Parcel · Spain, domestic postal and parcel
Correos claim deadlines, liability and evidence
Correos compensates damage and loss on Paquete Estandar and Premium at EUR 6.67 per billed kilogram plus a refund of the tariff. Damage must be reported at delivery or within 7 calendar days; a lost parcel cannot be reported until day 3 or 4 depending on the product, and no later than one year from admission.
Tightest deadline
3 days
Standard cap
EUR 6.67 per billed kg, plus tariff refund
Liability regime
Postal
Correos has two features that catch shippers out, and they pull in opposite directions. Damage is on a short leash: at delivery or within 7 calendar days for Paquete Estandar and Premium. Loss is on a long one, up to a year from admission, but it cannot be reported straight away: the claim opens only after a minimum of three days for Premium or four for Estandar. A parcel that clearly vanished on day one still cannot be claimed on day one, and a damaged parcel noticed on day eight cannot be claimed at all.
Claim windows
Correos publishes its cover per product on its coberturas y garantias pages rather than as a single liability clause, and the windows differ by product as well as by event.
Damage (Paquete Estandar and Premium)
At delivery, or within 7 calendar days
Counted from delivery.
Correos asks for it to be raised at the moment of receipt where possible, as an incidencia.
Damage (carta certificada and paquete azul)
6 months
Counted from the date of admission.
A materially longer window than the parcel products, on the same carrier.
Loss (Paquete Premium): earliest
3 days
Counted from the date of admission.
A floor, not a deadline. The claim cannot be filed before this.
Loss (Paquete Estandar): earliest
4 days
Counted from the date of admission.
A floor, not a deadline.
Loss (Paquete Estandar and Premium): latest
1 year
Counted from the date of admission.
Loss (carta certificada and paquete azul)
Minimum 5 or 6 days, maximum 6 months
Counted from the date of admission.
Five days minimum for carta certificada, six for paquete azul; six months maximum for both.
Insured versus uninsured
No additional cover
EUR 6.67 per billed kilogram for deterioration of Paquete Estandar and Paquete Premium. On loss the same EUR 6.67 per billed kilogram applies, plus a refund of the tariff paid. A minimum compensation of EUR 40 applies to Paquete Premium for non-contract customers only.
With cover bought
With a declared value or full-risk insurance, capped at EUR 6,000, loss is compensated as a refund of the tariff plus the declared value or insured sum. For carta certificada, loss is the tariff paid multiplied by ten plus the declared value; for paquete azul, the tariff multiplied by four plus the declared value.
Delay and late delivery
Correos publishes delay cover separately by product rather than as a general rule; the parcel products above carry no per-day delay compensation on the coberturas pages.
Evidence required
- Photographs of the packaging and of the damaged contents, so Correos can check both the damage and whether the packaging was adequate
- Documentary proof of the value of the goods for insured shipments
- Repair invoices or replacement receipts, where claimed
- A signed authorisation from the sender where the compensation is to be paid to the recipient instead
Exclusions
Correos does not publish an exclusions list for business senders.
Filing the claim
- Who files
- The beneficiary of any compensation is always the sender. For the recipient to be paid instead, the sender must lodge a signed request with Correos authorising it.
- How to file
- Damage should be raised at the moment of receipt as an incidencia where possible, and otherwise through Correos customer service within the product window.
- Processing time
- Correos publishes the cover and the windows per product on its coberturas y garantias pages; the figures above are the national ones.
What quietly kills Correos claims
Loss claims have a minimum age. Three days for Premium, four for Estandar, five for carta certificada and six for paquete azul, counted from admission. Filing on the day the tracking dies is filing too early.
The 7-day damage window for parcels sits next to a 6-month damage window for carta certificada and paquete azul on the same carrier. The product decides, not the damage.
EUR 6.67 per billed kilogram is charged weight, not the weight of what was damaged, so a light parcel of valuable goods is capped very low unless a declared value was bought.
The EUR 40 minimum on Premium applies only to customers without a contract, which means contract shippers, the ones with volume, do not get it.
FAQ
How long do I have to report a damaged Correos parcel?
For Paquete Estandar and Paquete Premium, at the moment of delivery or within the following 7 calendar days. Carta certificada and paquete azul have a much longer window of 6 months from the date of admission.
When can I report a Correos parcel as lost?
Not immediately. Paquete Premium opens after a minimum of 3 days from admission and Paquete Estandar after 4, and both close at 1 year. Carta certificada opens after 5 days and paquete azul after 6, both closing at 6 months.
How much does Correos pay for a lost parcel?
EUR 6.67 per billed kilogram plus a refund of the tariff, with a EUR 40 minimum on Paquete Premium for non-contract customers. With a declared value or full-risk insurance up to EUR 6,000, it is the tariff refund plus the declared or insured sum instead.
Sources
- Correos, coberturas y garantias, deterioro nacional
- Correos, coberturas y garantias, extravio nacional
- Correos, coberturas y garantias, demora nacional
Verified 1 September 2026. 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. Spotted a figure that has changed? Tell us and we will correct it.
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