Pre-Tracking Requirements: Eligible Articles
First, check whether your item can be tracked at all. Pakistan Post has two kinds of mail: ordinary mail with stamps, and recorded mail with a barcode receipt.
Trackable Barcoded Mail
This includes Urgent Mail Service (UMS), international Express Mail Service (EMS and EMS Plus), registered letters, insured parcels and UMS cash on delivery items. All of these come with a receipt that has a barcode.
Non-Trackable Ordinary Post
Ordinary letters with stamps, dropped in a post box, are not booked at a counter. They have no barcode and no scans, so you cannot track them online.
Step-by-Step Online Tracking Process
To track your item, use Pakistan Post’s Track & Trace site at ep.gov.pk. Follow these steps:
Find the barcode on your receipt
Look at the paper receipt the counter clerk gave you at the post office. The tracking number is printed under or next to the barcode. For UMS, it is a number (sometimes with letters). For items going abroad, it has 13 characters in the international format.
Open the Track & Trace site
Open your browser and go to ep.gov.pk or find the tracking section on the main Pakistan Post site at pakpost.gov.pk. Check the address is correct. You never need a password or your CNIC to track. Only the parcel number is needed.
Type in the number exactly
Type the number carefully. Do not add spaces, dashes, slashes or other symbols. For an international number, such as EMS sent from Pakistan, type the letters at the start and end (like PK) exactly as shown on the receipt.
Read the list of updates
You will see a list of scans in date order: booking at the counter, moves between sorting centres, and arrival at the post office that delivers to you.
How Tracking Updates Work
Postal tracking depends on staff scanning the barcode at each office. The scans are then sent from each counter to the main tracking system.
If the item was booked a short time ago, give the first scan some time to show up. After that, the tracking updates as the item passes through sorting centres and reaches your local post office.
Tracking International Consignments
For EMS parcels leaving Pakistan, tracking shows each step from the booking counter to the customs check and dispatch at an International Mail Office. After the item leaves Pakistan, the postal service of the other country records the rest of the trip.
Parcels coming into Pakistan from abroad can be tracked on ep.gov.pk once they have arrived, been scanned and been cleared by customs at an International Mail Office.
Fixing Typing Mistakes
Small mistakes when typing the number can give an “Item Not Found” or empty result. Watch out for these:
- Alphanumeric Confusion: Do not mix up the number zero (0) and the letter O, or the number one (1) and the letter I.
- Case Sensitivity: Most sites accept small letters, but typing the letters of an international number in capitals is safest.
- Punctuation and Spaces: Type the number as one run of characters. Leave out spaces, dashes, slashes and any extra serial numbers printed on the receipt.
- Immediate Counter Queries: If you check right after leaving the post office, the first scan may not have reached the system yet.
Types of Post Office: GPO, Sub-Office and Branch Office
Knowing how post offices are organised helps explain where tracking updates come from. There are three main levels:
General Post Offices (GPOs)
GPOs are in big cities and district centres. They have computer booking counters, are linked to the tracking system and do large-scale sorting.
Town Sub-Post Offices (TSPOs)
Sub-offices are in town neighbourhoods. Most have computers and can give you a barcode straight away for UMS and registered items.
Rural Branch Post Offices (BPOs)
Small village post offices often keep paper records. Items booked there are sealed in mail bags and sent to the main GPO, where the barcode is first scanned into the system.
Tips If You Are Waiting for a Parcel
If someone is sending you a parcel with Pakistan Post, ask them for a clear photo of the booking receipt. The post office name, booking date and weight help you check the tracking and find your local post office if you need to collect the parcel.