Singapore Post tracking

Postal service of Singapore since 1819

Singapore Post (SingPost) is the national postal operator of Singapore. With origins dating back to 1819 during the establishment of the postal service under British colonial administration, the company in its modern form was officially founded in 1858. It is one of the oldest postal services in Asia and has gradually transformed into a major player in logistics and e-commerce in the Asia-Pacific region.

Over the decades, Singapore Post has expanded its scope well beyond simple mail delivery. The company, listed on the Singapore Exchange since 2003, now offers an integrated range of services covering the sending of letters and parcels, express courier, international freight, warehousing, and logistics execution for online commerce. SingPost serves more than 220 destinations worldwide and has a direct presence in about fifteen countries through its subsidiaries and partnerships. The group employs nearly 5,000 people and continues to innovate to adapt to evolving needs in postal delivery and logistics solutions.

History of Singapore Post

Postal services in Singapore began at the time of the city's founding by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Initially, mail was handled in a rudimentary manner by the colonial authorities, with a single post office handling the collection and distribution of the low volume of letters of the time. In the mid-19th century, in response to the growth of trade in the port of Singapore, the postal administration was structured: a separate postal department was created in 1858 to improve mail handling. The first postage stamps were introduced in 1854, marking the beginning of a modern postage system. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, services developed with the opening of several post offices on the island, the introduction of parcel post service, money orders, and a postal savings bank.

After World War II and Singapore's independence, the postal administration underwent several reorganizations. In 1982, the postal department briefly merged with the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore, before being restructured in 1992 as Singapore Post Private Limited, thus separating postal activities from telecommunications. The opening of the postal sector to competition led to the corporatization of SingPost, which was listed on the stock exchange in May 2003. In the same year, the company received the first exclusive postal license from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, allowing it to operate the national postal service until 2037.

In the 21st century, Singapore Post has continued its expansion and modernization. To cope with the decline in traditional mail volumes and the growth of e-commerce, SingPost has multiplied strategic initiatives. In 2009, the company expanded its footprint in Asia by taking control of Quantium Solutions, a subsidiary dedicated to regional logistics, giving it a direct presence in about ten countries. SingPost also invested in Malaysia by acquiring a stake in the carrier GDEX in 2011. In 2014, the Chinese group Alibaba entered the capital of SingPost with about 10%, sealing an important partnership to develop logistics services related to online commerce. The following year, in 2015, SingPost established itself in the United States by acquiring an e-commerce distribution company, thus strengthening its ability to serve international customers.

Alongside these acquisitions, Singapore Post has continued to innovate. In 2015, it successfully experimented with drone parcel delivery on an island off Singapore, a first in the region, illustrating its willingness to adopt new technologies. More recently, the company has embarked on a large-scale digital transformation, migrating its IT infrastructure to the cloud and developing AI-based solutions to optimize its logistics operations. In 2024, SingPost announced a major investment of several tens of millions of Singapore dollars to triple the processing capacity of its main parcel center. These developments demonstrate Singapore Post's constant adaptation to changes in the postal and logistics sector.

Services and delivery times of Singapore Post

Singapore Post offers a variety of shipping services, tailored to the needs of both individuals and businesses. The delivery time of a shipment depends on the selected service and destination. Below are the main types of delivery services offered by SingPost, with their general orientation in terms of speed:

• Regular mail: Standard and economical postal service for sending letters and small items. Delivery is generally made within a few business days for domestic mail, while international shipments may require a longer time (several days to a few weeks depending on the destination country).
• Registered mail: Service offering mail tracking and requiring a recipient's signature. It provides additional security. Delivery times are comparable to regular mail, with domestic delivery in a few days, and international delivery taking one to two weeks depending on the destination.
• Speedpost Express: Premium express courier service for urgent shipments, available nationally and internationally. This service ensures the fastest deliveries: in Singapore, a shipment can be delivered the same day or the next day, and abroad, delivery times are significantly shortened compared to regular postal services (usually only a few business days, depending on the destination).
• Speedpost Priority: Priority delivery service for urgent international shipments. It offers faster transit than standard or registered mail for overseas. The delivery time is reduced compared to economical options, usually a few days in most cases, varying according to the destination country.
• Speedpost Economy: Economical international shipping service for less urgent parcels. Although the transport time is longer than for express services, this option allows for cost reduction. The delivery time can extend over several weeks depending on the distance and customs processing of the recipient country.

Each of these services has different pricing, established based on the weight of the parcel, its dimensions, the destination, and the level of service chosen. Singapore Post provides on its website rate calculation tools so that shippers can estimate the cost of their shipment based on these parameters. Additional options, such as real-time tracking, content insurance, or priority handling, can be added as needed and may incur additional fees.

It should be noted that the delivery times indicated above are average estimates. The actual transit time of a shipment may vary due to various factors: customs procedures at the destination country, weather conditions, public holidays, exceptionally high seasonal volumes, or other logistical unforeseen events. Singapore Post recommends consulting its official website for the most up-to-date information on the delivery times of each service, in order to plan shipments realistically.

Logistics network of Singapore Post

To ensure its services, Singapore Post relies on a vast logistics network both nationally and internationally. In Singapore, the company operates about forty post offices across the territory, offering users local postal service counters. This physical network is complemented by modern solutions: self-service kiosks (SAM machines) allow for mail postage or basic postal operations outside traditional opening hours, and more than 7,000 POPStation automated lockers have been deployed across the country for 24/7 parcel collection and delivery. SingPost also works with partner merchants, designated as POPStop, who serve as relay points in residential neighborhoods, thus expanding the available contact points for customers.

The operational heart of SingPost is located at the Singapore Post Centre, in the Paya Lebar district of Singapore, which houses the headquarters and a state-of-the-art postal sorting center. Another major logistics platform is located in the Tampines area, specializing in the processing of e-commerce parcels. Thanks to regular investments in automation, these facilities can sort and route hundreds of thousands of letters and parcels per day. For example, the installation of new automated sorting systems has recently increased the processing capacity of small parcels to about 300,000 per day, tripling the previous capacity to cope with the growth of online commerce.

Internationally, Singapore Post has offices and subsidiaries in 14 markets across Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America, allowing it to provide efficient cross-border delivery service. The group enters into strategic partnerships with other postal operators and logistics providers to extend its reach. As a member of the Universal Postal Union, SingPost can deliver mail to more than 220 countries and territories. The company continuously adjusts its network to improve its efficiency and reliability, whether by optimizing distribution routes through data or by strengthening the capacity of its transport fleet. Finally, Singapore Post integrates technological innovations to enhance its logistics network, whether it be advanced tracking systems, data analytics for flow management, or green initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its operations.

Tracking shipments and tracking numbers of Singapore Post

SingPost offers its customers online tracking tools to know the status of a shipment at any time. When a parcel or registered letter is sent with a tracking service, a unique tracking number is associated with the shipment. By entering this number on the Singapore Post website, the sender and recipient can view the delivery history and know where the parcel is.

The Singapore Post tracking number generally consists of 13 characters. It starts with two letters, followed by nine digits, and ends with a letter. For example, a typical tracking number may take the form RB123456789SG: in this example, the first two letters indicate the type of shipment (here RB for registered mail), the following nine digits constitute a unique identifier assigned to the parcel, and the last two letters (including SG) correspond to the sender's country code and a check letter. This standardized format facilitates the automatic processing and international tracking of shipments handled by Singapore Post.

At each stage of transport, updates are recorded in the SingPost tracking system. This allows customers to see in real-time the progress of their shipment - for example, when the item has arrived at a sorting center, if it is out for delivery, or if it has been delivered to the recipient. The tracking statuses are displayed in English on Singapore Post's online tracking, but their meaning can be translated into French for a better understanding of the parcel's journey. Below is a table of the most commonly encountered tracking statuses, accompanied by their description in French:

Tracking statuses of Singapore Post