Royal Mail is the UK's designated universal postal service, delivering to 32 million addresses six days a week. Whether you sent a Tracked 24 parcel, a Special Delivery letter, or an international registered item, this guide explains how to find your tracking reference and get live delivery status.
Royal Mail Tracking Number Format
Royal Mail tracking references follow the format: 2 letters, 8 digits, 2 letters — 13 characters total (e.g. AB123456789GB). The last two letters indicate the country of origin: GB for items from the UK. The first two letters indicate the service: SD = Special Delivery Guaranteed, TT = Tracked, MT = Tracked Returns. Not all Royal Mail services include tracking — standard 1st and 2nd Class letters are not tracked unless you pay for an add-on.
Which Royal Mail Services Include Tracking?
Fully tracked services: Special Delivery Guaranteed (next-day, signature required), Tracked 24 (next-day aim), Tracked 48 (2-day aim), Royal Mail Signed For (signature only, limited tracking), International Tracked, International Tracked & Signed. Not tracked: 1st Class, 2nd Class, Large Letter, and most standard letter formats. If tracking is important, always use Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 at minimum.
Where to Find Your Royal Mail Tracking Reference
Your tracking reference is on: (1) the Post Office receipt when you posted the item, (2) the confirmation email or dispatch notification from the online seller, (3) the label on the parcel itself — look for the barcode with letters and numbers below it, (4) your Royal Mail Click & Drop account if you are a business sender. If the sender used a franking machine or standard stamps, the item may not have a tracking reference.
How to Track Royal Mail on Trackora
Enter your 13-character Royal Mail tracking reference in the Trackora search box. Trackora auto-detects Royal Mail from the format and displays available events — from "Item accepted at Post Office" through "In transit" to "Delivered" or "Delivery attempted". For international items sent by Royal Mail that are being delivered by a partner postal service abroad, tracking may continue updating once handed to the destination country's carrier.
Royal Mail Delivery Status Messages Explained
"We've got it" — Royal Mail has the item at a delivery office or hub. "On its way" — the item is in transit through the Royal Mail network. "Out for delivery" — your postie has the item on their round today. "Delivered" — the item was put through your letterbox or left in a safe place. "Sorry, we missed you" — delivery was attempted but nobody was home; a red card was left. "Collected" — you picked it up from the delivery office. "Item being held at delivery office" — too large for the letterbox; you need to collect or rearrange.