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Christmas is truly just around, and it means there is a lot of organising to do.
And one thing that many will be planning to do is sending letters and presents to friends and family up and down the country or overseas. Things tend to take a little longer over the festive period, with the postal service busier than ever on the run up to Christmas. So, if you are yet to send packages – especially abroad – you will need to get organised pretty sharpish.
Last dates for posting to some countries are fast approaching – yes really – with Royal Mail announcing the all important dates. Here are some days for your diary if you are planning to send post and parcels either to loved ones in the UK or internationally this festive season.
READ MORE: Royal Mail confirms Black Friday strike action as new counter plans in place
What are the last posting dates in the UK?
- December 16 – Royal Mail Bulk Mail Economy
- December 19 – 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For, Royal Mail 48
- December 21 – 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For, Royal Mail 24, Royal Mail Tracked 48
- December 22 – Royal Mail tracked 24
- December 23 -Special Delivery Guaranteed
What are the last posting dates for sending using international economy?
- November 25 – Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Turkey
- November 28 – Western Europe
Unfortunately, the international economy deadline for posting to non-European destinations has already passed. It means it is too late to send letters and parcels through this service to places including the United States of America and Canada.
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International standard, tracking and signature services deadlines
The good news is you can still use other services to send post in time for Christmas internationally.
You can send via standard delivery – though this will cost more than economy. But the deadlines are approaching for these services too.
- December 1 – Australia and New Zealand
- December 2 – China (People’s Republic)
- December 5 – All remaining Caribbean destinations
- December 7 – Africa, Asia (except China, People’s Republic), Central and South America, Far and Middle East
- December 8 – Cyprus and Malta
- December 9 – Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and Turkey
- December 10 – Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA
- December 12 – Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland
- December 14 – Belgium, France, Luxembourg
The deadline has unfortunately passed for British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Anguilla.
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