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Royal Mail and Parcelforce have announced their last posting dates for Christmas 2019, for first and second class mail, signed for, tracked and special delivery items.
Christmas always creeps up on us faster than we think.
And unless you’re one of those mega-organised people who has all the festive preparations under control already, there’s always lots of rushing around to be done at the last minute.
But you do need to make sure cards and gifts arrive in time for Christmas Day on December 25, especially if they are being sent overseas.
With so many people sending items in the post during the festive season, you should think about getting things in the post ahead of the last possible date.
In fact, some dates – for Royal Mail International Economy – have already come and gone so it’s important to check what you need to send where, and when it must be taken to the post office.
And with that in mind, the last posting dates for Christmas 2019 from Royal Mail and Parcelforce are as follows.
(Image: PA)
Royal Mail
The UK recommended last posting dates for Christmas 2019 are:
Wednesday December 18 – 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For
Friday December 20 – 1st Class and 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 48
Saturday December 21 – Royal Mail Tracked 24
Monday December 23 – Special Delivery Guaranteed
Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday in 2019. No post is delivered on Christmas Day itself but Christmas Eve (Tuesday, December 24) is regarded as a normal working day and mail is still delivered on that day.
Items sent second class normally take two to three days to arrive but because of the vast amount of mail handled during the festive season, note that the last recommended posting date is December 18.
Similarly, most first class mail arrives the next working day but during the festive period, the last recommended day to send things in time for Christmas is Friday December 20.
Royal Mail International Economy
Saturday October 5 – All non-European destinations except Middle East, South Africa, Far East, USA, Canada
Saturday October 5 – Middle East, Far East (except Hong Kong and Singapore)
Saturday October 12 – South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Canada
Saturday November 2 – Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta, Iceland
Saturday November 16 – Western Europe
Royal Mail International Standard and International Tracking and Signature services
Monday December 9 – Africa, Middle East
Monday December 9 – Asia, Far East
Monday December 9 – Caribbean, Central and South America
Tuesday December 10 – Cyprus , Malta
Wednesday December 11 – Eastern Europe (except Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Thursday December 12 – Greece, Turkey
Thursday December 12 – Australia, New Zealand
Saturday December 14 – Canada, USA
Saturday December 14 – Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy
Monday December 16 – Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland
Wednesday December 18 – Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg
Parcelforce UK
Friday December 20 – for all two-day UK services (express 48 and express 48 large)
Monday December 23 – all next day UK services (express 24 and express 24 large) and all timed services (express 9, express 10, express AM, express PM ) , to have the parcel delivered by December 24
Parcelforce international
Monday December 16 – Global Priority International Delivery to Western Europe, USA and Canada
Tuesday December 17 – Global Express International Delivery to Western Europe, USA and Canada
Tuesday December 19 – Ireland Express International Delivery to Republic of Ireland
Here’s the last shipping dates for some of the other countries around the world:
Australia – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Bangladesh – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Canary Islands – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Cyprus – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
Greece – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
India – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
New Zealand – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Pakistan – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Poland – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
Romania – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Russia – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
Saudi Arabia – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
South Africa – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
Turkey – Monday December 16 (Global Express)
United Arab Emirates – Tuesday December 17 (Global Express)
Parcelforce Worldwide said: “Our drivers will be working hard to deliver last minute purchases and presents during the festive season.
“We’ve announced our recommended last posting dates to help our customers plan for Christmas ahead of time.
“We encourage customers to post early ahead of our busiest time of year.
“Whether you’re the uber-organised sort who has all their present shopping nailed before the months become ‘bers’, or you’re more of a last-minute merchant, we’re here to help with those all-important dates.
“When sending your Christmas parcels be sure to check our Last Posting Dates for the UK and overseas.
“And as usual, when organising your Christmas post, you can book online and opt to drop off at a Post Office branch or Parcelforce depot, or we can collect directly from you.”
Parceforce depots will be open every day except December 25 and 26.
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