DHL Post & Parcel Germany API (REST, Germany)

The Post & Parcel Germany API is DHL's domestic Germany parcel surface. It replaces the older Geschäftskundenversand SOAP/XML services and is the API integrators use for DHL Paket, DHL Päckchen, and Warenpost shipments originating in Germany. It is not the same API as MyDHL Express, even when both routes appear in the DHL Developer Portal: credentials are issued differently, the contract uses a different shipment vocabulary (Sendung versus shipment), and label formats are German-domestic specific. Authentication uses an API key passed as an HTTP Basic credential, combined with a per-user header that authenticates the underlying Geschäftskundenportal account. Both are required: the API key alone authenticates the integrator, and the Geschäftskundenportal login authenticates the customer whose contract is being used to ship. Misalignment between the two is the most frequent first-time integration failure. Many operational fields are mandatory only for German domestic shipments — Sendungsnummer formats, Postnummer for Packstation deliveries, and the explicit declaration of dangerous goods (Gefahrgut) flags. Schema validation against the DHL OpenAPI document before sending requests turns vague German-language faults into precise local errors. Webhook delivery for delivery and pickup events is available through a separate tracking API.