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PostNL sends parcels in the Netherlands and Belgium: to the door, to PostNL locations and parcel lockers, with delivery windows and returns. It also ships across the EU and worldwide with customs declarations. The fields that every carrier shares are on Carrier credentials.
You do not pick a sender address on this form. Add your addresses under the organization menu → Manage → Addresses. You choose the sender address on each shipment or in a shipping rule.
Every PostNL shipment is sent with your own PostNL API key and contract details.

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Before you start

  • A PostNL business contract (PostNL Pakketten) with the products you want to use switched on.
  • A PostNL API key from Mijn PostNL. PostNL gives you one key for its test system and another for real shipments. A test key only works with Test mode on.
  • Your PostNL Customer code (1 to 6 characters, for example DEVC) and Customer number (up to 8 digits). You find both on your PostNL contract and in Mijn PostNL.
  • Optional: the 6-digit Collection location code, if PostNL gave you one.
You can connect PostNL more than once, for example one connection per contract. Give each one its own Carrier name. Learn more on the card opens PostNL’s page for business customers.

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Connect PostNL

1

Open All carriers

In the sidebar, click Carriers, then open the All carriers tab.
2

Find PostNL

On the PostNL card, click Connect.
3

Fill in the form

The Connect carrier window opens. Enter a Carrier name, your API key, Customer code and Customer number. Collection location and Test mode are under Optional fields.
4

Connect the carrier

Click Connect. You see “Carrier connected”, and the carrier appears on the My carriers tab.

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Fields on the form

Connect does nothing until Carrier name, API key, Customer code and Customer number have a value. If Customer code is longer than 6 characters, Customer number is longer than 8, or Collection location is not exactly 6 characters, you see “Couldn’t connect the carrier. Try again.” Test mode sends your shipments to PostNL’s test system, so no real shipments are created. Use your test API key while it is on, and your live key when it is off. See Test mode.

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After you connect

The carrier appears on My carriers with a Connected badge. You choose the product on each shipment or in a shipping rule, not on this form. See Carrier products and services. Each product’s description shows its PostNL product code, so you can match it to your contract. You can only send with products PostNL has switched on for you. Other products are refused when you send, with “PostNL couldn’t create the shipment.” Product groups:
  • Within the Netherlands (sender in the Netherlands): Standard shipment, delivery to the stated address only, signature on delivery, Extra Cover, Age Check, mailbox parcels and Pickup products.
  • Netherlands to Belgium, within Belgium and Belgium to the Netherlands, each with its own products.
  • Parcel EU, for consumers (2C) and businesses (2B), in Track & Trace, Insured and Insured Plus versions.
  • Parcel Non EU and international mail products (such as Packet Track & Trace) for the rest of the world. These carry a customs declaration built from the order lines.
  • Returns: return to a business reply number or to a home address, returns within and to Belgium, and Easy Return Service from abroad.

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Delivery windows and extra choices

Products within the Netherlands offer these services: Evening delivery (17:30–22:00), Today delivery (hand over before 11:00) and Guaranteed delivery before 10:00, 12:00 or 17:00. When you turn one on, also fill in Delivery date under Extra details for the carrier. Some products need more details on the shipment:
  • Extra Cover products need Insured amount (EUR), up to 5000.
  • Age Check products need Receiver date of birth.
  • Mailbox parcels need Delivery date.
  • Label format lets you choose PDF (the default) or ZPL (thermal) for a Zebra label printer.

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PostNL locations (service points)

Products whose names start with Pickup or Pick up deliver to a PostNL location, such as a shop or a parcel locker. Locations are available for addresses in the Netherlands and Belgium. Choose the location on the shipment before you send. See Pick a service point and Service points.

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Several parcels in one shipment

You can send up to four parcels in one shipment. Mailbox parcels are always one parcel per shipment. Within the Netherlands, PostNL handles the parcels as one shipment with a label for each parcel. On other routes, each parcel becomes its own PostNL shipment.

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Pickups, tracking and customs

  • PostNL is not available under Pickups. Pickups are arranged through your PostNL contract.
  • Zippendo fetches tracking updates from PostNL every hour. There is nothing to set up. See Carrier tracking webhooks.
  • For shipments outside the EU, PostNL returns the customs declarations (CN23/CP71) and the commercial invoice with the label, so Zippendo does not add its own. See Customs and documents.

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Change or remove the connection

To change it, open Carriers → My carriers and click Edit carrier on the card. The Edit carrier page has two sections:
  • General: Carrier name, and Brand if your organization has brands.
  • Carrier settings: API key, Customer code, Customer number, Collection location and Test mode.
Click Save. You see “Carrier updated”. To remove it, click Delete on the same page, type the carrier name in capital letters, and click Delete. Shipping rules that use this carrier are deleted with it. Shipments you already sent keep their labels and tracking numbers.

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Common problems