What Does “Departure from Inward Office of Exchange” Mean?

What does “Departure from Inward Office of Exchange” mean? This is a tracking update you will often find when waiting for an international shipment to arrive.

Does this alert mean that the package is close to delivery? Let’s take a look.

What is an “Inward Office of Exchange”?

The Inward Office of Exchange is the destination country’s import customs office.

If you are the recipient of the package, this is the customs office in your country.

The fact you are receiving an update that states “Departure from inward office of exchange”, means your package has left the customs office. 

The next destination is a sorting facility belonging to the postal or courier service responsible for delivery.

• Related Content: Arrival at Inward Office of Exchange – What Does it Mean?

How Long Until Delivery After “Departure from Inward Office of Exchange”?

After you receive a “Departure from inward office of exchange” alert, you know your package is getting close.

The fact it has passed through customs clearance and is now on its way to your courier’s sort facility is a reason to be positive.

However, depending on the distance the package still needs to travel and the delivery service used it can still take several more days to reach you.

The minimum you should expect (on a non-expedited international shipment) is 3 days.

This is the time for the package to be processed through a regional hub, transported to your local post office or courier facility, and then go out for delivery.

This same process can take up to 10 days on budget-focused delivery service speeds.

• Related Content: TNT “Shipment Arrived at Connection Point” Tracking Guide

What to do if My Package Remains Stuck on This Update?

The best step to take if your package remains stuck on this update is to be patient.

Believe it or not, this same status can remain right up to the delivery point.

It all depends on whether the tracking is being updated, and which courier service is responsible for final delivery.

Because of this, we recommend that you wait a week to ten days after receiving the “Departure from inward office of exchange” update, before expending your energy on making inquiries.

If, after this time, your package remains undelivered, contact the shipper with details. They may take up the issue with the delivery service directly.

If not, you will need to call the customer services number of the courier responsible.

• Related Content: “Processed Through Office of Exchange” – What Does it Mean?

Can I Still Use the Same Tracking Number?

Once your package has departed the inward office of exchange, it is in the hands of the postal service or courier company based in your home country.

Normally, this service will scan the item once it reaches the sorting facility.

In some cases, the same tracking number that you were using for the initial stages of the package journey will still work within the system of the service making the final delivery.

In other situations, a new tracking number will be created.

A third situation will lead to the issue of the status update seemingly being stuck, i.e. no further scans are made in terms of providing tracking information.

In any case, typing the tracking number/s that you have into a universal tracking service will help to pinpoint which service provider the package is now with and whether further updates are being made.

• Related Content: Receive Item at Office of Exchange (OTB) – What Does it Mean?

Final Words

Essentially, a “Departure from inward office of exchange” update is good news.

You know that the package has successfully cleared customs in the destination country and is now with the postal service responsible for final delivery.

The item will still have to go through a few more steps before it arrives (regional sort facilities, local service depot, etc), however, it is definitely on its way. 

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