What does “Departure from outward office of exchange” mean?
You have received this status update on an international delivery and you’re now confused. How close is your shipment? Has it left its origin country? Does it still need to go through customs?
We’ll answer all that and more in this tracking status guide.
“Departure from Outward Office of Exchange” – What Does it Mean?
“Departure from outward office of exchange” means that the package is being prepared for an export customs security scan. After this has been successfully completed it will be sent to the airline for shipment to the destination country.
What happens after “Departure from outward office of exchange”?
Assuming the export security scan is completed successfully, the package will be loaded onto the carrier plane for shipment.
The next tracking update to expect once this has happened will be “Sent/Despatched to destination country” (the wording differs between carriers with some omitting to use it altogether).
Once the plane lands, the package will show as “Arrival at inward office of exchange”. This is the customs of the destination country where the package is being delivered.
- Related Content: Tracking Guide: “Depart from Transit Office of Exchange”
How long will the package remain on “Departure from outward office of exchange”?
This depends on the workload and potential backlog of shipments within the customs of the exporting country, (i.e the origin country of your package).
The service speed of the delivery is also a major factor. Expedited international shipping services will be fast-tracked through customs clearance faster than a low-cost shipping method with longer delivery times.
Essentially, a “Departure from outward office of exchange” status can remain for anything between 2 to 10 days.
- Related Content: What Does “Received by line-haul” Mean? (AliExpress)
What to do if your package is stuck on “Departure from outward office of exchange”?
If your package remains stuck on this status for more than 10 days it is time to contact the shipper.
A hold-up on this status normally indicates that the package has encountered problems passing the customs security check. (It could be that the shipper has already been contacted by the carrier in charge of the shipment.)
The approach you take with the shipper should be light. It is not their fault after all. However, you will want them to make enquires.
If there has been an issue at customs or the package has disappeared, you will want to open a dispute through the original shipper and make efforts to claim your money back.
- Related Content: “Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending” Meaning?
Final Words
The “Departure from outward office of exchange” tracking update is a standard alert that signifies your package is between export and import.
After successfully receiving a customs security scan, your package will be loaded into a plane and start making its way to the destination country.
There are clearly more steps in the package journey, however, as long as nothing is held up at customs, this is not an alert to be concerned about.
- Related Content: What Does “Arrived at Sorting Center” Mean? (AliExpress)
I’m a 25 year veteran of USPS. I’m retired now, but as the editor of Mailbox Master, I can’t quite remove myself from the carrier industry just yet. 🙂
my package has been stuck on “Departure from outward office of exchange” and
“MUMBAI AIR, Send receptacle abroad (Otb)” for 25 days now! from india to the UK! ..it’s so frustrating! and to top it off the shipper says there is nothing he can do! thats nearly £100 lost!!!
Maybe your package had something dodgy in it so customs are holding on to the package!
There has to be security clearances you see.
That’s Life today!!!
Why my package going to United States instead of abu dhabi
In tracking the order from 21-11-2023 is in
Departure from outward office of exchange MYKULC, until today I have not received information on its tracking, is it a problematic case?
Hi there, without your tracking details it is difficult to investigate further. However, the tracking being on Departure from outward office of exchange for 8 days isn’t unusual. It is an international shipment after all, (coming from KUALA LUMPUR by the looks of it). Unless you have used a premium expedited shipping service, I wouldn’t be concerned.