Proxy collection: how can someone else pick up your parcel in France?

What to check before sending someone

Work, travel, health: having someone else collect a parcel is common. To make sure they do not make the trip for nothing, check three things.

• The place: a post office (counter), a partner shop (a member of staff hands you the parcel) or a parcel locker (a locker that opens with a code). The rules are not the same: see pickup point or parcel locker: the differences.
• Originals: at La Poste, a photocopy, a scan on a smartphone or a Carte Vitale (French health insurance card) are not accepted as ID (La Poste).
• The deadline: if they go too late, the parcel will already have been sent back. See how long your parcel is kept.

In every case, the delivery notice or the message from your carrier is what counts: rules can change.

One-off proxy: collecting a single parcel

For a La Poste or Colissimo parcel, or a registered letter (lettre recommandée), La Poste's help page describes the steps:

1. Fill in the section provided on the back of the delivery notice, or in the "ready for collection" message.
2. Give this document to the person collecting, together with your original ID.
3. They also show their own original ID.

There is no proxy template accepted by every carrier. A handwritten letter only counts if the network accepts it: for a parcel from another carrier, check its terms in the table below before writing one.

La Poste permanent proxy: 5 years

If someone often collects your mail, La Poste offers a permanent proxy (procuration). It lasts 5 years and you can end it at any time (La Poste). The person then no longer needs your ID: their own is enough.

• How to apply: online, on La Poste's proxy page.
• Activation: within 72 hours (indicative), or immediately with L'Identité Numérique (La Poste's digital ID) if the home is in your name.
• Documents: both sides of your ID. If you live in someone else's home, add the ID of the person hosting you and a proof-of-residence letter from them (attestation d'hébergement) less than 3 months old.
• Price: See the terms of La Poste.

Collection by someone else: rules by carrier

We only state a rule when the carrier's official page confirms it. Otherwise, the cell links to its terms: forums and blogs often give outdated or contradictory answers.

Colissimo and La Poste

At a post office, an agence postale communale or a La Poste Relais, both the one-off and the permanent proxy are described by La Poste's help page. For a Pickup partner shop or a Pickup Station locker, see the box above. More on our Colissimo page.

Mondial Relay

Mondial Relay does not publish an up-to-date rule we could confirm for collection by someone else, at a Point Relais or a Locker. Check its help pages or ask the pickup point before sending someone. See also our Mondial Relay page.

Chronopost and DPD (Pickup network)

No rule published on the pages we checked as of the last update. See Chronopost's help and DPD's recipient FAQ, or our Chronopost and DPD pages.

Relais Colis, UPS, Amazon and Vinted Go

No rule published as of the last update. Check Relais Colis, UPS, Amazon's help or Vinted's help. For a purchase on a platform, the app also explains how to collect the parcel.

Collecting from a locker: sharing the code

A parcel locker has no counter: the locker opens with the code or QR code received by text message or email. Carriers do not publish a clear rule on someone else using this code: see their terms in the table.

• Only share the code with someone you trust, by private message. Never post it publicly.
• Check the deadline: at a locker, the holding period is often shorter. See how long your parcel is kept.
• A code is not a proxy. If a parcel shows as "delivered" and you never got it, see parcel missing or handed to someone else.

Special cases

Registered letter

The procedure on La Poste's help page also applies to a registered letter collected by someone else. To find out whether a registered letter can be collected from a partner shop, see the terms of La Poste.

The name on the parcel does not match

The pickup point checks the recipient's name. If it does not match the ID shown, it may refuse to hand over the parcel. Check the name entered when ordering before sending someone.

What if the pickup point refuses?

• Check how much time is left: track your parcel.
• Come back with the originals requested, or go yourself.
• Contact the carrier's customer service: contact details are on our carrier pages.
• If the carrier allows it, ask for another pickup point: see changing your pickup point.

To find a post office or pickup point that is more convenient for the person collecting, search near where they live.