Carrier SLA reference · Benelux
Carrier claim deadlines and liability limits, in one place
How long you actually have to file a claim with 15 carriers serving the Netherlands and Belgium, what each one pays, what evidence they demand, and where the exclusions are. Every figure below is transcribed from the carrier's own published conditions, with the source linked.
Most disputes about carrier compensation are really disputes about which liability regime applies. Three of them cover almost all Benelux volume, and each caps compensation on weight rather than on what the goods were worth.
This is why a shipper who lost EUR 400 of stock in a 1.2 kg parcel is offered EUR 4.08. The carrier is not lowballing: it is applying a statutory cap of EUR 3.40 per kilogram. Understanding which regime your shipment fell under tells you whether a low offer is negotiable or simply the law.
AVC 2002
Algemene Vervoercondities 2002
EUR 3.40 per kilogram
Domestic road transport within the Netherlands.
Liability for loss of or damage to goods is capped at EUR 3.40 per kilogram, calculated on the weight of the damaged or missing goods as stated on the consignment note, not the value of the goods. Delay damage is capped at once the freight charge, or twice the freight charge when the delivery time was agreed in writing. Consequential loss, lost profit and business interruption are excluded entirely.
AVC 2002, art. 11 and 13 (SVA)CMR
Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road
8.33 SDR per kilogram
International road transport.
Compensation may not exceed 8.33 units of account (SDR) per kilogram of gross weight short, under art. 23(3). The protest deadlines in art. 30 are strict: visible damage must be noted at delivery, non-visible damage requires a written and reasoned reservation within 7 days, and delay requires written protest within 21 days of delivery. Miss the protest and the claim right against the carrier lapses.
CMR Convention, art. 23 and 30Montreal Convention
Montreal Convention 1999
22 SDR per kilogram
International carriage by air.
For cargo carried by air, liability is limited to 22 SDR per kilogram unless a higher value is declared and the corresponding charge paid. Express carriers apply this to the air leg of a shipment and the road cap to the road leg, which is why a single international parcel can be settled under two different ceilings.
DHL Express NL claim procedure (states 22 SDR/kg air, 8.33 SDR/kg road)Claim deadlines at a glance
The shortest published deadline per carrier, and what each pays with no additional cover bought. Where a carrier publishes nothing, the table says so rather than guessing.
| Carrier | Type | Regime | Tightest deadline | Standard cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostNL | Parcel | Postal | 7 daysDamaged or missing parcel (business sender), from entry into the sorting process | EUR 50 without proof of value; up to EUR 5,500 insured |
| DHL eCommerce Benelux | Parcel | AVC 2002 | immediatelyVisible damage at handover, from acceptance of the parcel | EUR 3.40 per kg uninsured |
| DHL Express | Express | Mixed | 30 daysMissing shipment, from the expected delivery date | 8.33 SDR/kg road, 22 SDR/kg air |
| DHL Freight | Freight | CMR | at deliveryVisible damage or loss, from delivery | 8.33 SDR/kg (CMR), EUR 3.40/kg (AVC) |
| DPD Nederland | Parcel | AVC 2002 | 7 calendar daysDamaged parcel delivered to the consignee, from receipt | EUR 520 incl. shipping |
| GLS Netherlands | Parcel | AVC 2002 | 7 daysHidden damage under AVC/CMR fallback, from delivery | EUR 500 per parcel, EUR 50 deductible |
| UPS | Express | Mixed | 14 daysDamage, including partial loss, from receipt | Regime cap unless declared value bought |
| FedEx | Express | Montreal | 21 daysDamage, including concealed damage, from the shipment date | Higher of treaty, EUR 22/kg, or USD 100 |
| bpost | Parcel | Postal | 7 daysDamaged parcel, from receipt of the parcel | EUR 39 domestic registered; 30 SDR international |
| Trunkrs | Last mile | FENEX | 5 working daysDamaged or spoiled shipment, from receipt | EUR 3.40 per kg |
| Homerr | Last mile | Contract | Not published | Selected cover tier (e.g. EUR 50 / EUR 100) |
| Budbee (Instabee) | Last mile | Contract | Not published | Not published |
| Cycloon | Last mile | Contract | Not published | EUR 500 per parcel, EUR 50 per letter |
| DSV | Freight | FENEX | 7 days hidden damage, 21 days delayUnderlying carrier protest deadlines (CMR), from delivery | FENEX forwarder liability; CMR/AVC where carrying |
| Sendcloud Shipment Protection | Platform | Contract | 14 daysDamaged shipment, from delivery | EUR 5,000 per shipment |
"Tightest deadline" is the shortest published window the sender has to meet, which is usually a damage window rather than a loss window. Carrier response commitments, such as how quickly DHL Express replies to a claim, are excluded here and shown on the carrier pages instead. Deadlines differ per event: open a carrier page for the full breakdown.
Every carrier, in detail
Parcel
PostNL
Netherlands, Belgium
PostNL asks senders to report a damaged or missing business parcel within 7 days. Without proof of value, compensation for a standard parcel is capped at EUR 50; with Verhoogde Aansprakelijkheid it rises in steps to EUR 5,000, and Verzekerservice covers up to EUR 5,500 per shipment.
Claim windows and evidenceDHL eCommerce Benelux
Netherlands, Belgium
DHL eCommerce asks senders to report damage within 7 days of delivery and a missing parcel within 14 days. Without additional cover, compensation follows the AVC 2002 cap of EUR 3.40 per kilogram, not the value of the goods.
Claim windows and evidenceDPD Nederland
Netherlands, Belgium
DPD requires a written claim within 7 calendar days of receipt. Compensation is the purchase value excluding VAT up to EUR 520 per shipment including shipping costs.
Claim windows and evidenceGLS Netherlands
Netherlands, Belgium
GLS liability for Dutch domestic parcels follows AVC 2002 at EUR 3.40 per kilogram. Where the sender has not taken transport insurance, GLS compensates value above the statutory limit up to EUR 500 per parcel, subject to a EUR 50 deductible.
Claim windows and evidencebpost
Belgium
bpost requires the sender to file a complaint within 7 days of receipt for a damaged parcel. Compensation for a registered domestic shipment is the direct loss suffered up to EUR 39; international registered shipments are covered to 30 SDR.
Claim windows and evidenceExpress
DHL Express
International
DHL Express asks you to report a missing or damaged shipment within 30 days. Uninsured, standard liability is 8.33 SDR per kilogram for road transport and 22 SDR per kilogram for air transport.
Claim windows and evidenceUPS
Netherlands, Europe, International
UPS requires notice within 14 days of receipt for damage, 21 days for delay, and 60 days from hand-over for loss. All claims are time-barred unless written notice is given and proceedings brought within 8 months.
Claim windows and evidenceFedEx
Europe, International
FedEx requires notice of damage within 21 days and claims for non-delivery within 9 months of the shipment date. Liability is the higher of the applicable treaty amount, EUR 22 per kilogram, or USD 100 per shipment.
Claim windows and evidenceLast mile
Trunkrs
Netherlands
Trunkrs requires a claim within 5 working days of receipt for damage, or within 10 working days of a shipment being declared lost. Shipments are not insured by default, so compensation follows the AVC rate of EUR 3.40 per kilogram.
Claim windows and evidenceHomerr
Netherlands
Homerr compensates the depreciation of the goods up to the cover value selected when the label was bought, typically EUR 50 or EUR 100, with Premium shipping carrying its own agreed terms. Claims are processed after 14 days where the sender can evidence delivery.
Claim windows and evidenceBudbee (Instabee)
Netherlands, Belgium, Nordics
Budbee does not publish claim windows or compensation ceilings for merchants. Insurance and compensation terms are set in the individual contract between Budbee and each e-commerce merchant, so the contract is the only authoritative source.
Claim windows and evidenceCycloon
Netherlands
Cycloon covers damage or loss up to EUR 50 per letter and EUR 500 per parcel. Cycloon does not publish a headline claim filing deadline, so the deadline in your own agreement governs.
Claim windows and evidenceFreight
DHL Freight
Europe
DHL Freight claims run on the CMR protest deadlines: visible damage noted at delivery, non-visible damage within 7 days, and delay within 21 days. Liability is capped at 8.33 SDR per kilogram internationally and EUR 3.40 per kilogram domestically.
Claim windows and evidenceDSV
Netherlands, International
DSV contracts in the Netherlands under the FENEX Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden as a forwarder rather than a carrier. Those conditions impose mandatory arbitration and a much lower liability exposure than carrier liability under CMR or AVC.
Claim windows and evidenceThe four things that decide whether a claim pays
- Which clock started, and when. Damage, loss and delay almost always have different windows, and they are counted from different events. FedEx counts from the shipment date, Sendcloud from label creation, PostNL from entry into sorting, and UPS counts loss from hand-over. Only DPD and bpost use a single simple window from receipt.
- Whether you can evidence value. The gap between a EUR 50 PostNL settlement and a full one is a purchase invoice. DHL settles on sales price minus 40% without a purchase invoice. DPD compensates purchase value excluding VAT. Cost-price documentation is worth real money at claim time.
- Whether cover was bought before shipping. Every insured option on this page has to be arranged before hand-over. There is no retroactive route to a higher ceiling on any of these carriers.
- Whether anyone signed clean. On freight, a consignment note signed without reservation creates a presumption that the goods arrived in good condition, and under CMR art. 30 a missed protest extinguishes the claim rather than reducing it.
FAQ
How long do I have to file a parcel claim in the Netherlands?
It depends entirely on the carrier. DPD requires written notice within 7 calendar days of receipt, Trunkrs within 5 working days, DHL eCommerce within 7 days for damage and 14 for loss, DHL Express within 30 days, UPS within 14 days for damage and 60 for loss, and FedEx allows 9 months for a missing shipment but only 21 days for damage.
Why is carrier compensation only EUR 3.40 per kilogram?
Because domestic road transport in the Netherlands falls under the Algemene Vervoercondities 2002, which cap liability at EUR 3.40 per kilogram of damaged or missing goods. It is a statutory ceiling calculated on weight rather than value, which is why a light, valuable parcel recovers so little without additional cover.
What is the difference between insured and uninsured shipping?
Uninsured, you receive the statutory or contractual cap, which is usually calculated per kilogram and bears no relation to what the goods were worth. Insured, the claim moves to the insurer and settles on the value of the goods, up to the ceiling you bought. Cover has to be arranged before hand-over on every carrier documented here.
Do carriers compensate for late delivery?
Rarely on standard parcel services. PostNL only compensates delay on premium guaranteed services. Under AVC and CMR, delay damage is capped at the freight charge and only where the carrier is liable at all. Where an express carrier offers a money-back guarantee, that is a commercial refund of the carriage charge and is separate from liability.
What evidence do carriers require for a claim?
Almost universally: the tracking or shipment reference, an invoice evidencing the value of the goods, and photographs of both the damaged goods and the packaging. Express carriers also ask for the weight of the damaged goods only, since the cap is per kilogram, and bank details for settlement. Keep the damaged packaging until the claim closes.
Related guides
- Parcel audit for European carriers: recovering billing errors across DPD, GLS, DHL, PostNL and bpost.
- PostNL invoice audit: why Dutch recovery comes from invoice accuracy rather than delay refunds.
- Carrier scorecard software: measuring which carrier actually breaches its SLA most often.
A note on accuracy. This page summarises publicly published conditions for reference. A negotiated carrier contract, a rate-card annex or a service-specific annex can override any of it. Always check the deadline in your own agreement before relying on a figure here. Sources were last verified on 28 July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Knowing the deadline is the easy part.
Dispatchly tracks every parcel against these windows, flags the ones about to time out, and files the claim with the evidence each carrier demands. Flat monthly fee, and you keep 100% of what you recover.