Help with problems in shipment tracking

This is usually due to one of the following reasons:

• Please check whether you entered the correct tracking number and if there might be a typo.
• It can take up to 24 hours for your shipment to appear in DHL tracking – please be patient and check again the next day.
• Your shipment is a DHL Päckchen. Päckchen do not have tracking.
• Your shipment is an international package – here you can find tracking options for shipments from America.
• Your shipment is a DHL Express shipment or a letter shipment – please also check the tracking for letter shipments (registered mail, cash on delivery, insured) and for Express shipments (domestic and international).
• Your shipment was not sent via DHL – if you are unsure which carrier was used, please also check the tracking services of other parcel providers.

In the DHL shipment tracking, you received the message "The entered shipment number is invalid"? Then it is best to first check the shipment number you entered.

You will find the shipment number on the receipt of deposit - when ordering, the sender usually provides you with the shipment number. Please check whether you have entered the correct number and whether transposed digits has appeared.

If you do not know your shipment number even after checking your data, you do not need to worry. Usually this has one of the following reasons:

• It can take up to 24 hours before your shipment is displayed in the DHL tracking system - please be patient and check the tracking system again the next day.
• Your shipment is a DHL Päckchen. Päckchen do not have shipment tracking.
• Your shipment is a parcel from abroad - here you can find the tracking for parcels from America or Asia
• Your shipment is a DHL Express shipment or a letter shipment - please also check the tracking for letter shipments (registered mail, cash on delivery, value, express) and the tracking for Express shipments (domestic and international)
• Your shipment was not sent with DHL - If you are not sure which parcel service your shipment was sent with, please check the shipment tracking of other parcel delivery services.

Find my parcel shipment

Do you want to track a different shipment?

Find my letter shipment (registered mail, cash on delivery, insured)
Find my Express shipment

Note: You can also enter the tracking number directly in the search field above.

The delivery time shown in the parcel notification and in the shipment tracking is an estimated delivery time. This means that, based on numerous forecasts and our experience, we assume that your shipment will probably arrive at your location at the indicated time.

Reasons for such delays can be:

• During the delivery unexpected problems occurred, such as bad weather conditions, traffic jams, accidents, illness, etc.

• During sorting, a required information could not be read or assigned and the shipment has to be reworked manually.

• Due to deficiencies in the outer packaging (e.g. cracks in the box) your parcel had to be repacked for a safe onward transport.

Please understand that it is not possible to contact our delivery agent directly or to accelerate the shipment through customer service.

Unfortunately, in some cases, the usual delivery time of 1–2 business days may be delayed.

Less than 5 business days
Please monitor DHL tracking to see the current status of your shipment.

More than 5 business days
If the shipment status has not changed for more than 5 working days, you can request an investigation. If you are the recipient of the shipment, we recommend that you first consult with the sender of the shipment. This generally results in a quick fix for you.

Please understand that direct contact with the parcel center or speeding up the delivery through customer service is not possible.

Expecting an order from an online shop?
In this case, please contact the sender, as they can usually resolve the issue faster.

Why is there a delay?
Don’t worry, your parcel will arrive! If you’re wondering why delays happen, here you can find the common causes of shipment delays.

A tracking number is a combination of numbers and letters used to track a parcel or a letter with additional services. The tracking number allows you to identify the current status of the shipment. Depending on the product, the tracking number can be between 10 and 39 characters long.

Please note that the tracking number is not the same as an order number. An order number is an item number assigned by your retailer. For information about your order, please contact the sender of your shipment (e.g., the online shop).

How to find the tracking number for your DHL parcel shipment:

Sender
As the sender, you can find the tracking number on the receipt you receive when dropping off your parcel at a DHL location, a DHL Paketshop, or a Packstation. If you use DHL Online Frankierung, the tracking number is also included in the order confirmation email.

Recipient
As the recipient, you will receive the tracking number from the sender. For example, if you ordered goods from an online shop, the retailer usually provides a shipping confirmation with the corresponding tracking number. You can then use this number to check the current status of your shipment in DHL tracking.

Note: DHL Päckchen shipments cannot be tracked.

Please also note that the tracking number is not the same as an order number. An order number is assigned by your retailer. For information about your order, please contact the sender of your shipment (e.g., the online shop).

Shipment tracking is only possible with a valid tracking number.

Note: Unfortunately, customer service also has no way to check the status of your shipment without the tracking number.

Please first check to whom the parcel has been delivered.

The “Delivered to” box on the results page of DHL Shipment Tracking will tell you if it was the original recipient – you, a relative, a neighbour, or any other person. “Letterbox” means that the item has been deposited directly in your letterbox.

To view the recipient’s name, click “Show detailed recipient information” and enter the recipient’s postal code. If the parcel has been delivered to the neighbour and you do not know or cannot find him, please be patient and see if he comes to you.

If he has not contacted you after two days, please contact our customer service team.

Sometimes the delivery person cannot deliver your shipment to the postal outlet that he/she has previously noted on your notification card. The actual delivery location (e.g. postal outlet, parcel store, packing station) is displayed in the DHL shipment tracking.

The shipment status is for example:

"The shipment is being brought to the postal outlet Gildenstr. 2 46117 Oberhausen for pickup. The earliest possible time for pickup can be retrieved from the notification card."

If the information in the shipment tracking matches that from your notification card, you may have been to the postal outlet too early and the shipment has not yet been sorted. 

Please check the time on the notification card again.

Click here for more information about your international shipment.