Royal Mail Christmas dates 2023: When is the first and second class postal deadline?

The nationwide delivery service has announced the dates to remember in the build up to Christmas this year.
Jason Button
By Jason Button
Published 9th Nov 2023, 16:16 BST
Updated 9th Nov 2023, 17:02 BST
The nationwide delivery service has announced the dates to remember in the build up to Christmas this year.The nationwide delivery service has announced the dates to remember in the build up to Christmas this year.
The nationwide delivery service has announced the dates to remember in the build up to Christmas this year.

December usually marks the busiest time for the Royal Mail across the country, and the delivery service have released their latest recommended posting dates for Christmas if any cards or packages are to arrive at their destination before Christmas Day.

These are all the dates you need to remember.

When is the final Royal Mail posting date for Christmas 2023?

There are a number of dates to take note of, depending on where the sender is trying to get the parcel to.

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What is the Christmas Royal Mail deadline for domestic post?

The Royal Mail’s UK inland services are still available for use, with bulk economy mail able to be sent up to and including Monday, December 18. Second class and Royal Mail 48 packages can still be sent up until then, with first class and Tracked 24 packages having a deadline of Wednesday, December 20.

The final deadlines Royal Mail are recommending come from Special Delivery Guaranteed and Guaranteed Saturday delivery parcels can be sent up to Friday 22 December.

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Royal Mail deadlines for shipping internationally for Christmas

For those looking to ship internationally with economy labels, some of the recommended latest dates has already passed, with tracking and signature services for anywhere outside Europe no longer expected to reach their intended destinations in time for Christmas Day.

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Parcels heading to Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta and Turkey need to be sent by Friday, November 24, while any international economy parcels to Western Europe should be sent before Monday, November 27. The rest of the world is as follows for tracking and signature services:

Monday, December 11 - rest of the world

Tuesday, December 12 – Cyprus and Malta

Friday, December 9 – Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA

Untracked mail has a deadline of around five days earlier for each site, although this can be checked through the Royal Mail website.

The deadline for all HM Forces Mail falls on Friday, December 4.

Related topics:Royal Mail

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