Swiss Post CH tracking

Swiss postal service with monopoly on letters up to 50 grams

Swiss Post Ltd is the national postal operator of the Swiss Confederation. It is a public limited company under Swiss public law: whose headquarters are in Bern. Owned by the Confederation, Swiss Post has a monopoly on letters up to about 50 grams. It offers a wide range of mail, parcel, and logistics services as well as financial and passenger transport services. Its main activities include the distribution of letters, the management of financial services (PostFinance), and the operation of a bus network (PostBus) and postal agencies throughout Switzerland. It also sells a wide range of postal and non-postal products (such as stationery, mobile phones, computers, stamps) in its sales outlets. Swiss Post has regularly been recognized for the quality of its services: for example, the Universal Postal Union has ranked it as the best post in the world.

History

The origins of Swiss Post date back to the 19th century. The idea of a national postal service was enshrined in the Swiss Constitution of 1848, and on January 1, 1849, the Confederation took over the cantonal posts to create the Federal Post. From that time, its mission was to ensure the transport of letters, parcels, and funds across the country. Over the decades, the Swiss postal network has developed, introducing new services (postal check in 1906, motorized postal vehicles in 1903, air transport in 1913, etc.). The current company was born from the restructuring of the PTT (Posts, Telephones, and Telegraphs) into two entities: Swiss Post and Swisscom. This split took place on January 1, 1998, giving birth to Swiss Post as we know it today. Since then, the company has evolved to meet modern needs while remaining under public control. It has notably expanded its financial services (via PostFinance) and launched international subsidiaries. Swiss Post also maintains a close history with the Universal Postal Union (UPU): the UPU was founded in Bern in 1874, and Switzerland has been an active member since then, which strengthens Swiss Post's integration into the global postal network.

Organization and subsidiaries

Swiss Post is organized into several business sectors that cover the entire postal and logistics chain, as well as financial and passenger transport services. For example, the PostMail sector ensures the universal postal service (letter mail, direct mail, direct marketing services). The PostLogistics sector manages the logistics of parcels and goods. The Financial Services division (PostFinance) provides payment, savings, pension, and financing solutions, establishing itself as a comprehensive financial services provider for individuals and businesses in Switzerland. The Passenger Transport segment (PostBus) operates a vast network of school and regional buses (the largest in Switzerland) with approximately 10,450 km of routes and more than 105 million passengers transported per year. Swiss Post also has a large retail network: thousands of post offices and partner agencies offering postal and financial services throughout the country.

Swiss Post owns several key subsidiaries: PostFinance (banking financial services) and PostBus have been mentioned above. Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) is an international subsidiary specializing in business process outsourcing and document management (physical and digital) for large companies. SPS employs nearly 7,000 people in about 15 countries, with its main markets being Switzerland, Europe, the United States, and Asia. Swiss Post International is the department that handles international postal and advertising shipments: it enables Swiss companies to send letters, magazines, and parcels beyond borders. Finally, the distribution network (Postal Network and Sales) includes post offices, PickPost points, and automats (Postomat) where parcels are delivered and postal, financial, and commercial transactions are carried out.

Postal services

Swiss Post offers all the classic mail services. It ensures the distribution of correspondence (letters, cards) in universal service throughout the Swiss territory. It offers different service classes for shipments: standard (economical) shipments without specific deadline constraints, priority shipments (PostPac Priority) with reduced deadlines, as well as registered mail (letters and parcels with tracking number and acknowledgment of receipt) for items requiring proof of deposit and enhanced security. Express shipments (PostPac Express) guarantee very fast delivery, often the day after shipment, with real-time tracking and delivery confirmation. In addition to messaging, Swiss Post distributes newspapers and periodicals by subscription throughout the country. It also manages the sale of stamps and postal materials (envelopes, packaging, etc.), as well as products related to postal services (prepaid cards, special glue, etc.).

Logistics services

Beyond mail, Swiss Post is the main logistics provider in Switzerland. The PostLogistics segment manages the shipment of domestic and international parcels. Swiss Post offers a complete range of options for parcel transport: national services (e.g., PostPac Priority and Economy for domestic parcels), international (PostPac International), as well as solutions for bulky shipments (Bulky) and urgent goods (Express). Swiss Post collaborates with partner carriers for the last mile in rural areas (PickPost, sales partners) and for certain specialized shipments.

The company has a modern logistics network for parcel processing. During a normal working day, nearly a million parcels are processed in its parcel centers in Switzerland. The regional parcel centers have high capacities: for example, the Frauenfeld parcel sorting center can process more than 25,000 parcels per hour. Härkingen processes about 300,000 parcels per day. Daillens about 165,000 parcels per day and Cadenazzo handles more than 8,000 parcels per hour from Ticino and Italy. The mail centers process several million letters every day - the main centers being located in Éclépens (VD), Härkingen (SO), Zurich-Mülligen (ZH), and Cadenazzo (TI). These ultra-modern infrastructures use automated sorting technologies and fast conveyors to efficiently route mail and parcels.

Financial services and other activities

In addition to its postal services, Swiss Post offers financial services through its subsidiary PostFinance. It offers a range of banking and payment products to individuals, businesses, and public institutions in Switzerland (payment accounts, cards, savings and pension solutions, loans). Over the years, PostFinance has become a full-fledged financial services provider, comparable to major Swiss banks. It operates under the supervision of Swiss financial authorities and manages postal accounts (former CCP), as well as new electronic products (mobile payments, etc.).

Swiss Post also manages passenger transport through its subsidiary PostBus (formerly called PostBus), which operates the largest bus network in Switzerland. PostBus provides more than 105 million trips each year on a network of about 10,450 km of road lines. These services connect rural and mountain areas to the rest of the country, ensuring the mobility of residents and tourists. Finally, Swiss Post offers other niche services, such as online sales of stamps or postal gadgets, online shipment preparation (pre-stamping via the PostApp application), as well as philatelic services (sale of collectible stamps).

International activities and global postal network

Swiss Post is closely integrated into the global postal network. It is an active member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), whose headquarters have been in Bern since its creation in 1874. It also cooperates with other international postal operators (notably European operators) to ensure cross-border mail and parcel delivery. For example, Swiss Post has entered into partnerships for the shipment of parcels abroad and adapts its IT systems to facilitate customs clearance and international tracking. In practice, every day, freight trains connect Swiss logistics centers to those of neighboring countries (collaboration with SBB Cargo) and Swiss Post dialogues with the UPU and sector associations to improve its international processes. Through its subsidiary Swiss Post International, it offers worldwide shipping services for goods, advertising, and professional mail (business mail, magazines, etc.), present in many countries. In addition, Swiss Post Solutions serves international clients (large companies) in about fifteen countries, which extends the group's presence beyond Switzerland.

Logistics infrastructure and modes of transport

Swiss Post has an extensive logistics infrastructure in Switzerland and neighboring countries. The main mail sorting centers (Éclépens, Härkingen, Zürich-Mülligen, etc.) are interconnected by rail and road transport solutions. In partnership with SBB Cargo, Swiss Post transports letters and parcels by train daily: about 45 parcel trains and 15 mail trains run every day across Switzerland, with nearly 470 wagons dedicated to postal service. This increased use of rail (more than 10 Swiss logistics sites are connected to the rail network:) helps reduce CO₂ emissions: since the adoption of new connections, Swiss Post has increased the volume of parcels transported by train by several million, thus saving hundreds of thousands of road kilometers and several hundred tons of CO₂ each year.

In urban areas, Swiss Post has developed a fleet of electric vehicles for its deliveries. For example, in the agglomerations of Zurich, Bern, and Geneva, the delivery of letters and parcels is carried out exclusively with electric motor vehicles, which represents about 40 million parcels delivered each year without direct CO₂ emissions. In addition, Swiss Post operates several modern regional distribution centers (RPC), such as in Frauenfeld (capacity of 25,000 parcels/h:), Pratteln (near Basel, 10,000 parcels/h) or Wallisellen (Zurich), equipped with automated sorting and loading facilities.

Swiss Post also employs various technologies to optimize logistics: optical sorting systems, barcode reading, GPS tracking of delivery vehicles, and a dedicated mobile application that guides postal workers on their rounds. For example, it has introduced an application to plan distribution rounds (day-to-day route optimization) to better inform customers about delivery times. Swiss Post has also embarked on innovative routing solutions (robot sorting tests, use of drones in remote areas, etc.) to prepare for the future of postal transport.

Types of shipments handled and service options

Swiss Post handles all types of postal shipments, from simple letters to pallet shipments. For letters and small parcels, it offers several options depending on the urgency and security desired. Ordinary shipments (economy) are the cheapest and do not provide a guaranteed deadline. Priority shipments are treated with priority on the distribution network, which reduces delivery time. Registered shipments (registered letters or parcels) include parcel tracking and a signature upon delivery, thus providing proof of deposit and receipt. For the most urgent customers, Swiss Post offers express services (sometimes called PostPac Express), guaranteeing very fast delivery (often the next day) and real-time tracking of the shipment. Bulky or heavy items are shipped via the (Bulky) options, while mail such as newspapers or magazines is distributed via adapted circuits (press and direct marketing services).

In detail, the main postal services available include:

• The standard letter (economic speed without deadline guarantee).
• The priority letter (A Plus) for faster delivery in Switzerland or abroad.
• The registered letter (on request) for any shipment requiring tracking and signed receipt.
• PostPac Priority (priority) and Economy (economic) parcels for national shipments.
• Express services (Swiss-Express, Urgent) for urgent and international shipments, ensuring accelerated delivery and detailed tracking.
• International freight and express services (EMS type) for critical shipments to specific countries.
• Deferred distribution deliveries (agree on a time slot or a second pass) via the My Shipments application.

These options allow senders and recipients to choose the level of service that suits their needs (delivery times, security, costs). All these services are accessible from post offices, counters, and via Swiss Post's online or mobile solutions (post.ch, Post-App).

Tracking number and tracking system

Each shipment tracked by Swiss Post is identified by a unique tracking number. Swiss registered letters generally use a format starting with two letters (e.g., RC or RR for registered), followed by a series of numbers and ending with "CH". For example, a typical number might be RC123456789CH. International parcels have PostPac numbers starting with P or L (e.g., L12345678912) or with X followed by numbers, according to the UPU standard. These numbers allow querying the Swiss Post online tracking system ("Tracking") to obtain the status and history of the shipment.

The Swiss Post tracking system is accessible free of charge on its website and via the mobile application. It provides real-time updates at each stage of the shipment (deposit, sorting, transport, customs clearance, distribution). Customers can subscribe to the "My Shipments" service to receive notifications by email or push notification at each status change. In addition, Swiss Post offers professionals Business solutions to integrate tracking into their own systems. Tracking thus allows knowing the current location of the shipment, the dates of pickup and distribution, and any event (customs clearance, delay, incident, etc.) that occurred during the journey.

Infrastructure and processing technologies

To maintain its level of service, Swiss Post relies on cutting-edge technologies in its sorting centers. Letters and parcels go through automated optical reading and robotic sorting systems. For example, addresses are scanned and classified by destination, parcels are sorted by size and weight. High-speed conveyors transport items through the facilities. The sorting centers are networked to synchronize routing and immediately update tracking information. This infrastructure allows processing several million shipments in parallel every day (mail + parcels). In addition, Swiss Post has deployed internal tracking solutions to optimize logistics: for example, postal workers follow their rounds via a dedicated application and can adjust their routes in real-time.

Finally, Swiss Post invests in logistics innovation: experiments with artificial intelligence sorting, partnerships with universities for autonomous vehicles, and use of data platforms to forecast seasonal demand. All these equipment and projects aim to increase sorting capacity, reduce routing errors, and improve customer service while respecting Swiss postal quality standards.

Tracking statuses