What does “Package arrived at international carrier” mean? You’re expecting a package to arrive from overseas, and you have received this alert.
Does it mean your item is close? Should you expect delays? Is there anything you should do?
Let’s take a look.
“Package Arrived at International Carrier” – Meaning
This update means that the package has just arrived at the facility that operates with international shipments. In other words, a carrier facility attached to an airport or seaport.
How Close is My Package When I Receive a “Package Arrived at International Carrier” Alert?
How close your package is to delivery, depends on which international carrier facility the tracking status is attached to.
For example, if you live in Europe and are shipping an item from the USA, a “Package arrived at international carrier” alert located in America would mean your item has yet to leave the origin country (i.e, the U.S.).
The package has yet to be cleared through customs and shipped across the Atlantic.
However, if you are shipping from Europe to the U.S. and the update is connected to a US-based location, you know that the package is near to you.
It will have crossed the Atlantic, arrived in America, passed customs, and is with the carrier facility based at the airport (or seaport).
The next step will be transit to your locality in the U.S. This could mean passing through regional facilities and hubs before going out for final delivery to your address.
- Related Content: What Does “Departure from Inward Office of Exchange” Mean?
What to do When Your Package is Stuck on “Package Arrived at International Carrier”
If your package tracking remains on this update, it means a hold-up has occurred at the international carrier facility.
If this is occurring within the origin country, it could be that there is a problem with customs clearance or high shipping volumes preventing the item from being transported overseas.
If it is stuck on this update within the destination country, it is more likely a scanning issue (i.e it is not being updated) or the facility responsible for onward delivery is experiencing delays.
Either way, you will need to contact the shipper or the relevant carrier to find out what the issue is.
- Related Content: “Processed Through Office of Exchange” – What Does it Mean?
What Happens Next?
What happens next is related to the location of the package and whether any issue is occurring.
For example, a package traveling via cargo ship could be stuck on a “Package arrived at international carrier” alert for several weeks if it departed the port without a follow-up scan.
On the other end of the delay spectrum, a package that has arrived at the international carrier in the destination country could be just days away.
Communicating with the carrier will hopefully shed more light on which scenario is relevant to your shipment, and how long you should expect to wait.
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. 🙂