Royal Mail normally retains an undelivered package at either your local delivery office or post office branch for a maximum of 18 days, after which it is mailed back to the sender.
The maximum time a package is held is 7 days (except packages with Special Delivery Guaranteed). The general holding time of the standard 1st/2nd class and tracked/signed services is this.
In case of a missed delivery, the goods would be stored in the nearest Royal Mail Customer Service Point or Post Office. By way of illustration, your parcels are held up to a maximum of 18 days at the Belfast delivery office (pictured).
Failure to collect it within that time (or arrange a redelivery) causes an item to be regarded by Royal Mail as undelivered and sent back to the sender.
- When the postie cannot deliver your parcel (you are not home or it is too large), he/she will leave you a red card with the write-up “Something for You.” The card informs you of the location of your package (it is typically a nearby delivery office or post office) and how to make arrangements to redeliver or collect it.
- With the Royal Mail online redelivery booking, you are able to rearrange delivery without any charge to your home, a neighbor, or a branch in the post office. The Royal Mail actually frequently automatically re-delivers the following working day when a signature is needed.
- To pick it up in person, the office or branch of delivery will retain it 18 days and then send it back. (Deliveries by Parcelforce are retained 15 days.) You will have to use your Something for You card and ID to get it.
Delivery Office & Collection Point(s) locally.
Items that cannot be delivered are at your local Customer Service Point (the delivery depot) or at a branch of the participating Post Office. Royal Mail Local Collect has more than 10,000 branches within the UK.
In case you use Local Collect (or the driver decides to bring your parcel to the post office), your item will also be stored in that branch (18 days). Any undelivered mail is returned as undeliverable after 18 days (7 days for Special Delivery).
- Lost or returned goods: You can book redelivery using the Royal Mail app or the Royal Mail site to have them delivered either to your address or the address of a neighbor or even a post office branch. This service is free (18 days collection availability), and it needs to be booked 48 hours prior.
International parcels: International parcels are treated in the same way – any tracked/signed parcel that is not collected is retained 18 days (Special Delivery-style international items 7 days) and returned. (Note: Special Delivery and international packages that need signage are not allowed to be rerouted to another address).
Hold Times by Service
Royal Mail’s holding period varies by service type:
- Standard 1st/2nd Class letters: These letters usually fit down through your letterbox, and they are not held unless it is necessary to obtain a signature on them. Letters of large size or recorded/signed-for letters are handled like parcels—they are sent to the Delivery Office and are detained not more than 18 days.
- Tracked Parcels (Tracked 24/48): When delivery is made and missed, they are stored for 18 days. The status is shown by tracking, but the hold time is also the same.
- Signed-for items: Items that are signed on the recorded and tracked and signed items are charged on the same 18-day basis. The card will be an alert about the card waiting to be picked up or a text/email notification that there is something waiting to be picked up.
- Special Delivery Guaranteed: Since these are urgent services, Royal Mail does not hold them longer than 7 days. Any Special Delivery item that is not picked up in one week is automatically sent back to the sender.
- International deliveries: Overseas packages that are supposed to be signed adhere to the same standards:18 days to hold in the local office. A signature required on tracked/signed items is international:The Royal Mail is going to redirect to a different address (Royal Mail notes that this is not true for tracked/signed items, as they need a signature.)
Redelivery and Other Options
Royal Mail provides several ways to retrieve a missed package:
- Automatic redelivery: For most signature-required parcels, Royal Mail will simply redeliver the next working day without you taking action.
- Book a redelivery: You can use Royal Mail’s website or app to arrange a redelivery to your address, a neighbor’s address, or even a post office branch. This service is free (within 18 days of collection availability) and must be scheduled 48 hours in advance.
- Collect in person: When you need the item immediately, you can head to the Delivery Office or Post Office. Bring the red card and ID. You can even leave it to be picked up by someone else with their ID and your card.
- Local Collect service: Retailers can also use Royal Mail Local Collect, whereby you select a specific Post Office branch close to your address as a delivery location. Here the parcel is shipped directly to the branch of your preference and retained there for 18 days.
To senders (e-commerce sellers), another service Royal Mail provides is Parcel Collect pickup: pay a small fee (approximately £0.30 for each package), and Royal Mail will pick up your parcels at home or business. (This applies only to outbound mail, of course, but it can be an option in case the seller is sending a number of orders at once.)
What If You Don’t Collect in Time?
If a parcel remains uncollected beyond the holding period:
- Return to sender: Royal Mail automatically stamps the item as undelivered and returns it to the address of the sender. This will be applicable to all services beyond the 18-day (or 7-day) window.
- Notifications: The sender provided contact information, so Royal Mail can email or send you a text during that 18-day period with instructions about collecting it, but once the deadline has passed, the item is already being returned. You should therefore not wait long after receiving that “Something for You” card or notification.
Tracking and Managing Your Item
To keep tabs on your delivery:
- Track & Trace: Royal Mail has the simplest online tracking method to monitor hold status. Open the Royal Mail page (or application) and enter the tracking number, and you will see precisely where your package is and when it can be collected. This way you can also get an approximate date of delivery.
- Notifications: Select email or SMS notifications, when possible. Royal Mail will then email you to notify that your item is about to be delivered, that it has been held, and how to collect it (assuming the sender provided your contact details).
- Royal Mail App: This one has its own app that allows you to track the location in real time and even arrange delivery options (such as a safe place where your parcel can stay in case you are not at home). This would eliminate delays or holding.
- Customer service: You can call Royal Mail customer service if something appears wrong (e.g., the item says “held” and “called upon” after 18 days) or to get an update.
- It is important to remember your tracking number. (It will be on your postage receipt or on your confirmation email.) You can use it to confirm the time Royal Mail picked up your package, as well as whether it is awaiting collection.
Packaging & Mailing Supplies
Posting parcels? 3Ree Labels will keep you supplied with all the packing materials. You know, maybe you require Royal Mail shipping labels, clear covering tape, protective mailing bags, and other materials. There are a variety of products available with us that will simplify postage. Check out the shipping labels of 3Ree Labels and seal your package with adhesive tape and postal mailing bags to prepare a package that will reach the Royal Mail properly.
