How to Connect Royal Mail v2 to ShippyPro

Let's see how you can integrate Royal Mail v2 with ShippyPro in just a few steps.

Summary

Before you start
Connection steps
Supported services
Additional options
Troubleshooting & Errors
FAQ

1. Before you start

Before you connect Royal Mail v2 to ShippyPro, ensure you have the following information available. To retrieve these credentials, reach out to your Royal Mail Account Manager.

Account Number: Your Royal Mail shipping account number (10 digits, usually starts with 0)
Posting Location Code: Your Royal Mail location identifier (10 digits, usually starts with 9000)
Royal Mail OBA registered email: The email address registered with Royal Mail's Online Business Account

Once you have this information, open a support ticket on ShippyPro and send us these details. Our team will complete the configuration and provide you with the Account ID.

Note: Royal Mail v2 only supports shipments originating from the United Kingdom.

2. Connection steps

Follow these steps to connect Royal Mail v2 to your ShippyPro account:

Step 1: Contact your Royal Mail Account Manager to obtain:

Royal Mail Account Number (10 digits, usually starts with 0)
Royal Mail OBA registered email
Posting Location Code (10 digits, usually starts with 9000)

Step 2: Open a support ticket on ShippyPro by going to Support > Create Ticket and provide the information obtained in Step 1.

Step 3: Wait for the ShippyPro support team to configure your OAuth2 credentials and provide you with the Account ID.

Step 4: Once you receive your credentials, log in to your ShippyPro account and navigate to the Carriers page from the main menu.

Step 5: Locate and click on the Royal Mail v2 logo from the list of available carriers.

Step 6: Select Royal Mail v2 if multiple versions are available.

Step 7: Fill in the required fields in the connection modal:

Account ID: Enter the ID provided by ShippyPro support
Location ID: Enter your Royal Mail location identifier (ShippingLocationId).
📌 If more than one location is linked to your Account, enter the Location ID you want to use in the carrier connection; if there is only one location, you can leave this field empty.

Step 8: Click Save or Connect to complete the integration.

Step 9: The system will validate your credentials via OAuth token generation. You'll receive a confirmation message once the integration is successful.

3. Supported services

Once connected, Royal Mail v2 offers various shipping services through ShippyPro:

Domestic Services (United Kingdom only)

CRL1 - Tracked 24 High Volume: Domestic 24-hour service
CRL2 - Tracked 48 High Volume: Domestic 48-hour service
BPL1 - Tracked Letter 1st Class: 1st class letter service
BPL2 - Tracked Letter 2nd Class: 2nd class letter service
BPR1 - Tracked Returns 1st Class: Signed 1st class returns
BPR2 - Tracked Returns 2nd Class: Signed 2nd class returns
TPN - Tracked 24: Standard tracked 24-hour service
TPC - Tracked 24 Signed: Tracked 24-hour service with signature
TPS - Tracked 48: Standard tracked 48-hour service
TPD - Tracked 48 Signed: Tracked 48-hour service with signature

International Services (Worldwide from UK)

OLA - International Standard: International standard service
OLS - International Economy: International economy service
OSA - International Signed: International service with signature
OTA - International Tracked: International tracked service
OTC - International Tracked & Signed: International tracked service with signature (country restrictions may apply)

4. Additional options

Signature Required

You can add the Signature Required option to services that don't already include signature by default. This service enhancement ensures that a signature is required upon delivery.

Note: Services like TPC (Tracked 24 Signed) and TPD (Tracked 48 Signed) already include signature by default, so this option is not needed for these services.

To enable this option:

Select the checkbox Signature Required when creating your shipment, clicking on Carrier options at checkout
This will add the "Signed" service enhancement to compatible services

Label Formats

Royal Mail v2 supports multiple label formats:

PDF A4: Standard A4 format for printing on regular paper
PDF A6: Default A6 format for label printers
ZPL: A6 format for Zebra label printers

Select your preferred format based on your printer type and requirements.

Multiparcel Support

Royal Mail v2 supports multiple parcels per shipment, allowing you to ship several packages under a single order.

International Shipments Features

For international shipments, Royal Mail v2 automatically includes:

Commercial Invoice: Generated and returned separately from the shipping label
Items Declaration: With HS codes for customs clearance
Customs Information: Including Incoterms (DDU/DAP/DDP)

Pre-registration Support:

IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop): For EU shipments
UKIMS (UK Internal Market Scheme): For Great Britain to Northern Ireland B2B shipments over £135

Closeout/Manifest

Royal Mail v2 supports Closeout functionality to manifest all shipments at a specific location.

Important: The closeout process manifests all orders created with the same Location ID, not just individual orders.

5. Troubleshooting & Errors

Common Errors

Error Code: 1015 - Rate Limiting Error

Cause: This error occurs when too many requests are sent to Royal Mail's API in a short period
Solution: Wait a few moments (30-60 seconds) and retry the request. The rate limit will reset automatically

OAuth Authentication Failed

Cause: Invalid or expired Account ID
Solution: Verify your credentials are correct. If the issue persists, contact ShippyPro support to regenerate your OAuth credentials

Invalid Account Number or Location Number

Cause: The Account Number or Location Number format is incorrect
Solution: Ensure your Account Number is 10 digits (usually starts with 0) and your Posting Location Code is 10 digits (usually starts with 9000). Contact your Royal Mail Account Manager to verify the correct numbers

Shipment Origin Not in UK

Cause: Royal Mail v2 only supports shipments originating from the United Kingdom
Solution: Verify that your shipment origin address is in the UK. For shipments from other countries, use a different carrier

Closeout Returns "No Shipments Ready to be Manifested"

Cause: All shipments at the specified location have already been manifested
Solution: This is actually treated as a success since the shipments are already closed out. No further action is needed

Connection Timeout or Internal Server Error

Cause: Temporary connectivity issues with Royal Mail's API servers
Solution: Wait a few minutes and retry the connection. If the problem persists for more than 30 minutes, contact ShippyPro support

6. FAQ

Q: How do I obtain my Royal Mail credentials?

A: Contact your Royal Mail Account Manager to request your Account Number, OBA registered email, and Posting Location Code. Then open a support ticket on ShippyPro with this information, and our team will provide you with the OAuth Account ID.

Q: Why do I get "error code: 1015"?

A: This is a rate limiting error from Royal Mail's API. It means you've sent too many requests in a short time. Wait a few moments (30-60 seconds) and retry the request.

Q: Can I ship internationally with Royal Mail v2?

A: Yes, Royal Mail v2 supports international shipments worldwide, but all shipments must originate from the United Kingdom. International services include Standard, Economy, Tracked, and Signed options.

Q: Why does closeout succeed without returning a manifest?

A: If all shipments at the location were already manifested, Royal Mail returns a "no shipments ready" message. The connector treats this as success since the shipments are already closed. Remember: the closeout is performed on the Location ID, so ALL orders created with that Location ID will be closed out, not just individual orders.

Q: Which services support the signature_required option?

A: The signature enhancement can be added to services that don't already include signature by default (e.g., TPS - Tracked 48, TPN - Tracked 24). Services like TPC (Tracked 24 Signed) and TPD (Tracked 48 Signed) already include signature, so this option is not necessary for them.

Q: What label formats are available?

A: Royal Mail v2 supports PDF A4, PDF A6 (default format), and ZPL A6 format for Zebra printers. Choose the format that best suits your printing equipment.

Q: Can I void or delete a shipment after creation?

A: Yes, Royal Mail v2 supports shipment deletion (void) functionality using the ShipmentId from the shipment attributes. This must be done before the shipment is closed out/manifested.

Q: What happens with customs documentation for international shipments?

A: Royal Mail v2 automatically generates Commercial Invoice documents (returned separately from the label), includes items declaration with HS codes, and supports customs information with Incoterms (DDU/DAP/DDP). IOSS and UKIMS pre-registration are also supported for qualifying shipments.