La PosteLa Poste tracking
The French parcel that becomes a Parcelforce parcel — same number, two trackers.
Colissimo is La Poste's parcel brand, and a Colissimo parcel to the UK does not stay with La Poste — or with Royal Mail letter post. It is handed to Parcelforce, Royal Mail Group's parcel arm, which notifies you of a delivery time slot and delivers it against signature.
Track your La Poste parcel
Enter your La Poste tracking number below.
2 letters + 9 digits + FR — for example CP123456789FR. The FR means it was sent from France. Domestic French Colissimo numbers are also 13 characters but start with a digit and a letter, e.g. 6C20196604431.
The French parcel that becomes a Parcelforce parcel
A UK recipient searching “Colissimo tracking” lands on a French site and a number ending in FR, and wonders whether to track it on Royal Mail. The answer: keep the same number, track it on La Poste's tracker while it is in France and crossing the Channel, then Parcelforce takes it for the UK leg. Colissimo's own UK page names Parcelforce as its delivery partner — “son partenaire de livraison Parcel Force, entité de Royal Mail dédiée à la livraison de colis”.
Chronopost is the same group's express arm — it is not this page. Its parcels also appear in the same La Poste tracker, but Chronopost delivery times, prices and contact routes are different, so do not copy Chronopost claims onto a Colissimo parcel.
Don't track it on Royal Mail
The UK last mile for Colissimo is Parcelforce, not Royal Mail letter post. Once the parcel leaves France, watch for the Parcelforce notification with your delivery time slot — that is the tracker that matters now. The Parcelforce page covers the UK leg, missed delivery and customs payment in full.
Your La Poste tracking number
2 letters + 9 digits + FR — for example CP123456789FR. The FR means it was sent from France. Domestic French Colissimo numbers are also 13 characters but start with a digit and a letter, e.g. 6C20196604431.
Example format: CP123456789FR — 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”.
The number is the postal tracking number — not the retailer's order number. The opening letters show the service: C is a parcel (Colissimo), R is registered mail, E is EMS / express (Chronopost), L is a tracked e-commerce packet. Remove spaces before searching.
La Poste services & delivery times
Home delivery up to 30 kg, delivered in person against signature. The UK is one of 32 countries Colissimo commits a delivery time for.
Pickup points and lockers in 19 countries — the UK is NOT one of them. There is no Colissimo pickup-point delivery to the UK.
The sender pays duties and taxes at checkout, via partner FedEx. The standard option is DAP — duties unpaid by the sender, so the recipient pays them on delivery.
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-booked — recipients receive whichever service the sender chose. Colissimo's own UK assessment (2021 figures): average end-to-end delivery since 1 January 2021 was 3.5 days, with the promise fulfilled 96% of the time.
⚠️ Customs sits in the middle
Parcels over £135 are cleared through customs and the recipient is charged customs fees (VAT + clearance duties) on delivery — Parcelforce notifies you and lets you pay online, and the parcel does not move until the fees are settled. Parcels under £135 are checked before delivery to confirm the sender's UK VAT/EORI registration; only about 5% of parcels were checked by customs (2021 figure).
What each La Poste status means
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Votre Colissimo va bientôt nous être confié ! | The sender is still preparing the parcel; La Poste does not have it yet. | Contact the sender, not La Poste. |
| Votre envoi est sur le site de départ… | At the departure site in France, before international transport. | Nothing to do yet. |
| Votre envoi est en cours d'acheminement… | On its way, moving through La Poste's logistics platforms. | Gaps between scans are normal, especially on the international leg. |
| Released from customs | Cleared customs; the next scan should be the UK leg. | Watch for the Parcelforce notification. |
| Votre envoi est sur le site qui dessert votre adresse… | At the delivery site serving your address — in the UK, the Parcelforce depot — being prepared for delivery. | Delivery is close; check the Parcelforce notification for the time slot. |
| Votre colis est livré. | Delivered — variants include the letterbox, the caretaker or reception, or a neighbour (the notice card names the neighbour). | If nothing arrived, check those places first, then look for a missed-delivery notice. |
These are La Poste's own French status sentences (with translations) as reported by two agreeing sources. In plain order the journey is: label created → accepted / collected → in transit → departed origin country (expect a tracking gap) → arrived in destination country → customs clearance → out for delivery (with the last-mile courier) → delivered.
Parcel stuck or delayed — what to do
- Check the number first: it must be the postal tracking number (13 characters, ending FR for international), not the shop's order number. Remove spaces before searching.
- No scan at all: the label exists but La Poste has not received the parcel — the sender has not handed it over yet. Ask the sender, not La Poste.
- No update for days mid-journey: normal on the international leg — parcels are not scanned between sorting platforms, and customs checks add silent days. Wait until the D+3 aim plus customs time has passed before treating it as stuck.
- Stuck at customs: if the parcel is over £135, Parcelforce will contact you about fees — check for its notification (including spam) and pay online; the parcel does not move until fees are settled. Under £135, delays are usually the sender's VAT/EORI check, not something you can fix — ask the sender to confirm their registration.
- Tracking stops after the last French scan: the parcel has left France. After that the destination operator (Parcelforce) is responsible — contact Parcelforce with the number from its notification.
- Delivered but not received: check the letterbox, neighbours and caretaker/reception first — Colissimo deliveries are recorded against those — then check for a missed-delivery notice (avis de passage, 11-digit number) and contact the sender.
- Lost / never arrived: only the sender can file a claim — the sender holds the contract and the deposit receipt. As the recipient, ask the seller to claim; the seller refunds or reships under its own policy.
More detail: Parcel stuck in transit — the full step-by-step guide.
After handover: Parcelforce's options apply
In France, Colissimo offers home delivery, pickup points, lockers and post-office collection — but none of that applies to a UK arrival. On the day the parcel is scanned at the delivery depot, the recipient is given several delivery options: have it delivered to a neighbour, have it delivered to the post office, request delivery the next day, or request delivery two days later. Home delivery is against signature.
Returns are easy to generate: the parcel can be deposited in one of the 11,500 Royal Mail post offices and returned to France without paying fees on the re-import. Full Parcelforce missed-delivery detail lives on the Parcelforce page — it is not repeated here.
Contact La Poste
Customer servicesFrom the UK, call +33 810 821 821 (Mon–Fri 8:30am–7pm, Sat 8:30am–1pm French time). Note: this international number is listed by several independent tracking sites — La Poste's own help pages do not publish one, so if it doesn't connect, use the online help at aide.laposte.fr. The 3631 line works only inside France. For a lost or delayed parcel, contact the sender first: only the sender can file a claim.
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.
La Poste tracking — FAQs
Who delivers my Colissimo parcel in the UK?
Parcelforce, Royal Mail Group's parcel arm — not Royal Mail letter post. Colissimo hands the parcel to Parcelforce, which notifies you of a delivery time slot and delivers it against signature.
Can I track my Colissimo parcel on Royal Mail or Parcelforce with the same number?
Track it on La Poste's tracker first: the same FR number follows the parcel from France. Once Parcelforce has it, its notification tells you the delivery slot — if the Parcelforce tracker does not recognise the number, use the La Poste tracker and the Parcelforce notification, and contact Parcelforce with the number from that notification.
What does my La Poste tracking number look like?
For parcels from France to the UK it is 13 characters: two letters, nine digits, then FR — for example CP123456789FR (format example, not a real parcel). The FR at the end means it was sent from France. Domestic French Colissimo numbers are also 13 characters but start with a digit and a letter, e.g. 6C20196604431.
How long does a Colissimo parcel take to reach the UK?
The aim is from D+3 (three working days from dispatch) for home delivery, and the UK is one of the countries Colissimo commits a delivery time for. Customs can add days, and parcels over £135 wait until the recipient pays the customs fees.
Will I have to pay customs on a parcel from France?
If the parcel is worth over £135, yes: customs fees (VAT + clearance duties) are charged to you on delivery, and Parcelforce lets you pay them online. Under £135 there is no charge to you at the door.
Track with another UK courier
Not La Poste after all? Your parcel may have changed hands — check the other couriers: