PostNL

PostNL is the national postal and parcel operator of the Netherlands, headquartered in The Hague. Formerly known as TPG Post and then TNT Post, the company rebranded as PostNL in 2011 after TNT Express was spun off as a separate entity. Today PostNL is one of the leading e-commerce logistics providers in the Benelux region and a major player in cross-border parcel delivery across Europe.

Company Overview

PostNL handles over 300 million parcels annually across its delivery network. Key facts:

• Operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and other European markets
• Employs approximately 50,000 people
• Delivers to 17 million addresses in the Netherlands alone
• Publicly traded on Euronext Amsterdam (ticker: PNL)
• Revenue of approximately €3.4 billion (2023)

PostNL's parcel business has grown rapidly as letter volumes decline — parcels now account for the majority of revenue, driven by e-commerce growth in the Benelux and broader European market.

Key Services

PostNL Pakket (Parcel): Standard domestic parcel delivery in the Netherlands and Belgium. Offers morning delivery (before 10am) and evening delivery windows, plus next-day and two-day options.

PostNL International: Cross-border parcel delivery to European countries and worldwide. Widely used by AliExpress and other Chinese e-commerce sellers as a tracked postal route into Europe.

Letterbox Parcel: Delivery of small e-commerce packages through the letterbox, without requiring the recipient to be home — a highly popular option for lightweight items.

Business mail: Bulk direct mail, transactional mail (invoices, statements), and marketing communications.

Extra@Home: White-glove delivery service for large or fragile items, including in-home placement and installation.

Cross-Border E-Commerce

PostNL is one of the largest destination postal operators for Chinese cross-border e-commerce packages entering Europe. Shipments from China via platforms like AliExpress and Cainiao often arrive in the Netherlands through PostNL's international network before local delivery.

Tracking

PostNL tracking numbers for international shipments follow the standard Universal Postal Union format (13 characters, e.g., RR123456789NL for registered items). Domestic Netherlands parcels use a 3S-format code (e.g., 3SBOL123456789).

For more information on how to track shipments and manage your deliveries, use our tracking form.