“The Consignment has Arrived in the Country of Destination” – PostNL

You’re expecting a PostNL package from overseas and you receive a “The consignment has arrived in the country of destination” status alert.

What does this mean? Where is your package when the update is triggered and is there anything you need to do?

Let’s take a look…

The Consignment has Arrived in the Country of Destination – Guide

This tracking update is clearly self-explanatory. The country of destination is that contained in the recipient’s address. The consignment has just arrived.

It does mean that there are a few steps before the recipient receives their package, however. 

The scan that triggers this status alert is carried out by the line-haul service or carrier that has received the item after cross-border transit.

The next steps can often incur delays.

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What Happens After “The Consignment has Arrived in the Country of Destination”

Once the package has arrived in the destination country it will normally be unloaded from the method of transit that got it there, (i.e plane, boat, or truck) before being placed in a warehouse as it awaits customs clearance processing.

Both these steps can cause delays for the unfortunate recipient.

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Stuck in the International Facility / ISC

PostNL shipment arrivals into the USA will generally go through an International Service Station within the region of the recipient, (New York ISC for a package destined for Brooklyn or LA ISC for items to be delivered to California, for example).

ISCs, with the huge volumes of packages flowing in and out every day, are renowned for causing delays.

Your package will arrive at the ISC, (and trigger the “The consignment has arrived in the country of destination” update), however, there are examples of shipments being stuck for weeks while they await handover to customs staff for clearance.

Once your item is with customs you should receive a notification suggesting such. Example updates include: “Import Clearance Start“, and “Clearance Event“.

Then there is the process of clearance itself.

While your package may not always go forward for complete physical inspection, documentation, declarations and any import duty of taxes have to be correct if your item is to pass clearance without any issues.

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Note: If there are any problems with clearance you should receive notification from PostNL with details on the next steps.

Assuming your item passes through customs without any issues, there is still a potential delay on the other side.

Again, international facilities such as Chicago ISC in the US, and Liege in Belgium have a bad reputation for the length of time it takes shipments to leave.

Essentially, your item is placed in another area of the warehouse after clearance. However, the receiving carrier will not always be informed of this immediately.

There are also situations where the shipment is misplaced. The end result on both counts is that your shipment remains in the facility for longer than it should, causing extra delays to the delivery.

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What to do if Your Tracking is Stuck on “The Consignment has Arrived in the Country of Destination”

Whether your tracking is stuck on “The consignment has arrived in the country of destination” or other alerts that mean your shipment is stuck upon arrival in the destination country, there are a number of steps you can take.

Use a Universal Tracking App

PostNL will not always be the receiving carrier inside the destination country. This often means more accurate tracking can be found if you check the details within a universal tracking app.

Free services such as 17Track and ParcelsApp will scan the database of hundreds of carriers to see if information exists elsewhere.

Essentially, if an alternative carrier has scanned your package, one of these services will find the information.

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Contact PostNL

Whether PostNL is the receiving carrier or not, you will still want to contact them if your tracking is stuck on “The consignment has arrived in the country of destination”.

At best the item is within the carrier’s delivery infrastructure and they will be able to locate it for you.

At the very least a representative should be able to inform you what carrier has taken over inside the destination country so that you can make contact.

Contact the Sender/Seller

Thirdly, if your tracking remains stuck upon arrival inside the destination country for an unreasonable amount of time you should contact the sender.

I understand that the word “unreasonable” is slightly vague, however, the context in terms of the speed of service is important.

PostNL is often used for AliExpress shipments. Standard delivery with AliExpress is 15 to 45 working days.

In other words, you cannot expect too much of a response from the seller until this delivery period starts to run out.

It is also important to keep an eye on your buyer’s protection period. AliExpress offers 60 days.

If your item hasn’t arrived within that time you should raise a dispute through the AliExpress platform for a refund or replacement item to be sent.

Final Words

Although the “The consignment has arrived in the country of destination” tracking alert from PostNL means your package has arrived in the recipient’s country, there are a few steps left before delivery.

Assuming all import documentation is correct and relevant duties paid your item should flow through clearance without issue.

However, as explained, the clearance process can take time and shipments do get held up inside border facilities. If this happens to you, patience will be necessary.

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