What does “Delivery Attempted” mean in India Post tracking, and what happens next?
Usually nobody was available at the address, the address needed clarification, or access was not possible.
The delivery round reached your address and could not complete the handover. This is less a failed delivery than an interrupted one: the article goes back to the delivery post office, is held there for collection, and the attempt is written against your number. Look for a notice slip first, then contact that office with the tracking number to confirm it is with them and ask when they can hand it over. Do not wait for a deadline — India Post does not publish the number of days an attempted article is held for, so the sooner you ask, the better.
Why the handover stopped at the address
This entry is written when the round reached your address and could not complete the handover. The commonest reason is that nobody was available to accept the article; others are that the address needed clarification, that access to the building was not possible, or that the item needed someone present to receive it. None of those is a fault in the article or in the number you are tracking — the item travelled correctly and simply stopped at the last step. The consequence is physical rather than digital: the article comes off the round and goes back inside the delivery post office, which is why the tracker goes quiet after this entry. From there the record can move in two directions. If the article goes out again and is handed over, a delivery scan follows; if it waits for you, the attempt stays as the last entry until you collect it or the applicable period runs out and it returns to the sender.
What the attempt entry records
Delivery was tried but could not be completed.
Why no holding period is published here
| Service | Usual | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Speed Post | Next day (D+1) | The published guarantee covers booking to delivery, so an article that needed a further attempt is still measured against the date it was booked. |
| Speed Post Parcel — Local | 1–2 days | Within one jurisdiction, including its City Post areas. |
| Speed Post Parcel — Rest of the country | 4–5 days | Add one day where delivery is through a Branch Office. |
| Registered Post, ordinary parcel | Not published | India Post publishes no standard for these, so none is shown here. |
| Holding period at the delivery post office | Not published | No day count for how long an attempted article is held before it is returned appears in India Post's published material, so none is stated on this page. Ask the office holding it. |
Indicative ranges for normal service, not a delivery guarantee. Weather, strikes and peak volume move individual consignments.
What happens to the article afterwards
The article is held at the delivery post office for you to collect, or it goes out again and the record gains a delivery scan if the handover succeeds.
From notice slip to collection
- 01
Out for Delivery
The article leaves the post office on the round for your address, and the record says so.
- 02
Delivery Attempted
The round reaches the address and cannot complete the handover. This entry is written against the number.
- 03
Notice slip
A slip is usually left at the address recording the attempt, which is your evidence that the round came.
- 04
At the delivery post office
The article is taken back inside and held for collection, which is why nothing further appears on the tracker.
- 05
Item Delivered
You collect it, or it goes out again and is handed over — either way a delivery scan replaces the silence.
- 06
Item Returned
If it is not collected within the applicable period, the article goes back to the sender instead.
What to do from here
Check for a notice slip, then contact the delivery post office with the tracking number to confirm they are holding the article and to ask when it can be collected. Take the number, the slip if you have one, and identification where the office asks for it.
When an attempt turns into a return
Since no holding period is published, there is no deadline to wait for — treat the attempt itself as the prompt. Contact the delivering office as soon as the entry appears, confirm the article is with them and agree a collection; if you cannot collect, say so rather than letting it run. The point at which this becomes a different problem is the appearance of an Item Returned status: at that stage the article is on its way back to the sender and collection is no longer possible.
Attempted is not the same as these
- Out for Delivery
- Out for Delivery means the article is on the round and has not reached you yet. Attempted means the round did reach the address and the handover did not happen.
- Item Delivered
- Delivered is written only when the article changes hands at the address. Attempted records the opposite: the round was there and nobody took it.
- Item Returned
- Returned means the article has left for the sender and can no longer be collected. Attempted means it is still at the delivery post office.
The scans either side of an attempt
If the record then sits unchanged for longer than the distance explains, readhow to collect a missed delivery. For anything only India Post can act on — a redirect, a complaint, a claim — call1800 266 6868 or use itscomplaint portal.
This describes how India Post normally operates. It is not a delivery guarantee or an estimated delivery date.
Common questions about “Delivery Attempted”
- Will India Post try to deliver the item again?
- Nothing published commits the service to a further attempt, so treat another Out for Delivery scan as possible rather than promised. What is certain from the attempt entry is that the article is back at the delivery post office and can be collected from there. The reliable move is to contact that office with the tracking number and arrange collection instead of waiting for a second round.
- How long is an attempted item held at the post office?
- India Post does not publish a day count for the period between a failed delivery and a return to the sender, and this page will not guess one. That has a practical consequence: you cannot time your collection against a deadline, so treat the attempt as the signal to act. Call the delivering office named in the record, confirm they still have the article, and collect it or tell them when you can come.
- What do I need in order to collect an attempted delivery?
- The tracking number is the essential item, since the office looks the article up on it; the notice slip, if one was left, and identification where the office asks for it, make the visit quicker. Call before you go — the record shows that a delivery was attempted, but only the office can confirm the article is currently on their shelf and when they hand parcels over.
Check your shipment
Enter your consignment number to check it and open India Post's tracker for the latest recorded status.
Service pages: India Post tracking and Speed Post tracking. Or see every status.