The following information may help if you're finding it difficult to track your mail or parcels. Simply click on the question below or scroll through.

What is Track and Trace?

Track and Trace lets you track your mail and parcels through our network using a unique barcoded tracking number.

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What services can I track?

Royal Mail - Special Delivery, Recorded, Airsure and International Signed For.

Please note that Royal Mail Recorded items are only tracked when they have been delivered. Royal Mail Airsure and International Signed For are tracked up until their despatch from the UK.

Parcelforce Worldwide - By9, By10, By Noon, Parcelforce 24, Parcelforce 48, International Datapost, Euro 48 & International Scheduled.

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How do I use Track and Trace?

Simply enter the unique tracking number from your documentation or as provided by the sender (and date of sending for Recorded items) and we'll be able to tell you the progress of your item.


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Where do I find my tracking number?

Royal Mail
For Royal Mail items your tracking number will be on your proof of posting.

Parcelforce Worldwide
If you're tracking the progress of a parcel you're expecting to receive, you'll need to contact the sender for the unique tracking number. If this is an incoming international parcel, please ensure that this box is ticked prior to submitting the request.
If you're tracking the progress of a parcel you've despatched, the following illustrations highlight where the tracking number can be found on the different documentation.


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My tracking number is invalid or incorrect. What should I do?

Please check that you have entered the correct tracking number and make sure you enter it with no spaces. To find your tracking number please click on Where do I find my tracking number.
If you do have the correct number and you are still not able to track the item, please contact one of the following numbers.
Royal Mail 0845 77 40 740
Parcelforce Worldwide 08708 50 11 50


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You cannot confirm the status of my parcel – What should I do ?

There are a number of reasons why this could why this could happen:-


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You cannot confirm the status of my parcel – What should I do ?

There are a number of reasons why this could why this could happen:-

(i) tracking number miskeyed – check the number you are using is correct and try again;

(ii) parcel sent from overseas – not all overseas countries track parcels as we do in the UK.  Therefore, our system wouldn’t have any information about the parcel until we received it for delivery.  You should check with the sender when it was sent and then allow sufficient time for it to arrive in the UK, and then try again.  As a guide, you should allow the following –

Air parcels:          Europe     4-12 days    RoW  5-15 days

Surface parcels:  Europe     N/A              RoW  10-80 days

(iii) parcel not yet despatched – you may have been given a number that hasn’t been sent yet.  Please check with the recipient and try again later;

(iv) parcel sent more than 4 1/2 months ago – our online tracking allows you to track parcels sent up to 4 ½ months ago.


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What is Proof of Delivery?

Proof of delivery is the information we capture when we deliver your parcel. For Parcelforce Worldwide UK and some international import parcels it includes the delivery date and time, the recipient’s name and a digital image of the recipient's signature. For Royal Mail Special Delivery and Recorded Signed-For service the confirmation of delivery usually includes the date and time of delivery and the delivery locality.


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Why am I being told to phone a help line or send you an email?

There may be a technical difficulty and by contacting us we can determine where the problem lies. You can do this either through the website or you can call us on one of the numbers shown above.


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For which services can I obtain Proof of Delivery?

We obtain a signature from the recipient at the time of delivery for all the services you can track using Track & Trace. If a digital signature image is not available for your item a copy of the signature can be obtained by contacting us.  Please note that in some cases we make a charge for providing a copy of the signature.


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Why can't I see a signature for all parcels?

Parcelforce Worldwide delivery drivers would normally capture the recipient's signature on a digital hand held device, an image of which is then securely transmitted to our central systems ready for presentation via our website.

In remote areas of the UK, deliveries are undertaken by our sister business – Royal Mail – who capture signatures manually and hold them locally in case of future enquiries.

Also, our international delivery partners capture this information manually and therefore they are not able to provide us with an electronic image.


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Why do I sometimes get the message "An electronic signature is not available for this parcel"?

Where we use an agent to undertake the delivery of your parcel – remote areas of the UK and overseas – it is not possible to get an electronic image of the recipient’s signature to display.

In the majority of cases the recipient's signature is captured manually and held locally in case of future enquiries.


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What do I do if the details provided are not sufficient?

If the delivery details provided via our website Proof of Delivery application – delivery date, time and recipient's name (i.e. where an electronic signature is not available) – is not sufficient for your needs, you can contact us, our telephone numbers are at the bottom of this page.


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Why does the electronic signature not look real?

Our delivery drivers capture the recipient’s signature on a digital hand held device.  The pixels in the screen reproduce an image from the pressure applied when the recipient signs for your parcel and an image is created from this.  Whilst the technology we use is the most advanced available, all signatures captured in this way appear a little ‘square’ because of the way the screen is made up.


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How do I contact you?

If you have read the frequently asked questions and still need help, please contact us on one of the following numbers:

Royal Mail 0845 77 40 740
Parcelforce Worldwide 08708 50 11 50

or send us an email


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