Ukrposhta tracking

Ukrainian postal service member of the Universal Postal Union since 1947

Ukrposhta is the national postal operator of Ukraine. This state-owned enterprise, fully owned by the Ukrainian state, provides postal service nationwide and also plays a strategic role in national communications and logistics. With a vast network of post offices spread across the country, including in the most remote rural areas, Ukrposhta offers a wide range of services from mail and parcel delivery to basic financial services. As a member of the Universal Postal Union since 1947, Ukrposhta connects Ukraine to the global postal network for international mail transit.

History of Ukrposhta

The origins of the Ukrainian postal service date back several centuries, with messaging systems existing as early as the 17th century in the form of private relays. The modern history of Ukrposhta truly begins in the early 20th century. In 1917, a national Ukrainian postal service was established as Ukraine sought to organize its own postal communications. Subsequently, during the Soviet period, the Ukrainian post was integrated into the postal system of the Soviet Union. Ukrposhta operated for decades as a republican branch of the Soviet postal service, managed from Moscow. It was only after Ukraine's independence in 1991 that Ukrposhta was reorganized into a distinct national postal operator, taking over the entirety of postal services for the new independent country.

Over the years following independence, Ukrposhta underwent several structural transformations. In 1994, the company was reorganized following the separation of postal and telecommunications services, becoming a distinct commercial entity from the national telephone operator. In 2015, Ukrposhta adopted the status of a public joint-stock company while remaining 100% state-owned, in order to modernize its governance and improve its efficiency. Throughout its evolution, the company has adapted to the changing needs of the population and the market, expanding its services and modernizing its operations.

The geopolitical context has also impacted the history of Ukrposhta. In 2014, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Ukrposhta had to suspend its activities in certain affected regions. Despite these challenges, the postal operator continued to serve the rest of the Ukrainian territory and maintain its commitments to universal service. More recently, during the 2022 conflict, Ukrposhta played an important role in ensuring the delivery of essential mail and humanitarian parcels, demonstrating its resilience and importance to the population in times of crisis.

Organization and network of Ukrposhta

Ukrposhta has a vast and decentralized infrastructure that allows it to effectively cover the entire country. The company has approximately 12,000 post offices across Ukraine, with a majority located in rural areas to serve even remote localities. This significant physical network is complemented by mobile postal agencies that travel to communities without a fixed office, ensuring that postal services reach 100% of the population. The administrative headquarters of Ukrposhta is located in Kyiv, the capital of the country, and the company is organized into several regional directorates that oversee operations in each Ukrainian oblast (region). The company is under the supervision of the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure, which defines the strategic directions of the national postal service.

With over 70,000 employees, Ukrposhta is one of the largest employers in the service sector in Ukraine. Among these employees are sorting agents, counter clerks, mail carriers, and logistics staff. Every day, this human and material network handles a considerable volume of shipments. It is estimated that Ukrposhta manages more than 200 million postal items (letters, parcels, printed matter, etc.) annually. This figure includes millions of insured or registered shipments, reflecting the importance of the service for commercial and personal exchanges. Furthermore, Ukrposhta's network ensures the distribution of essential benefits, such as the delivery of retirement pensions to millions of beneficiaries and the distribution of the written press (newspapers and magazines) throughout the territory. These social missions, in addition to mail delivery, highlight the crucial role of Ukrposhta in the daily lives of many Ukrainians.

Postal services of Ukrposhta

As a postal operator, Ukrposhta offers a comprehensive range of mail and parcel delivery services to meet the needs of individuals and businesses. These postal services include:

• Domestic delivery: Ukrposhta's national postal service covers the entire Ukraine for sending letters, documents, and parcels. Domestic shipments are handled from the sender to the recipient, even in rural areas, with reliable delivery ensuring that shipments arrive safely within reasonable timeframes.
• International delivery: Ukrposhta offers shipments abroad based on its agreements with foreign posts and the Universal Postal Union network. Thanks to these partnerships, international mail and parcels can be sent from Ukraine to many countries around the world. Delivery times vary depending on the destination and customs formalities, but the service guarantees Ukraine's connectivity with the global postal network.
• Express delivery: For urgent shipments, Ukrposhta provides an accelerated express delivery service. This priority option aims to transport mail and parcels as quickly as possible, whether domestically or internationally. The express service is ideal for quickly delivering documents or goods when time is a critical factor.
• Registered mail: For shipments requiring proof of deposit and receipt, Ukrposhta offers the registered mail service. This secure shipping method provides detailed tracking and requires the recipient's signature upon delivery, ensuring complete traceability and proof of delivery. Registered mail is often used for important documents or official correspondence.
• EMS (Express Mail Service): Ukrposhta participates in the EMS program, the international express postal service managed by the Universal Postal Union. Through EMS, customers can send urgent parcels abroad with a high level of priority. Ukrposhta's EMS allows for fast and reliable delivery to many countries, making it a preferred solution for urgent international shipments.

Financial services of Ukrposhta

In addition to mail services, Ukrposhta also offers financial services accessible to the population, leveraging its wide network of offices. These services include money transfers and bill payments. For example, customers can send or receive postal orders and transfers nationwide, allowing funds to be transferred to localities that may not have nearby banks. Ukrposhta also serves as an intermediary for international transfer services, notably through partnerships with networks like MoneyGram, to facilitate money transfers to and from abroad.

Furthermore, Ukrposhta post offices act as a counter for local payment services. It is possible to pay utility bills (electricity, gas, water, etc.), pay for various services, or settle orders. Additionally, some offices offer insurance services for sending valuable parcels, as well as currency exchange operations in areas where access to banks is limited. These financial services make Ukrposhta an important player in financial inclusion, especially for people living in rural or isolated regions.

In order to further expand its offering, Ukrposhta has undertaken to develop its own banking entity. In 2023, Ukrainian authorities approved the creation of a "postal bank" within Ukrposhta, provisioned notably by the acquisition of an existing financial institution. The goal of this project, scheduled for completion in 2025, is to enable the postal operator to provide basic banking services (current accounts, withdrawal and deposit operations, payment cards) through its approximately 6,000 agencies and 2,000 mobile points, particularly in localities without other banking infrastructure. This initiative will strengthen Ukrposhta's role in the distribution of social benefits (such as pensions and public aid) and ensure universal access to essential financial services throughout the Ukrainian territory.

Other services offered by Ukrposhta

Beyond its postal and financial functions, Ukrposhta offers various complementary services to its customers. The company is notably active in the field of press and publication distribution. Through its subscription service, it ensures the delivery of newspapers and magazines to subscribers across the territory, thus contributing to the dissemination of information and the written press. Ukrposhta collaborates with publishers to regularly deliver these periodicals to readers' mailboxes, even in remote regions.

Furthermore, Ukrposhta plays a role in philately, which is the collection of postage stamps and philatelic products. As the postal operator issuing Ukraine's official stamps, it produces and sells commemorative and collectible stamps prized by philatelists. The company also offers innovative services such as personalized stamp printing, allowing customers to create stamps with the image of their choice for postal use. This type of initiative illustrates Ukrposhta's desire to modernize its image while valuing postal heritage.

Ukrposhta also adapts its offering to market developments, notably the rise of online commerce. It has developed logistical solutions for e-commerce sites and online sellers, including the grouped collection of parcels from shippers, the provision of packaging materials, and specific rates for sending large volumes. These services dedicated to e-commerce aim to facilitate the shipment of goods for Ukrainian businesses and support the development of online sales, both nationally and internationally.

Modernization and prospects

Faced with evolving technologies and user expectations, Ukrposhta is committed to a continuous modernization process. The postal operator has developed online services to simplify the customer experience, such as an online shipping tool and a rate calculator available on its website. Additionally, a Ukrposhta mobile app allows users to track their shipments, locate post offices, and access other digital services. These digital initiatives improve the convenience of using postal services, especially for younger generations accustomed to connected solutions.

Ukrposhta is also investing in the modernization of its logistics fleet and infrastructure. In 2023, the company announced the acquisition of new vehicles, including transport trucks and electric bicycles, to improve the efficiency of rounds and reduce its ecological footprint. The introduction of electric bicycles for mail carriers, supported by international funding, facilitates mail delivery in rural areas while reducing fuel costs. Furthermore, Ukrposhta has undertaken the renovation of several post offices and the deployment of additional mobile service points to adapt to the needs of local communities. In terms of security, given the difficult context in some regions, a law passed in 2024 now allows Ukrposhta employees to carry a service weapon to protect funds and postal facilities during sensitive transports.

Thanks to these modernization efforts and new projects like the postal bank, Ukrposhta aims to strengthen its role as an essential public service and sustain its model in the years to come. The company aims to combine tradition and innovation by preserving its universal service mission while adopting technological and organizational advances to remain efficient and close to the needs of the population.

Tracking shipments and Ukrposhta tracking numbers

Ukrposhta provides its customers with an online tracking system for registered shipments, allowing them to trace the journey of parcels and mail from initial deposit to final delivery. Each tracked shipment is assigned a unique tracking number, consisting of a sequence of letters and numbers. The standard format of an international tracking number used by Ukrposhta generally includes 13 characters: it begins with two letters, continues with nine digits, and ends with two letters. This format complies with international postal tracking standards set by the Universal Postal Union, making it recognizable and usable in tracking systems worldwide.

The first two letters of the tracking code indicate the type of shipment or the originating postal service. For example, a number starting with CP corresponds to a registered parcel sent via China Post, while a start with EE generally indicates a shipment by Express Mail Service (EMS). Similarly, the initial sequence RA may designate an international registered mail. The nine digits that follow are a unique identifier specific to the shipment, allowing it to be distinguished from all others in the system. Finally, the last two letters generally represent the code of the country of origin or destination (for example UA for Ukraine). These terminal letters help guide the international route and ensure consistent tracking across different countries.

Thanks to this tracking number, both the sender and the recipient can consult in real-time the status of the shipment and the stages crossed (handling, transit, customs, delivery, etc.). Tracking provides transparency to the delivery process and allows for quick notification in case of delay or issue. Each updated tracking status in the system corresponds to a particular stage of the parcel's journey. At the end of the page, a table summarizes Ukrposhta's tracking statuses and their description in English:

Ukrposhta tracking statuses