All the Royal Mail deadlines to send parcels and letters in time for Christmas

Hundreds of millions of parcels and letters are delivered by Royal Mail in the lead-up to the festive season, but the trick is getting them to their intended recipients before the big day.

Last year there was a series of postal strikes that put pressure on the company, caused friction and a delay in deliveries. Fortunately, the strikes officially ended in July 2023 after workers agreed to a three-year pay deal, so there shouldn’t be a repeat of the issues and people looking to send out festive gifts will be able to do so with less worry – if they get them sent before the deadline.

To ensure deliveries in time for Christmas the company makes a list of the last postal dates for sending parcels and letters.

The deadlines depend on the class of postage a letter or parcel is being sent by and the destination – within the UK or internationally.

Last posting dates for Christmas delivery in the UK:

• Monday 18 December – 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For and Royal Mail 48
• Wednesday 20 December – 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail 24
• Wednesday 20 December – Parcelforce Express48 and Express48 Large
• Thursday 21 December – Special Delivery Guaranteed
• Thursday 21 December – Parcelforce Express24 and ExpressAM

Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48 are not available to purchase at Post Office branches and must be purchased in advance online.

Last posting dates for Christmas international delivery – tracked and signed:

• Wednesday 13 December – Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA

To send a letter or parcel to a serving armed forces personnel and their families people can use the British Forces Post Office (BFPO), however the deadline to get them to Operational HM Forces

and Static HM Forces were on November 27 and December 4, respectively.