The Christmas countdown is on, so if you’re sending presents or cards, make sure you don’t end up having to pay over the odds to get them there in time.
Here’s our rundown of Royal Mail’s last recommended postal dates this festive season, so that you can get anything you plan to send off in plenty of time.
Royal Mail last recommended postal dates
Whether you are sending gifts or Christmas cards, make sure you don’t miss the final delivery dates for the UK:
Postage type | Last recommended posting date |
2nd Class | Wednesday 17 December |
1st Class | Friday 19 December |
Royal Mail Tracked 24® | Sunday 21 December |
Royal Mail Tracked 48® | Friday 19 December |
Special Delivery Guaranteed® | Tuesday 23 December |
| Parcelforce Worldwide express48 and express48 Large | Friday 19 December |
Parcelforce Worldwide express24. expressAM | Monday 22 December |
International deliveries
If you are looking at sending something overseas, you’ll need to get your skates on, as most Royal Mail final posting dates are at the beginning of December. Where they have passed, we’ve included Evri’s final posting date instead.
Postage type | Destination | Last recommended posting date |
Royal Mail International Standard | Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central and South America, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East, New Zealand, | Friday 5 December |
Evri International Standard | Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, Spain | Saturday 6 December |
Royal Mail International Standard | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic and Poland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey | Wednesday 10 December |
Royal Mail International Standard | Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA | Friday 12 December |
Royal Mail International Standard | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland | Monday 15 December |
Evri International Standard | Barbados, Belgium, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine | Saturday 6 December |
Royal Mail International Tracking and Signature services | Norway, Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria | Friday 5 December |
Royal Mail International Tracking and Signature services | Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, USA | Friday 5 December |
Remember that Parcelforce, Evri and DPD all have different final posting dates, so if you’re planning to send things via any of these services, make sure you check that they’ll arrive in time.
Last online ordering dates
If you are thinking about buying your gifts online this year, it’s worth getting a move on with your orders if you want to be certain that your gifts will arrive before December 25. Millions of Brits are collectively expected to spend billions on online purchases this festive season, which often means things take a little longer to arrive than usual.
Lots of retailers haven’t yet specifically outlined their final Christmas delivery dates, but the ones that have tend to be around Thursday 19 for standard delivery and up to Friday 20 December for express options.
Of course, always make sure you check with the retailer directly for the exact timelines on the item you are ordering to make sure it will be delivered on time. Larger items and furniture could have much longer delivery timelines, so always check to avoid disappointment. You can find out about what your rights are if items take longer than expected to arrive in our guide Online shopping – know your rights.
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