Products

We distinguish three common products:

Business rules (for all products)

• Receiver address fields required:
  Home number (only mandatory for Benelux shipments)
  Postcode (only mandatory for Benelux shipments)
  City
  Country code
  Street
  Last name/ Company name (at least one is required)
• Barcode requirements*:
  Type must be 3S
  Range must be 1-4 letter string
  Serie must be 7-12 digits
  Barcode must be 13-15 characters long

*Not mandatory for (non-combi) GlobalPack labels.

Note: It is required for home delivery to pay with a bank card. A customer can only pay with cash if the parcel will be picked up at a PostNL Location.

Business rules

• Amount type 01 is required 
• A correct IBAN number is required 
• COD amount does not exceed 2000*

*For Extra@Home products the amount can be higher than 2000.

Business rules

• Insurance amount (type 02) is required. 
• Insurance amount entered cannot exceed the maximum allowed amount (€ 5000,-)

Pick Up Points NL Pakketten offers a range of pick up point products. Your customers can choose a pick up point (in Dutch: Ophalen bij PostNL locatie).

It is mandatory to use a frontend solution of PostNL to let your customers choose a pick up point.* This frontend solution will return the correct information about the pick up point, which you will have to use in the confirming and / or labelling service. Please check the confirming and / or labelling documentation for more specific information.

*It is also possible to let your customers choose pick up points in Belgium.
Please contact your PostNL accountmanager if you consider this option. For more information see the paragraph Pickup at PostNL Location Belgium.

Furthermore, in the confirming and /or labelling service you will need to provide us with:

• the complete address of your customer
• the complete address of the pick up point

Confirming is essential for Pick up Points shipments. Without a confirming on time, it is not possible to process these parcels. Therefore, we advise strongly to use the method ‘generate label with confirming’ in the labelling service.

More than 2600 pick up points available in supermarkets, bookstores etc. Parcels are available from 3.00 pm.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Business rules

• Receiver address fields required:
  Company name or last name
  Street
  Home number
  Postcode
  City
• Ophalen bij PostNL locatie address fields required:
  Company name
  Street
  Home number
  Postcode
  City
• Receiver contact fields required (only for the product codes with Notification):
  Email address or mobile phone number

With this product you will have the possibility to send a shipment that fits into the mailbox of your customers and have some shipping status information during the shipping process.

Note: It is not possible to sent multiple shipments of this product (Multicollo) in one request to the labelling webservice.

Please use the latest version of the Labelling API because a required coding line is added to the Mailbox parcel label template. 

This product offers you the ability to make sure that confidential and age-validation transactions can be secure. So if you have some product(s) were identification or age control is required, it is possible to let the deliverer check the ID at the door.

There are three possibilities:

• Age validation 
• ID validation (based on date of birth) 
• ID validation (based on ID-number)        

Age validation

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

• product option: characteristic 002, option 014

ID validation (based on date of birth)

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

• product option: characteristic 002, option 016

Business rules

• Receiver date of birth is required

ID validation (based on ID-number)   

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

•  product option: characteristic 002, option 012

Business rules

• ID type 01, ID number and ID expiration date are required (if option = 012)
  

We distinguish the following types:

Pickup Points (ID check)

It is also possbile to send the parcels to PostNL Pickup Points. You can use the below product codes.
Please note that you also have to use the product options and business rules as described above.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

ID Check at the door products must be used in combination with a specific product option:

• ID validation (based on ID-number) requires product option: characteristic 002, option 012
• Age validation requires product option: characteristic 002, option 014
• ID validation (based on date of birth) requires product option: characteristic 002, option 016

PostNL offers the possibility of sending registered mail items. This is called Registered letter labels. This offers you the ability to make sure that confidential and age-validation transactions can be secure. So if you have some letter(s) were identification or age control is required, it is possible to let the deliverer check the ID at the door.

There are two possibilities:

- Registered letters (1010, 1011, 1020, 1410, 1420)

- ID check labels (1175, 1178, 1179, 1180)

These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL account manager.

Next to this, you will have the option to print 18 smaller labels on 1 A4. To use this option, you need to use the printertype GraphicFile|PDF||Merge18. Please be aware that this printertype is only allowed with the product codes mentioned above. 

PostNL participates in the online food market. Grocers have the possibility to send fresh products in special boxes. We distinguish two types: Cool products and DKW products (dry and groceries). This process is different than for regular parcels. The deliverer removes the products out of the boxes at the door. The boxes will be taken back to the depots; the sender receives his own box back.
The sending is offered just one time to the stated address only and will return when not home.

These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

* If the shipment is a multi-collo shipment and this contains at least one Cool product (3084), then for the other (DKW) Food product(s) (3083) you must use the product code for Cool products (3084). 

Combine the product codes 3084 (NL) and 4984 (BE) with the following product options:

Offering dangerous goods (ADR shipments) with a statutory exemption, is only possible if a special business contract of carriage has been concluded with PostNL Pakketten. The transport of dangerous goods with a statutory exemption is permitted subject to certain conditions. Please contact your PostNL Pakketten account manager if you want to ship this goods. All the domestic product codes can be used in combination with dangerous goods, except the product codes for letters. The products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager. 

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

• product option: characteristic 136, option 006

Business rules

• Product option and Characteristic are required. 
• Field Reference must be filled with ADR/LQ (possibly followed by your own customer reference)

PostNL offers the possibility of sending return labels along with parcels. We call this the ‘Label in the box return label’. The receivers can use this labels to return the shipments free of charge via a PostNL location. The return labels must always be addressed to a Business reply number (Antwoordnummer) and can only be used for Dutch Domestic products.

You can apply for an Antwoordnummer at PostNL for receiving prepaid parcel shipments at a PostNL Location.

The barcode of the return label is linked to the barcode of the outbound shipment label. These are the benefits: 

• A receiver can use the return label to return a shipment via a PostNL location free of charge. 
• Track & Trace your Antwoordnummer shipments. 
• In the information, the return label is linked to the outbound shipment label, which provides more insight into your Antwoordnummer shipments. 
• The consumer has a return label at his disposal and does not need to address the shipment himself, thus optimizing operational quality. 
• The scans of the outbound and return flows are shown in the confirmations of PostNL Parcels.

At the Labelling webservice Documentation page you can find more information about the ‘label in the box return label’.

Single label variant
PostNL Parcels also offers the possibility of providing a single return label, which allows consumers to send parcels to your Business reply number (Antwoordnummer).

*No separate product code, created your return label at the same moment as you create the shipment label.
** These product codes can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Return labels Belgium
PostNL also offers the possibility to create return labels for Belgium. See paragraph Return labels Belgium.

• You share the barcode with the consumer, e.g. as part of your webshop checkout where a return parcel is announced
• The consumer shows the barcode at the PostNL location on his/her smartphone
• This barcode will be scanned and the return label will be printed

The Smart Returns service is available for the following product: 

* This product can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option. 

Combine this product code with the following product option: 

• Product option: characteristic 152, option 025

• Receiver contact fields required: Email address *

*To receive a digital confirmation of handing over the parcel to PostNL. 

Recommendation
When creating the additional barcode: We strongly recommend you to create a Code 128 barcode instead of the default code 39 barcode. Please be aware: this only holds for the additional barcode that you can provide to the consumer for scanning via smartphone. The code 128 barcode provide the maximum reading rate for the scan devices at the PostNL locations. 

• In your native Android or iOS app
• In a HTML (responsive) email which shows the barcode
• Via a link in an email to a (responsive) website where the barcode is showed

The Afhaalservice Basis and Plus (Pickup Basic and Plus) allows you to instruct a PostNL Parcels driver to go to a specific address on a specific date to retrieve (a) parcel(s). The parcel(s) will then be delivered to an (antwoordnummer)address specified by you. The driver will provide the shipment label, so there is no option to create one via the API. For these products, the Confirming WebService must be used. For an example of a Pickup basic shipment, please refer to the Confirming WebService documentation.

*If you use the Pickup Plus service you must use both product codes (3151 and 3238).     

**If you use the Pickup Basic service you must use both product codes (3160 and 3238).

Pickup products have a specific structure different from regular parcels or Cargo shipments. Pickup products consist of two Shipments, the collection order and the delivery order. Both orders must be placed in a separate Shipment in the request. This means that a request for a pickup product will contain two Shipment segments. Please refer to the Confirming API documentation for an example of a pickup plus order and a pickup basic order.

• A customer with AddressType 02 is required.

PostNL Pakketten will deliver parcels on working days between 6.00 – 10.00 pm. It is mandatory to use a frontend solution of PostNL to let your customers choose a evening for the delivery. This frontend solution (timeframe webservice) will return the correct information about the delivery, which you will have to use in the confirming and / or labelling service. For example: for evening delivery you will need product options. Please check the specific confirming and / of labelling documentation for more information.

You will need to provide us with the delivery date of the parcel. This delivery date will be checked in our database. We cannot provide evening delivery for all addresses in the Netherlands. Therefore it is important to check if the stated delivery date and postal code are known in our database.

For evening delivery, confirming is essential. Without a confirming on time, it is not possible to process these parcels. Therefore, we advise strongly to use the method ‘generate label’ in the labelling service. Furthermore, you will need to hand over the parcels one day before the delivery date. If you hand over the evening parcels too soon or too late, they will be delivered the next evening.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option. The PostNL frontend will return this product option.
*** If the shipment is a multi-collo shipment and this contains at least one Cool product, then for all the other (DKW) Food products you must use the product code for Cool products.

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

• product option: characteristic 118, option 006

Business rules

• Delivery date is required:
  • Evening delivery must be allowed on the given delivery date

• Receiver address fields required:
  • Company name or last name 
  • Street 
  • Home number 
  • Postcode 
  • City

• Evening delivery must be allowed on the address specified
  • Receiver contact mobile or email is required

PostNL Pakketten will deliver parcels on sundays between 12:00 -18:00 pm. All postal codes (except P.O boxes) in the Netherlands are being served. Only the Wadden Islands are exclude from this service for the time being.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option.

Combine these product codes with the following product option: 

• product option: characteristic 101, option 008

Business rules

• Delivery date is required:&
  • Sunday delivery must be allowed on the given delivery date

• Receiver address fields required
  • Company name or last name
  • Street
  • Home number
  • Postcode
  • City

• Sunday delivery must be allowed on the address specified

PostNL Parcels offers the possibility to deliver parcels on the same day if customers order before lunchtime*. This product is available on Monday till Friday and will be delivered in the evening between 6.00 – 10.00 pm. We cannot provide same day delivery for all addresses in the Netherlands, therefore it is important to check if the postal codes are known in our database and allow evening/ same day delivery. This can be done by using the Timeframe WebService.

*This is a indicative time; for the exact time please contact your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option.
*** If the shipment is a multi-collo shipment and this contains at least one Cool product, then for all the other (DKW) Food products you must use the product code for Cool products.

Combine these product codes with the following product options (both product options are needed for this product):

• product option: characteristic 118, option 015
• product option: characteristic 118, option 006

Business rules

• Delivery date is required:
  • Sameday delivery must be allowed on the given delivery date

• Receiver address fields required:
  • Company name or last name
  • Street
  • Home number
  • Postcode

• Receiver contact mobile phone number or email address
  • Sameday delivery must be allowed on the address specified (use the timeframe webservice)

With the service ‘Delivery on Demand’ you can give a firmer guarantee about the delivery of products. The receiver can choose a timeframe of two hours themselves in the checkout of the webshop, when he/she wishes to receive the parcel. On the delivery day, the consumer will receive an extra notification with a narrower timeframe of one hour within the chosen two-hour timeframe. This way, the consumer is even better in control of receiving the parcel.

It is mandatory to use a frontend solution of PostNL in your webshop checkout. This frontend solution (timeframe webservice) will return the correct information about the timeslots of the delivery, which you will have to use in the confirming and / or labelling service. Please check the specific confirming and / of labelling documentation for more information. We recommend to use the Deliverydate webservice to determine the available deliverydate for Delivery on Demand products. This service takes into account weekends, holidays and non delivery days.

PostNL delivers the parcels from Monday to Friday in the chosen timeframe (two hours between 08:00-12:00 and 15:00-20:00 h) and on Saturday (two hours between 09:00-12:00). Parcels for ‘Delivery on Demand’ should be presented on the working day before the chosen delivery date. Parcels for a timeframe on Monday should therefore be presented on Friday. Parcels can be presented together with regular parcels.

This service is nation wide available in the Netherlands, with the exception of the Wadden Islands and PO boxes. Timeframes after 18:00 h use the zip code ranges of Evening delivery. These zip codes are managed by PostNL. Therefore, to use the Delivery on Demand product, there has to be a link with the Timeframe API. You can choose for interval timeframes of 30 and 60 minutes. We recommend to use the interval of 60, so you can show full two-hour timeframes.

When an address is not attainable in the chosen timeframe, for example in (traffic) situations and circumstances beyond the control of PostNL, PostNL can not be held responsible failing in delivery within the chosen timeframe. The receiver of the parcel is responsible to choose a timeframe when its address is attainable.

This timeframe option can be combined with the following products:

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option. The PostNL frontend will return this product option.
*** If the shipment is a multi-collo shipment and this contains at least one Cool product, then for all the other (DKW) Food products you must use the product code for Cool products.

Combine these product codes with one of the following product option:
- product option: characteristic 118, option 014

Business rules
-DeliveryTimeStampEnd and DeliveryTimeStampStart are required.
This fields should contain the timeframe retrieved from the Timeframe webservice response.
-Deliverydate is required.
- Receiver address field required:
Street
Home number
Postcode
City

- Receiver contact fields required
Email address or mobile phone number

If your customer needs the parcel the next day as soon as possible and/or guaranteed, then you can use the product guaranteed delivery. There are four options: (1) on working days before 09:00 2) on working days before 10:00 (3) on working days before 12:00 (4) and on working days before 17:00. If the service has not been carried out according to our promises, you can request a reimbursement of the surcharge. Ideal for recipients who need certainty on their shipment.

This service is available for the whole Netherlands, excluding the Wadden Islands. There is no guaranteed distribution on Saturday and Sunday. To be able to use guaranteed delivery, please contact your PostNL Pakketten account manager for more information.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option.
*** If the shipment is a multi-collo shipment and this contains at least one Cool product, then for all the other (DKW) Food products you must use the product code for Cool products.

Combine these product codes with one of the following product options: 

• product option: characteristic 118, option 017 (delivery before 09:00) 
• product option: characteristic 118, option 007 (delivery before 10:00) 
• product option: characteristic 118, option 008 (delivery before 12:00) 
• product option: characteristic 118, option 012 (delivery before 17:00)

Business rules

• Delivery date is required
  • Guaranteed delivery must be allowed on the given delivery date

• Receiver address field required:
  • Street 
  • Home number 
  • Postcode 
  • City

• Guaranteed delivery must be allowed on the address specified

* Can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Pickup at PostNL Location Belgium

* Can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

It is possible to let your customers choose pick up points in Belgium. It is mandatory to use a frontend solution to let your customer choose a pick up point. See for more information the paragraph Pickup Points (Dutch domestic products). 

Business rules

• Downnetwork partner ID is required
• Downnetwork pickup location code is required
• Address type 09 is required (partner pickup location), please refer to the LocationWebService to retrieve the correct pickup location addresses

Business rules

• Downnetwork partner ID is required
• Downnetwork pickup location code is required
• Address type 09 is required (partner pickup location), please refer to the LocationWebService to retrieve the correct pickup location addresses

Return label

*No separate product code, created your return label at the same moment as you create the shipment label.
** These product codes can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Business rules
Address type 1 Contact fields required: Email address *

*To receive a digital confirmation of handing over the parcel to PostNL. 

* Combilabels can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.
* For this product, no COD card is needed (like for Dutch domestic COD shipments).

The barcode type for the above barcodes is 3S and the barcode length contains 13 characters.

Country codes

1. Excluding Faroe Islands and Greenland 
2. Including Monaco and Corsica. Excluding Andorra 
3. Including Northern Ireland. Excluding Gibraltar and the Channel Islands 
4. Excluding San Marino and Vatican City 
5. Including Azores and Madeira 
6. Including Balearic Islands. Excluding Canary Islands, Melilla and Ceuta

To recognize the Channel Islands (3):
Guernsey has country code GG and zip codes start with GY. Jersey has country code JE and zip codes start with JE. Isle of Man has country code IM and zip code starts with IM.

To recognize the Canary Islands (6):
Las Palmas has country code IC and zip codes start with 35. Santa Cruz has country code IC and zip codes start with 38. Melilla has country code IC and zip code starts with 52.

Parcels to the Channel Islands, the Canary Islands and Malta can only be sent with the Global Pack product: Ask your account manager about the available options.

Business rules

• Barcode requirements
  • Type must be 3S 
  • Range must be 1-4 letter string 
  • Serie must be 7-12 digits 
  • Barcode must be 13 characters long

• Receiver country must be an EPS country 
• Receiver address fields required&
  • Company name or last name 
  • City 
  • Country code 
• Door code is not allowed for countries other than FR, IE and SE

*For GlobalPack it is recommended to use the combilabel product code to ensure a faster process. These labels contain a 3S barcode (also used for domestic shipments) and a partner barcode (S10 barcode) that is accepted in the country of destination.The combilabels can be printed when this is accessed by PostNL. Standard a normal GlobalPack label is printed with just one barcode. The labels are printed on A5 paper (two or three forms, depending on the type of goods shipped), just like he standard GlobalPack labels. If the combilabel creation fails for some reason, automatically a standard GlobalPack label is created.
Track and trace and billing for this shipments are based on the 3S barcode.

** These product codes can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Country codes
GlobalPack covers all countries except for the countries as mentioned in previous EPS and Dutch/Belgium domestic sections. Please be aware of the specific exceptions as mentioned in the EPS section.

GlobalPack Combilabel is only available in the following countries:                 

Barcode type

*If you use combilabels and you send to one of the eight countries (see table above), you must use product code 4947.

GlobalPack barcodes can only be generated via the API, using the Barcode method. Details are mentioned in the Barcode Webservice documentation.

Business rules

• Receiver address fields require
  • Company name or last name 
  • City 
  • Country code

• GlobalPack product code
  • Barcode type must be S10  
  • Either receiver or sender country code must not be an EPS country 
  • Customs segment 
  • For shipments to the USA the contact segment must contain either a phone number or an e-mail address.
  • At least one Content segment 
  • Shipment type (the following types are possible: Gift, Documents, Commercial Sample, Commercial Goods, Returned Goods) 
  • You must select whether the shipment should be handled as non-deliverable (please refer to the example in the Labelling specifications) 
  • Currency 
  • Certificate, License or Invoice (with number). At least one of these fields is required; not in the case of ShipmentType = Gift or Documents.
• GlobalPack combilabel product code
  • Downnetwork partner barcode field is required (barcode type S10)

* Can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Business rules

• Barcode requirements
• Type must be 3S
  • Receiver country must be China
  • Receiver address fields required
• Company name or last name
• City
• Region
• Country code
• SMSNr is required. Max. 11 characters, start with '1'.
• Receiver address must contain Chinese characters (al least the fields street, city and region).
• EAN field is required together with HS number.
• ProductURL field is required.
• CustomerOrderNumber is required.
• IDNumber is required in combination with IDType 07.

Cargo products allow you to send pallet shipments to several European countries. PostNL Pakketten offers the following Cargo services:

• Benelux Freight: pallets with destination Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg 
• Euro Freight: pallets with destination Europe, except Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. 
• Guaranteed delivery (only domestic shipments) 
• Cargo pickup 
• Pharma&Care shipments 
• Half Europallets 
• Roll cage containers

The following conditions apply:

• The confirmation has to be at PostNL Pakketten before 8.00 pm. In this case the pallet will be collected the same day. Otherwise the pallet will be collected the next day. 
• Pallets can only be sent to office addresses, not to Post office boxes.

*These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.

Business rules

• Customer number is required

Country codes
Cargo product countrycodes are mentioned explicitly in the table above for most product codes. Euro Freight is available for the following countries:

Barcode type
Cargo barcodes can be generated via the PostNL API, using the Barcode method. Details are mentioned in the Barcode method documentation. The barcode type is 3S and the barcode length is 15.

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option.

Combine these product codes with one of the following product options:

• 118.007 for delivery before 10 am 
• 118.008 for delivery before 12 am 
• 118.013 for delivery before 14 pm
  
  Guaranteed delivery is only allowed for shipments in the Netherlands.

Business rules

• Customer number is required

* These products can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten account manager.
** It is mandatory to use a combination of product code and a product option.

Combine these product codes with the following product option:

• product option: characteristic 135, option 001

These product codes must be combined with a pickup address (type 04)

Business rules

• Customer number is required.

PostNL Extra@Home has introduced a unique service whereby large and heavy goods, also named XL goods, will be delivered and installed. These XL goods are furniture, televisions, refrigerators and washing machines.
Before the delivery takes place, customers will receive a text message or e-mail informing them of the delivery window (timeframe). On the day of delivery, the customers will receive a second notification with the exact time of delivery. Extra@Home knows 2 kinds of delivery: by one-man or two-men transport, depending on the dimensions of the order.

Specifications of the dimension criteria of Extra@Home products can be requested at eh-logistiek@postnl.nl. Products should only be addressed to private home addresses, so not to P.O boxes or pickup points.

Delivery will be on weekdays (Monday till Friday) between 08:00 and 21:00 and optional on Saturday (with a surcharge).

NL: Netherlands, BE: Belgium, LU: Luxembourg
* These articles can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten accountmanager.

Please always choose directly the correct product code for the order to prevent delivery problems.

Combine these product codes with the following product option if you want to send with COD:

• product option: chararteristic 003 option 003

Business rules  

• Shipment.Content is required 
• Shipment.Reference is required (this should be unique for each shipment as this will be used to generate the Extra@Home order reference) 
• Volume is required (approximation suffices) 
• Weight is required (approximation suffices) 
• Mobile phone number required for text messages with ETA; 
• E-mail adress required for link Customer Portal incl. Track &Trace.

The pickup service allows you to instruct a PostNL Parcels driver to go to a specific address on a specific date to retrieve (a) parcel(s). The parcel(s) will then be delivered to an address specified by you. The driver will provide the shipment label, so there is no option to create one via the API. For these products, the Confirming WebService must be used. For an example of a Extra @ Home Pickup shipment, please refer to the Confirming WebService documentation.

* These articles can only be used after consulting your PostNL Pakketten accountmanager.

Address type for pick-up
PostNL internal applications validate the receiver address. In case the spelling of addresses should be different according to our PostNL information, the address details will be corrected. This can be noticed in Track & Trace. Please note that the webservice will not add address details. Street and City fields will only be printed when they are in the call towards the labeling webservice.
The element Address type is a code in the request. Possible values for pickup orders: