PHLPost Tracking and How Long Mail Takes
Philippine Postal Corporation · services
Quick answer
PHLPost tracking runs at tracking.phlpost.gov.ph, where you enter one or more tracking numbers and get the last event, its date and an item history. PHLPost separately publishes estimated turnaround times by destination and mail service, from 1 to 2 working days within a locality upward.
Every figure on this page is from Philippine Postal Corporation's own published documents.
Last verified 2 sources, listed below
PHLPost Tracking1 · Postal Office Delivery Lead Time2. PHGuides is independent and not affiliated with PHLPost.
PHLPost runs tracking at tracking.phlpost.gov.ph, separately from its main site. It takes one or more tracking numbers at a time.
What the tracker returns
| Column | |
|---|---|
| Tracking Number | As entered |
| Status | The last event recorded |
| Event Date | When that event was recorded |
Results are grouped with a running count against each: All, In Transit, Delivered and Not Found. The list can be exported to Excel.
Opening a single item shows its history, with the event, the date and time, and the location for each step. That is the view that tells you where something actually stopped.
Domestic turnaround times
PHLPost publishes these as estimated turnaround times, by service.
| Destination | Ordinary | Registered / Parcel | Express | E-Packet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within locality | 1 to 2 working days | 1 to 2 working days | 1 to 2 working days | 2 working days |
| Intra-regional | 5 working days | 5 working days | 1 to 2 working days | 3 working days |
| Inter-regional | 7 working days | 7 working days | 3 working days | 5 working days |
PHLPost also publishes a recalibrated set of domestic times, longer than the above, which it attributes to the pandemic.
| Destination | Ordinary | Registered / Parcel | Express | E-Packet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within locality | 3 to 5 working days | 3 to 5 working days | 2 working days | 2 working days |
| Intra-regional | 7 working days | 8 working days | 5 working days | 3 working days |
| Inter-regional | 10 to 15 working days | 10 to 15 working days | 7 to 10 working days | 5 working days |
Both tables carry the same note: except for flight cancellations.
International, outbound
For ordinary and registered international mail, PHLPost publishes the same figures for both services.
| Destination | Estimated | Recalibrated |
|---|---|---|
| Asia / Asia Pacific | 8 to 10 working days | 13 to 15 working days |
| Europe / Middle East | 10 to 12 working days | 15 to 17 working days |
| America | 10 to 14 working days | 15 to 19 working days |
| Africa | 12 to 16 working days | 17 to 21 working days |
International express is uniform on the estimated column: within 5 working days to all four regions. Its recalibrated column is not uniform, running from 13 to 15 working days for Asia up to 17 to 21 working days for Africa.
That gap is the one worth noticing. On the recalibrated figures, express to Africa lands in the same window as ordinary mail, so the premium buys nothing on the published times.
The slow services
| Service | Estimated | Recalibrated |
|---|---|---|
| Air, SAL and surface parcel | 15 to 30 working days | 15 to 30 working days |
| Surface Air Lifted (SAL) | Within 30 to 90 working days | Within 30 to 90 working days |
Both are published identically under estimated and recalibrated, to every destination region. 30 to 90 working days is the widest window PHLPost publishes, and at the top of it a parcel can be in transit for months.
Tracking a postal ID
The same site carries a separate Search Postal ID Status, which looks up results by OR number rather than a tracking number and returns:
| Field | |
|---|---|
| Tracking number | |
| Addressee | |
| Status and status date | |
| Signatory | Who received it |
| Failed delivery reason | Where applicable |
The postal ID guide covers the application itself and the postal ID renewal guide the renewal.
Customs on incoming parcels
PHLPost’s own disclaimer on the tracking page:
International Mails and Parcels are subject to examination by the Bureau of Customs. Recipients may be required to settle duties, taxes, and other fees prior to dispatch for delivery.
So a parcel showing as held is not necessarily lost. The import tax guide covers what those duties and taxes are, and the balikbayan box guide covers the exemption that applies to a qualifying shipment.
Where to ask
| Service | Contact |
|---|---|
| Express Mail | ems.cs@phlpost.gov.ph |
| Airmail | amed.supportservices@phlpost.gov.ph |
What this page does not cover
PHLPost’s published turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees, and every table carries the flight-cancellation caveat. This page does not carry postage rates, which PHLPost publishes separately and which vary by weight, service and destination, nor the compensation rules for a lost or damaged item, nor the retention period before an unclaimed item is returned to sender.
Related
The ZIP code guide covers what PHLPost publishes on postal codes, the postal ID guide covers the ID whose delivery this same site tracks, and the import tax guide covers the customs charges an incoming parcel can attract.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do I track PHLPost mail?
- At tracking.phlpost.gov.ph. You enter one or more tracking numbers and the page returns the tracking number, the status as a last event, and the event date. Opening an item shows its history with the event, date and time, and location.
- Can I track more than one item?
- Yes. The page accepts multiple tracking numbers and groups the results into All, In Transit, Delivered and Not Found, with a count against each. Results can be exported to Excel.
- How long should domestic mail take?
- Within a locality, 1 to 2 working days for ordinary, registered and express mail, and within 2 working days for E-Packet. Intra-regional mail runs 5 to 7 working days for ordinary and registered, and 1 to 3 working days for express.
- How long does international mail take?
- For ordinary and registered international mail, 8 to 10 working days to Asia and Asia Pacific, 10 to 12 to Europe and the Middle East, 10 to 14 to America and 12 to 16 to Africa. International express is within 5 working days to all four.
- Why does the site show two sets of times?
- PHLPost publishes both an estimated turnaround time and a recalibrated one due to the pandemic. The recalibrated figures are longer, for example 13 to 15 working days to Asia against 8 to 10. Both sets carry the note, except for flight cancellations.
- What is the slowest service?
- Surface Air Lifted, at within 30 to 90 working days to every destination region, with the same figure under both the estimated and recalibrated columns. Air, SAL and surface parcel run 15 to 30 working days.
- Can I track a postal ID?
- Yes, separately. The tracking site carries a Search Postal ID Status function that looks up results by OR number and returns the tracking number, addressee, status, status date, signatory and any failed delivery reason.
- Will I have to pay anything on an incoming parcel?
- Possibly. PHLPost states that international mails and parcels are subject to examination by the Bureau of Customs, and recipients may be required to settle duties, taxes and other fees prior to dispatch for delivery.