At An Post, we're here to help with all your delivery needs. Check out the information below for all your questions on receiving post.
Manage your delivery
If you are not sure how to trace your item or have missed a delivery, this is the right place to find answers to those and many other common questions around managing your post.
An Post holds missed deliveries for the following periods:
5 working days for Standard Post and Express Post.
3 working days for registered post.
16 working days if it is received from abroad.
After that, we will try to return the item to the person who sent it, if there’s a legible address on the outside. If anything has to be returned to the sender, we will attach a sticker explaining why we couldn’t deliver it. In order to avoid missing a delivery you can sign up anpost.com and set up a delivery safe spot. This can be a safe, dry place out of view or a neighbour.
An Post holds missed deliveries for the following periods:
5 working days for Standard Post and Express Post.
3 working days for registered post.
16 working days if it is received from abroad.
After that, we will try to return the item to the person who sent it, if there’s a legible address on the outside. If anything has to be returned to the sender, we will attach a sticker explaining why we couldn’t deliver it. In order to avoid missing a delivery you can sign up anpost.com and set up a delivery safe spot. This can be a safe, dry place out of view or a neighbour.
Two. You can add a home and a work address.
Some retailers will provide us with your contact details and we will get in touch by email or text to let you know when we will be delivering your parcel. You can expect to hear from us a few days in advance of your delivery if your contact details have been provided. If you know you're not going to be at home you can set your safe spot to have your item delivered to. This can be a safe, dry place out of view or a neighbour. Sign up now at anpost.com/signup to set a safe spot.
If you miss the final delivery, there are a still a number of ways you can collect your post:
Bring your ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice (also called a Docket In Box or DIB notice) and personal ID, such as a driving licence, to your local Delivery Service Unit
Nominate someone to collect the post on your behalf. This person should bring a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice signed by you, as well their own ID
If you believe your post should have been delivered, but you haven’t received a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice, it is probably still on its way to you.
we will arrange for your item to be delivered.
Once we receive your parcel and it is scanned into our network system, we will deliver it to you as quickly as possible.
If you have found a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice in your letterbox (also called a ‘Docket In Box’ or ‘DIB’ notice). This gives you information on what we tried to deliver and how to collect it.
Once we have left this in your letterbox, we’ll return your post to your local Delivery Service Unit and won’t attempt another delivery unless you arrange a redelivery online.
Standard post items are normally delivered by An Post one to two days after posting. Most often, delays occur due to incomplete, illegible or incorrect addresses.
Other reasons for late or delayed delivery include:
Items posted after the final collection of the day
Difficulty accessing the property
International post being handled by multiple postal services and customs agents
If we have left a 'sorry we missed you' notice indicating that delivery was attempted at your address, please follow the instructions on the notice.
If you have not received your standard post within five working days from the date of posting, or 15 days in the case of international post, we suggest you use our contact form or pick up an enquiry form at your local post office or delivery office.
We make every effort to ensure your post arrives safely, unopened and in good condition, but you should keep any damaged or opened post for inspection. There are a number of reasons why post may sometimes be damaged:
Incorrectly-sized or poor quality packaging
We may place damaged items in a plastic bag to prevent further damage
Envelopes may occasionally be damaged during the machine sorting process
We use waterproof delivery equipment but we can’t guarantee that post will never be wet in bad weather conditions
If your online tracking shows that we attempted to deliver your post, but you didn’t receive a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice, this means we’ll try again in the next delivery slot, which is usually the following day.
We’ll always attempt to deliver your post to your address at least once. After a failed delivery we will return your item to your local Delivery Service Unit. Find out how to collect your post or have it redelivered from the Delivery Service Unit.
Customs and deliveries
Due to stringent EU Customs rules governing non-EU goods, which came into effect on 1st July 2021, VAT and customs charges now apply when you buy goods outside of the EU.
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