CHRISTMAS is in just twelve days and the rush of sending letters, parcels and presents is reaching overdrive.
With the big day looming, here are the key dates to keep in mind to ensure your festive post makes it to the right place at the right time.
When is the late date for sending Christmas post in the UK?
If you’re sending post – letters or packages – to loved ones within the UK, here are the last dates to get those 1st class stamps on.
- Friday, December 17: Royal Mail Bulk Mail Economy
- Saturday, December 18: 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For and Royal Mail 48®
- Tuesday, December 21: 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For, Royal Mail 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48®
- Wednesday, December 22: Royal Mail Tracked 24®
- Thursday, December 23: Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®
Postal dates for well-known couriers:
The deadlines for couriers vary from one to another, but here are dates for some of the most popular deliverers.
- Parcel2Go: You’ll be able to send parcels at your nearest drop off point up until 23 December this year with Parcel2Go.
- TNT: The last recommended date is Thursday 23 for delivery by Christmas Eve on Friday for TNT.
- Yodel Direct: The last sending date for Christmas is 20 December.
- DHL: DHL has announced its last UK date as 23 December this year for UK deliveries.
- Hermes: Every UK parcel entering the Hermes network by 22 December will have a least one delivery attempt made – otherwise Hermes will refund the delivery charge.
When is the last day to send parcels and letters around the world?
Royal Mail International Standard (airmail) and International tracking signature services are available until December 16, 2021. Here’s the full list of dates to look out for:
- Wednesday, December 1: Caribbean
- Monday, December 6: Australia, Greece, Italy, New Zealand and Portugal
- Wednesday, December 8: Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Far and Middle East
- Friday, December 10: Cyprus, Malta and Sweden
- Saturday, December 11: Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and Turkey
- Monday, December 13: Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland and USA
- Thursday, December 16: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland