“In transit” means we’ve received the package and it’s en route to its destination.

“Out for delivery” means your package is on its way to its final destination. Details about your package’s progress are shown in the delivery progress section below the blue bar.

“Notice left” means a package couldn’t be delivered as expected, and has been sent to a post office for pickup.

This could happen for one of many reasons, including:

• The package won't fit in the mail compartment
• The community mailbox is full
• No one was available to receive the package, but the sender hasn't approved a safe drop location
• No one is available to receive the package and there’s no protected, secure location in which to leave it
• The sender has chosen the "Card for pickup" option meaning the package must be picked up at a post office
• The package was addressed to a Post Office Box, but was too large for the receptacle

If you received a Delivery Notice Card, follow the instructions on the card to pick up your package. Otherwise, check the status on Track. When the information is available, we'll tell you where and when to pick up your package.

“Delivery Attempt Made / Rescheduled for delivery next business day” could mean:

• We tried to deliver your package but weren’t successful. Normally, we try to deliver the package the next business day.
• The package was brought back to the depot and can’t be collected from a postal outlet yet.

“Verifying recipient's address; Possible delay” means we found an addressing error and the delivery agent is verifying the recipient’s address. This can happen before or after the agent attempts delivery.

We try hard to verify the address on the package so that we can correctly deliver it. If we can’t verify the address, we return the package to the sender. Once the return process starts, we can’t stop it.

“Check delivery progress” means the delivery of your package has been interrupted. Check the delivery progress section below the progress bar for specific details.

A “Check delivery progress bar” with an arrow at the end means your package has been returned to sender. The progress bar won’t track the delivery of the returned package, but updates will display below the progress bar.

“Item held by customs” means the package is being reviewed by customs. This is standard for all packages sent internationally. The package must clear customs before its status can be updated and the package can be delivered.

What you should know

• Times for packages to clear customs vary. Delays can occur due to the package itself, its documentation, or the volume of packages in customs at the time.
• Neither Canada Post nor the receiving postal administration can intervene or inquire about the status of the package when it’s being reviewed by customs.

Find out more about the customs process

“Delivered as a safe drop” means we tried to deliver your package directly to you, but you weren’t available to receive it, so we left the package in a safe area at your location (a “safe drop”) so that you don’t need to go to a post office to pick it up.

We’ll only make a safe drop if:

• There’s a safe place that’s sheltered from weather and can’t be seen by passers-by (for example, inside a porch or inside a storm door)
• The package doesn’t need a signature or collection of funds (for example, duties, postage fees, or other fees)
• The sender hasn’t requested “Do not safe drop”

If we make a safe drop, we will provide Photo Confirmation that your package has safely arrived at your door. The delivery photo will be available on the Canada Post mobile application and on the website via the Track a Package dashboard. In the rare occurrence that a photo can’t be taken, we’ll leave a safe drop notification card to let you know where we left the package.

“Available for pickup” means that your package has safely arrived at a post office and is ready to be picked up.

If you received a Delivery Notice Card, follow the instructions on the card to pick up your package. Otherwise, check the status on Track. When the information is available, we’ll tell you where and how to pick up your package.

If you get a message that tracking information is unavailable for your package, it doesn't mean that your package hasn't been mailed.

It could mean that:

• There’s been a delay between when your package was scanned and the availability of tracking information online. Please check again later.
• Tracking information isn’t available yet. This may be the case in rural areas, or when information is provided by foreign postal administrations. Please check again later.
• Your package was sent using one of the following services to U.S. or international destinations for which tracking information and delivery confirmation aren’t available:
  • Small Packet™
  • Letter-post

What you can do

• Check that a valid tracking number was entered. If the number is valid and there’s no information, it’s possible that the tracking information could no longer be displayed.
• Sign up for delivery updates by email.
• If the expected delivery date has passed and there’s still no information available, start an investigation into a missing package.