteed |
| Special Delivery Guaranteed | Tracking and a signature | Next working day by 1pm, guaranteed |
| 1st or 2nd Class Signed For | A signature and confirmation of delivery | Same as 1st or 2nd Class |
| 1st or 2nd Class | No tracking | 1st Class aims for next working day. 2nd Class takes longer |
What Royal Mail tracking updates mean
The exact words vary. These are the stages you will see, in plain English.
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Label or postage created | Postage is bought. Royal Mail does not have the item yet. |
| Received by Royal Mail | It has been handed over at a Post Office, a postbox collection or a pick up. |
| On its way | It is moving through Royal Mail’s network. There can be a day without a new scan. |
| At the local delivery office | It has reached the office that delivers to the address. |
| Out for delivery | A postman or postwoman has it today. |
| Delivered | Handed over, left in a safe place or put through the letterbox. Tracked items often include a photo. |
| We tried to deliver | Nobody was in. A card explains how to rearrange or collect. |
| Held at a delivery office or Customer Service Point | Waiting to be collected. Take the card and photo ID. |
Royal Mail tracking not updating?
Royal Mail scans items at set points, not all the way. A day with no new update is common, especially on Tracked 48.
- 01
Items posted late in the day often get their first scan the next morning
- 02
Check the number. It should be 13 characters and end in GB
- 03
Wait one working day past the delivery aim before chasing
Still stuck?
The sender can raise it with Royal Mail. If you booked through ParcelMatch, contact us and we will chase it for you.
Is Royal Mail tracking down?
Sometimes, briefly. If the page will not load, or shows no information for a number that worked before, wait an hour and try again. Your parcel is still moving. Tracking pages going quiet does not stop deliveries.
Missed a Royal Mail delivery?
Look for the ‘Something for you’ card. It tells you where your item is being held and how to get it back. You can usually book a redelivery or collect it from your local Customer Service Point. Bring the card and photo ID.
Sending with Royal Mail? Compare first.
Royal Mail is one of eight couriers on ParcelMatch. See its price next to DPD, Evri, Parcelforce and the rest before you book. Small tracked parcels from £2.95, VAT included.
Posting for Christmas? Check the Royal Mail last posting dates.
- 8
- Couriers compared in one search
- £2.95
- Small tracked parcels from
- VAT
- Included in every price you see