Departed Deutsche Post Mailterminal – What Does it Mean?

You are expecting a package and have received a “Departed Deutsche Post Mailterminal” tracking update.

What does this mean exactly, and is there anything you need to do?

Let’s take a look…

Departed Deutsche Post Mailterminal – Guide

This update can be triggered at various times during the shipment journey.

It follows on from the “Processed at Deutsche Post Mailterminal” update, in that once the item has been sorted and dispatched the alert is triggered.

Essentially, it means that the mail item has departed the mailterminal (sort facility) and is now in transit once more.

• Related Content: Shipment Information Uploaded to Deutsche Post – Guide

Where is Your Package When You Receive this Update?

Your package is on the back of a truck or in the hold of an aircraft (depending on the destination) when this update is triggered.

However, it might be at the very beginning of the shipment journey.

If the mailterminal is the first one that the item has been sorted at, it will be relatively close to the origin location, (i.e. the sender).

It will now have to go through the various steps of the delivery network before it reaches the area of the recipient.

On the other hand, if the shipment has already passed through two or more mail terminals, it is likely at the end of its journey.

It will now be in transit to a Deutsche Post office close to the recipient, or even out for delivery.

• Related Content: “Item Received at Deutsche Post Mailterminal” – Tracking Guide

My Tracking is Stuck on “Departed Deutsche Post Mailterminal”

So what’s going on if your tracking is stuck on this update?

First and foremost, if several days go by without a new update it is likely your package is stuck in transit.

Consider an international package, if the item departed the mailterminal and was dispatched overseas, it can take some time until you receive another update.

Even then, it will likely be another carrier (the local postal service for example) that will be responsible for your item once it arrives in the destination country… customs, and handover to the carrier are steps that will not necessarily trigger alerts that you see, (more on that in a moment).

A domestic shipment may also take a day or two to reach the next step in the delivery network and trigger a new update.

Transit delays or backlogs in the next mailterminal (or post office) that the shipment arrives at, can cause a delay in you seeing new alerts.

That being said, you should expect a wait of at least two to three days on a domestic shipment before seeing a new update, and up to 5 days on an international delivery (unless an expedited delivery speed has been purchased).

What to do if Package Tracking is Stuck?

If more than the recommended time frames mentioned above pass by, you have reason to make inquiries.

I mentioned that you might not be seeing new updates on an international shipment because it is now with a different carrier.

To check this you can use a universal tracking app such as 17track or Parcelsapp.

These free services will scan hundreds of carrier databases to see if the information on your package exists elsewhere, (i.e. with a local overseas carrier).

If this comes up short, you should contact Deutsche Post to find out more.

• Related Content: Arrived at Pickup Point DHL – Tracking Guide

Final Words

Overall, the “Departed Deutsche Post Mailterminal” is a common tracking update that means the parcel has left a sorting facility and is now in transit to the next destination in the delivery network.

This could be another mailterminal, an overseas facility on an international shipment, or simply the local Deutsche Post post office close to the destination address.

Either way, you should keep an eye on your tracking updates to keep informed about delivery.

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