Deutsche PostDeutsche Post tracking
German post to your UK door — one S10 number, handed to Royal Mail for the final mile.
Deutsche Post does not deliver in the UK at all. Under the worldwide postal system it hands your item to the destination country's own post — in the UK that is Royal Mail. So the question every UK recipient actually asks is: my Deutsche Post tracking has stopped — where is my parcel? Usually it has changed hands, not gone missing.
Track your Deutsche Post parcel
Enter your Deutsche Post tracking number below.
13 characters: 2 letters + 9 digits + DE, for example RR123456789DE. R = registered, L = letter/small packet, C = parcel-class. A 10-digit number is DHL Express and a 12- or 20-digit all-numeric number is DHL Paket — different trackers.
The parcel that changes postmen halfway
Deutsche Post's own English help page states it plainly: “we at DHL Group do not transport your mail to the destination country ourselves, but hand it over to the foreign postal company of the destination country. From this point, your mail will be forwarded by the national postal company to the recipient.” Royal Mail's own help page confirms the UK side: if an item was sent with a tracking service, you can track its progress once it reaches the UK — and Germany is one of the countries whose postal website Royal Mail links to.
The same S10 number is recognised by both posts, so the fix for stopped tracking is usually simple: check the same number on Royal Mail Track Your Item. If Royal Mail shows nothing yet, the item has not reached the UK — it is still in transit or in customs, not lost.
Deutsche Post or DHL? Check your number
Deutsche Post is Germany's national postal service: letters, registered mail (Einschreiben), basic letter tracking and Warenpost small goods — tracked here, with an S10 number ending DE. DHL Paket is the parcel arm on the same German network: larger parcels, 12- or 20-digit all-numeric numbers, tracked via DHL's parcel tracking. DHL Express is the international express arm: 10-digit waybills — see the DHL Express page. DHL eCommerce UK is Evri Premium since 1 October 2025 — see the DHL eCommerce page. The practical test: 2 letters + 9 digits + DE means this page; 10 digits means DHL Express; 12 or 20 digits all-numeric means DHL Paket. Both brands sit in the same group — the listed parent was renamed from Deutsche Post AG to DHL AG on 1 September 2026, with no change to services.
Your Deutsche Post tracking number
13 characters: 2 letters + 9 digits + DE, for example RR123456789DE. R = registered, L = letter/small packet, C = parcel-class. A 10-digit number is DHL Express and a 12- or 20-digit all-numeric number is DHL Paket — different trackers.
Example format: RR123456789DE — that is a shape, not a real parcel. Enter your own number exactly as the sender gave it: a single wrong letter is the most common reason a tracker says “not recognised”.
Enter the full number exactly as printed, including the DE — a truncated number returns nothing, and an order number from the retailer is not a Sendungsnummer. The letters show the service: RR is a registered letter, RA–RY is the registered range, CC/CD is parcel-class (often international Warenpost), LX/LA is Warenpost, UP/UU/UV is tracked Prio letter. Some letter searches may also ask for the destination postcode.
Deutsche Post services & delivery times
Ordinary letters abroad; no tracking.
Registered letters abroad, tracked with signature, and proof of delivery downloadable from the tracker. Includes Registered Mail Value, Return Receipt and Personal Registered variants.
Small-format goods to 220+ countries, max 35.3 × 25.0 × 5.0 cm and 1,000 g. No tracking and no liability. Business customers only.
The same small goods with end-to-end tracking and liability for numerous destination countries. Business customers only.
Ordinary letters with a matrix-code stamp show processing at the origin and destination mail centres only. A basic-tracked letter can arrive without the tracker ever showing “delivered” — that is normal, not a loss.
Delivery aims are the courier's stated aims for the service, not guarantees for every parcel. Bank holidays, bad weather and busy periods (especially Christmas) can add a day.
All of these are sender-chosen — recipients do not choose them. Times are aims, not guarantees; no UK-specific delivery time is published. The DHL products above are listed only to point you to the right page — do not treat their delivery times as Deutsche Post times.
What each Deutsche Post status means
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Order data transmitted | The shop bought the label; Deutsche Post has not physically taken the item yet. | Wait — the item has not been posted. |
| Posted / accepted | Handed in at a branch, Packstation or Paketshop; inside the network. | Nothing to do. |
| In transit / processed at sorting centre | Sorted at a mail or parcel centre and routed onward. | Gaps of a couple of days between scans are normal. |
| Exported / left Germany | The international item has left the German outbound exchange office for the UK. | The handover gap starts here — check Royal Mail as well. |
| Arrived in destination country | Reached the UK inbound exchange office; Royal Mail now holds it. | Track the same number on Royal Mail Track Your Item. |
| In customs clearance | UK customs assessing the item; duty or VAT may be due. | Wait — post-Brexit, goods from Germany are imports. No amounts are stated here because none were verified. |
| Customs cleared | Released to Royal Mail for delivery. | Delivery is close. |
| Out for delivery | On the Royal Mail delivery round; should arrive that day. | Be ready — delivery is today. |
| Delivery not possible | Nobody available or access failed; a redelivery or branch pickup follows. | Follow the Royal Mail card — see the Royal Mail page. |
| Delivered | Reached the recipient, mailbox or an authorised pickup point. | For registered items, proof of delivery is downloadable from the Deutsche Post tracker — but the scan can lag a few days, so check again the next day before assuming a problem. |
Deutsche Post publishes no English status glossary — these are the usual tracking labels (German originals with English meanings), not Deutsche Post's own published English wording. Exact live-tracker wording was not capturable without a real number.
Parcel stuck or delayed — what to do
- Check the number first: full 13 characters, 2 letters + 9 digits + DE, no spaces, copied exactly from the dispatch confirmation — a truncated or mistyped number returns nothing. An order number is not a Sendungsnummer.
- Nothing showing at all: the item may not be posted yet (label created is not posted). Allow up to 48 hours for a new number to activate.
- Tracking stopped after “left Germany” / “exported”: this is the handover gap, not a loss. Check the same number on Royal Mail's Track Your Item — Royal Mail shows UK progress once the item reaches the UK. Deutsche Post's own help says it can only process an investigation once the shipment has arrived in the destination country.
- No update for several days mid-journey: normal between hubs and during customs. Act only if nothing has moved for over a week. Weekends and German public holidays slow scans.
- “Delivered” on the tracker but nothing arrived: check the mailbox (small Warenpost items fit through it), neighbours, and any notification card. For registered items the card says which neighbour or branch holds it — and branch collection is only possible from the following day. For registered mail, the delivery scan itself can lag a few days — re-check the next day.
- Still nothing after the expected time: only the sender can start a formal investigation — for international registered mail, once the regular transit time is exceeded and the recipient confirms non-receipt. As the UK recipient, contact the sender or retailer and ask them to start it. Have ready: full shipment number, posting date, sender and recipient details, and destination postcode.
More detail: Parcel stuck in transit — the full step-by-step guide.
Redelivery and collection — Packstation is Germany-only
Packstation is DHL's German locker network, not a UK option. A UK recipient cannot collect a Deutsche Post item from a Packstation, and no Deutsche Post locker exists in the UK.
After UK handover, Royal Mail's missed-delivery process applies: if nobody is in for a signed or registered item, Royal Mail leaves a card and the item goes to the local delivery office for collection or redelivery — arrange it via Royal Mail, not via Deutsche Post (see the Royal Mail page). There is no recipient address change for international mail — changes go through the sender.
Contact Deutsche Post
Customer servicesDeutsche Post letter customer service (Germany), Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8am–2pm German time — one hour ahead of the UK. The number and weekday hours are confirmed on Deutsche Post's own FAQ pages. Calling from the UK is an international call. Only the sender can start a formal investigation.
If you are the recipient and the parcel is lost or damaged, contact the retailer/sender first — most couriers only accept claims from the sender.
Deutsche Post tracking — FAQs
Why has my Deutsche Post tracking stopped updating?
Most often it has changed hands, not gone missing. Deutsche Post hands international mail to the destination country's post — in the UK that is Royal Mail. Check the same 13-character number on Royal Mail's Track Your Item: Royal Mail shows progress once the item reaches the UK. Gaps of a couple of days between scans are normal mid-journey and during customs.
Who delivers my Deutsche Post parcel in the UK?
Royal Mail. Deutsche Post does not deliver in the UK; under the postal-union system it hands the item to Royal Mail, which does the final mile to your door or mailbox. The same S10 number (2 letters + 9 digits + DE) works on both trackers.
What does my Deutsche Post tracking number look like?
13 characters: 2 letters, 9 digits, then DE — for example RR123456789DE for a registered letter (format example, not a real parcel). The letters show the service: R for registered, L for letter/small packet, C for parcel-class items. A 10-digit number is DHL Express; a 12- or 20-digit all-numeric number is DHL Paket — different trackers.
Is Deutsche Post the same as DHL?
Same group, different services. Deutsche Post is the German mail brand (letters, registered mail, Warenpost). DHL is the parcel and express brand (DHL Paket, DHL Express). Both are owned by DHL Group — the listed parent was renamed from Deutsche Post AG to DHL AG on 1 September 2026. Your tracking number tells you which one you need.
My parcel shows as delivered but I haven't received it. What can I do?
Check your mailbox first (small Warenpost items fit through it), then neighbours and any delivery card. For registered mail the delivery scan can lag a few days while signed documents are processed — check again the next day. If it is still missing, contact the sender: only the sender can start a formal investigation with Deutsche Post.
Track with another UK courier
Not Deutsche Post after all? Your parcel may have changed hands — check the other couriers: