Why International USPS Tracking Often Stops Updating
If you have ever mailed an international package with the United States Postal Service (USPS), you may have noticed that tracking usually stops once the package leaves the United States. Why does this happen, and should you be concerned if you cannot track your international package?
To understand why international USPS tracking stops updating, you first need to understand how international shipping works. When you send an international package, the USPS accepts it at your local post office and transports it to an international service center via a sorting facility.
From there, the shipment is transported to the destination country, typically by air. Sometimes, for logistical reasons, shipments are routed through a third country. When the shipment arrives in the destination country, it is processed by customs. Once cleared, the destination country’s postal service handles the rest of the delivery.
In this delivery process, the USPS is responsible for accepting packages, processing exports, and transporting items internationally. Then, the USPS transfers items to the destination country’s postal service for customs clearance and final delivery. This means that the USPS handles tracking updates until the package arrives at customs; then, the destination country’s postal service takes over.
Typically, while an international package is in the United States, its tracking status is updated regularly because it is scanned at multiple points along the route. However, minor delays in updates may occur due to missed non-essential scans, technical issues such as server outages, extreme weather, transportation issues, and other factors.
Once the package leaves the United States, its tracking status stops updating while it’s in international transit. The length of this gap depends on the estimated delivery time: three to five business days for Priority Mail Express International and six to ten business days for Priority Mail International. Therefore, there is no need to worry if your package’s tracking status hasn’t updated for a few days after it left the country. If the package is delivered via a transit country, its tracking status may update once it arrives there, but not necessarily.
Tracking should resume once the package arrives at customs. However, sometimes it gets stuck with the “Arrived at Customs” or “Customs Clearance” status for days or even weeks. This usually means one of two things: either customs is busy due to a high volume of packages, or there is an issue with customs clearance, such as incorrect or missing paperwork, unpaid duties and taxes, etc.
Once the package is picked up by the destination country’s postal service, the availability of its tracking updates will depend on whether the destination country provides these updates to the USPS. Sometimes, the two tracking systems are fully integrated and exchange information swiftly. Other times, this isn’t the case. If the two systems are not integrated, we recommend using the destination country’s tracking service or a third-party tracking aggregator that pulls information from multiple postal services.
In summary, delays in USPS international tracking usually occur for one of the following reasons:
- The package has left the United States and is in international transit. Tracking should resume in a few days once the package arrives at customs.
- There are issues with customs processing.
- The package has been picked up by the postal service of the destination country, but its tracking system isn’t fully integrated with the USPS system.
In other words, delays in international tracking updates after a package leaves the United States are not uncommon, and there is usually no reason to be concerned if your package’s tracking status hasn’t updated for a few days. It is generally recommended to wait 4–7 business days after the last update before worrying.