Delivery problems in Monaco: new solutions for your parcels
A number of Internet users are unable to get their parcels delivered in the Principality. ©Unsplash
Several Internet users have complained about websites that appear not to recognise Monaco’s postcode.
On the social network Facebook, people are baffled. “The code always comes back as unknown when you order online,” an astonished user says about Monaco’s 98000 postcode. This code was adopted by the Principality in the 1960s, as part of the French system for rationalising mail sorting and delivery. The Monegasque postal service depends entirely on this code, which is the only one for the entire Principality.
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“Some operators (parcel delivery services, editor’s note) have not made the Monaco postcode available. If they don’t want to come to Monaco, they block it,” explains Marc Lea, Director of the Post and Parcel Services branch at La Poste Monaco. He adds that retailers, usually outside France, can also block the Monegasque postcode: “They consider Monaco to be international, and this generates additional costs when delivering customer orders.”
Back on Facebook, some people have found workarounds. “Sometimes, I put 06240 Monaco and it works.” A second user agrees: “Me too, 06240 Monaco and it works! Unfortunately, I have no other choice given some websites’ lack of understanding.” 06240 is the postcode for Beausoleil, which shares a border with the Principality. Another person said: “I put 06240 Beausoleil and 98000 Monaco in addition to the address. Sometimes I get a delivery error message from the Post Office, so I explain that the address is in Monaco and it gets delivered the next day.”
No collection points in Monaco
“There are no collection points in the Principality any more,” says Marc Lea, who acknowledges that running a pick-up point “is a job in its own right.” Parcel volumes or poor financial returns are such that some pick-up points are closing down, as can be seen in Beausoleil and Menton, where there are now only one and three respectively, instead of four and nine several years ago. Today, La Poste Monaco delivers Colissimo and Chronopost parcels. Other operators such as Mondial Relay are finding the Monegasque delivery sector difficult to break into.
What are the solutions?
Faced with an exponential rise in the number of parcels handled in Monaco (up 150% in four years), La Poste Monaco and the Government are working on practical solutions. “For the last ten years or so, we’ve been looking at the last kilometre,” explains Marc Lea. This “last kilometre” would be a service for delivering parcels to residents from a centralised point on the outskirts of the town. “This should see the light of day between the second half of 2024 and 2025.” Not forgetting the objective of a greener Monaco. “All the journeys will be made in electric vehicles,” says Marc Lea.
In 2025, La Poste Monaco will also be moving to new premises in the Ilôt Pasteur. The move will not only save space and time, but also improve working conditions for staff. With the creation of this single sorting centre, as opposed to the two existing ones, plus the management of the “last kilometre,” Marc Lea promises: “We will be able to satisfy 99% of the demand.”