PostNL is of course no stranger within the transport network. The postal company has been processing packages and letterbox parcels for more than 200 years. That means they have a lot of experience! In this article you can read the most important information about shipping with PostNL within the Netherlands and abroad.
Shipping packages within the Netherlands
PostNL Standard 0-23KG / 23-31,5KG
Service Presentation:
Home delivery within 24 hours (in 98% of cases), everywhere in the Netherlands. You can hand-in these shipments to a service point for delivery. From 500 shipments per month you can request a fixed collection.
Shipping method features:
- 2 delivery attempts
- Not insured
- Research on domestic shipments has a lead time of 7 days
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight 23 KG
- Maximum dimensions 100 x 70 x 58 cm (L X W X H)
For a more comprehensive overview of the conditions, I recommend that you carefully read the surcharges and conditions article.
PostNL Service Point 0-23KG / 23-31,5KG
Service Presentation:
Home delivery within 24 hours (in 98% of cases), everywhere in the Netherlands. You can hand-in these shipments to a service point for delivery. From 500 shipments per month you can request a fixed collection.
Shipping method features:
- 1 delivery attempt at a service point
- Not insured
- Research on domestic shipments has a lead time of 7 days
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight 23 KG
- Maximum dimensions 100 x 70 x 58 cm (L X W X H)
For a more comprehensive overview of the conditions, I recommend that you carefully read the surcharges and conditions article.
PostNL Mailbox Parcel 0-2KG
Service Presentation:
Delivery of your letterbox shipments within the Netherlands. You can hand-in these shipments to a service point for delivery. From 500 shipments per month you can request a fixed collection.
Shipping method features:
- No track and trace (only first scan)
- 1 delivery attempt through your mailbox
- Not insured
- Research is not possible
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight 2 KG
- Maximum dimensions 38,0 x 26,5 x 3,2 cm (L X W X H)
For a more comprehensive overview of the conditions, I recommend that you carefully read the surcharges and conditions article.
PostNL shipments can be handed-in to 1 of the 3000 PostNL service points. These are located throughout the Netherlands, a PostNL point in your area can be found via the online location selector.
Shipping within Europe
PostNL Abroad
Service Presentation:
Delivery to private and business addresses within Europe. You can hand-in these shipments to a service point for delivery. From 500 shipments per month you can request a fixed collection.
Shipping method features:
- Included signature on delivery
- Insured up to 500 euros (60% of sales value)
- Research on domestic shipments has a lead time of +/- 45 days
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight 23 KG
- Maximum dimensions; EU to Consumer/Business: 100 x 70 x 58 cm (L X W X H)
For a more comprehensive overview of the conditions, I recommend that you carefully read the surcharges and conditions article.
Shipping worldwide
PostNL Globalpack
Service Presentation:
Home delivery outside Europe. You can hand-in these shipments to a service point for delivery. From 500 shipments per month you can request a fixed collection.
Shipping method features:
- Included signature on delivery
- Insured up to 200 euros (60% of sales value)
- Research on domestic shipments has a lead time of +/- 45 days
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight 20 KG
- Maximum dimensions; 100 × 50 × 50 cm (L X W X H)
- Maximum belt circumference 300 cm (2x the height + 2x the width + 1x the longest side of the package)
PostNL International Packets Tracked
Service Presentation:
PostNL International Packets is a flexible and affordable delivery option for if you regularly ship small packages which are no larger than a shoebox (up to a maximum of 29kg) to international destinations.It’s available to users who have PostNL Packets included in their PostNL contracts.
Packets are characterised as small, showbox sized packages and differ from the usual Parcel products which you may be familiar with. Unlike regular parcels which are sent through the parcel shipping network, packets are sent via the international postal network.
Characteristics of the parcel:
- Maximum weight: 2kg
- Maximum size: 90cm (length + width + height)
- Maximum length: 60cm
Note: to avoid unwanted surcharges, be sure that the packet does not exceed the dimensions above. Click here for more information about surcharges from PostNL.
Shipping method features:
Packet Tracked
- Fast and reliable service through Postal Exprès service
- Track&Trace information available
- Not insured by default
- Ships to 46 major worldwide locations
For a more comprehensive overview of the conditions, I recommend that you carefully read the surcharges and conditions article.
Here you will find an overview of the average transit times of PostNL for shipping within and outside of Europe.
Export documentation
When shipping worldwide, a Commercial Invoice and the CN23 + CP71 are generated when the label is created.
The CN23 form and the Commercial invoice must be visibly stuck on the package for customs. You can add the CP71 inside your package.
Note that for a number of European countries or areas, you also need to choose Globalpack as shipping method:
- Malta
- Cyprus
- Greenland
- Andorra
- San Marino
- The Vatican
- Canary Islands
- Gibraltar
- Channel Islands (e.g. Guernsey, Jersey etc.)
- Faroe Islands
Multicollo Shipments
Multicollo shipment is available for all PostNL services except for Brievenbuspakketje and only for deliveries within the Netherlands and Belgium. Please note that multicollo is not available for shipments requiring a customs form.
Each collo will be assigned it's own track and trace number and receive individual tracking updates. You can view how many shipments are linked to a parcel in the shipment detail view of your panel.
If you need to cancel a collo within the shipment, all labels must be cancelled and recreated.
Claim procedure
Uninsured shipments
The standard shipments of PostNL (PostNL Standard, PostNL service point, PostNL mailbox parcel) are not insured. If you do not insure these shipments with the help of our Sendcloud Insurance, no claim can be submitted based on purchase - / sales value. In this case, you are only entitled to a kilo compensation (3.40 euros per kilo) when a shipment is declared missing by PostNL.
To submit such a claim, we need the purchase and sales invoice including a content description.
Insured shipments
PostNL's international methods are insured as standard (PostNL Abroad up to 500 euros, PostNL Globalpack up to 200 euros). A claim for these types of shipments can be submitted via the Sendcloud panel (60% of sales value). Click on the concerning shipment, then click on the bottom right to request help -> submit a claim for a lost / damaged shipment.
This way the correct documents are collected and the claim file will be complete so the carrier can process a claim in the quickest way. If you have to fill in a field that is not available to you (for example if you do not have a purchase invoice), you can also upload a word file with an explanation.
Please note: damage to a shipment must be reported to us within 7 days of delivery. On the other hand, PostNL will unfortunately not handle the claim.
Do you want to insure your shipments for a higher value? This is possible with the help of our Sendcloud Insurance.
Like every carrier, PostNL has prepared a document about their General Transport Conditions. If you deviate from the conditions, a surcharge will be charged on your invoice afterwards. When you send with PostNL, you automatically agree to the following conditions:
General Transport Conditions
Please note that in case of deviations from the above conditions, the carrier can charge a surcharge.
For further questions, please contact us by email at support@sendcloud.com or use the contact form. Create a new ticket from the 'Support' section and select the right category.