A bit of a rant.
I sent documents by the above la poste service. Having not had the avis returned I contacted the addressee. They were signed for Jan. 2nd.
I eventually received the Avis de reception on Feb 2nd. This is not the service you pay for. Anyone else encountered this?
It was a destination within France…
If docs are sent by registered they are important ,La Poste.
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Was the avis not available to view online promptly after delivery?
I have frequently encountered delays in receiving the avis through the post but I believe the digital copy is legally valid so the paper copy seems fairly irrelevant. I suspect eventually they may stop delivering them.
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Hello Sandcastle, I sent it via a post office, I did search results using the code on La Poste website which said it had been delivered but originally the addressee said it had not been delivered ( Tribunal d’instance), they later cofirmed they had received it. But why one month to get the receipt.
It wasn’t cheap either.
Thanks for your reply.
I used to use that service years ago, quite a lot, but it was so hit and miss that I stopped paying for the signed avis part of it. Even today, just using the tracking option, it’s still very hit and miss as to whether someone bothers to scan and confirm delivery.
I have just sent off the OH’s driving license with AR, as requested. You are telling me this NOW???
Thanks for your reply. I would have done it on line but there was a shit load of documents to send. Service not as described. I have’nt bothered to complain to La Poste as i know it would fall on deaf ears.
Ian
Hi, you might get lucky. I hope you get it ok.
Ian
Bit late with this comment but just in case anyone else has problems with lettre recommandé.
I sent off my passport on 17/4/25. When I tried to track it, the code wouldn’t work. I went to the local post office on the 28th , where the clerk also had trouble but eventually told me it had reached the Poiters platforme. I tried again at home and got "Votre envoi est trié sur la plateforme de départ. "
I tried Royal Mail, with the response
“Sorry, we’re currently unable to confirm the status of your item. Please try again tomorrow.”
Both sites give the same response today, 1st May, even though I can now check on the passport site and see that they took charge of it on the 29th. Mickey Mouse Post would do better.
The passport site does say there will be a gap between arrival and notification but I think 12 days in total is a bit much.
So I have no idea where the delay occurred.
I blame brexit… for everything, every chance I get. 
LaPoste’s tracking is terrible. I send certain documents with tracking to various countries, and for some reason, for a number of months now, LaPoste seems to get stuck with the message that it’s being processed by customs, when in actual fact if I check the destination country’s postal tracking services, it had promptly been moved on from customs, and might have been passed to several different sorting offices. LaPoste then only updates when it’s actually been delivered.
Other times it can be very hit and miss. I have had many items arrive, only for the tracking to suggest otherwise. You can complain and get the shipping reimbursed, but it’s a bit of hassle.
At least the passport office has your documents, and they tend to ship back with DHL.
La Poste tracking seems to end with the envelope/packet “reaches destination country” notification when said country is the U.K.
I received no further notification when I renewed my passport 18 months ago until the Passport Office told me that my old passport had reached them.
The tracking number seems to change to a new number issued by the new country when a tracked item crosses the border to a different country. Had this with tracked items in both directions with me, Amazon or other senders from France, Germany and the UK. It’s not just La Poste.
I’m finding LRAR serves as proof of sending but sometimes still not effective in terms of getting the contents of the LRAR actioned. eg have experienced stuff signed for under LRAR at CPAM who signed but still couldn’t find the item. And Free Mobile who, presented with the fact that they had signed for a cancellation LRAR on the date that they had, simply ignored it and kept taking a subscription.for 3 extra months after the cancellation period they’d signed the LRAR for.
Trouble is and I have been caught up in this which resulted in a win for me and gross erreur by the other party, is that in cases of litigation, ALL correspondence sent by post to other parties involved MUST BE SENT by LRAR regardless of whether its signed for or received even, the receipt of sending is proof and anything sent by ordinary stamped envelope is not accepted in a tribunal as proof.
I learned something useful at the local Poste today. The free of charge French equivalent to the UK’s Certificate of Posting, is still done f.o.c. also in France so you can prove you sent something and i doesn’t cost but local Poste told me it’s for parcels not letters.
Not sure how big it has to be to be a parcel or what declaration of contents if any, is needed as it’s so long since I’ve done one.
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