Get ready for Christmas 2024
Here you’ll find helpful information to make this Christmas the best one yet, including the latest posting dates, seasonal job opportunities, and how to send your letters and parcels safely with Royal Mail.
Beat the festive rush and get all your letters and parcels in the post on time.
Allow plenty of time for posting. Please post items and gifts for Christmas early, particularly for International deliveries.
Please note: Latest posting dates are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. It’s always advisable to post as early as possible to ensure that your Christmas letters and parcels reach their destination in good time. Please visit our International Incident Bulletin for the most up to date information on our services around the world.
Latest posting dates for consumer and business customers posting directly with Royal Mail
| Wednesday 9 October | All non-European destinations (except South Africa, Canada, Middle and Far East, USA) |
| Monday 21 October | Hong Kong, Middle and Far East, Singapore and South Africa |
| Wednesday 6 November | Canada and USA |
| Monday 2 December | Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Turkey and Western Europe |
| Saturday 7 December | Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Sweden |
| Monday 9 December | Czech Republic, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
| Wednesday 11 December | Austria, Denmark, India, Lithuania, Philippines, Qatar, Slovakia and Slovenia |
| Friday 13 December | Belgium, Canada, China (People’s Republic), Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, South Korea, Thailand and USA |
| Monday 16 December | France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan |
| Tuesday 3 December | Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central and South America, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East and New Zealand |
| Wednesday 4 December | Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Spain |
| Thursday 5 December | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic and Poland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey |
| Friday 6 December | Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and USA |
| Wednesday 27 November | Operational HM Forces |
| Wednesday 4 December | Static HM Forces |
Rest of the world latest posting datespdf, 169.76 KB (English version)
Rest of the world latest posting datespdf, 190.56 KB (Welsh version)
Latest posting dates for customers posting at Post Office Ltd.
| Wednesday 2 October | All non-European destinations (except Canada, Middle and Far East, South Africa and USA) |
| Monday 14 October | Hong Kong, Middle and Far East, Singapore and South Africa |
| Thursday 31 October | Canada and USA |
| Monday 25 November | Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Turkey and Western Europe |
| Monday 2 December | Barbados, Belgium, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine |
| Tuesday 3 December | Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Italy and Norway |
| Friday 6 December | Australia, Austria, China (People’s Republic), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, India, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand |
| Tuesday 10 December | Canada, Ireland and USA |
| Tuesday 26 November | Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central and South America, China (People’s Republic), Far and Middle East and New Zealand |
| Wednesday 27 November | Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Spain |
| Thursday 28 November | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic and Poland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey |
| Friday 29 November | Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA and Canada |
| Wednesday 27 November | Operational HM Forces |
| Wednesday 4 December | Static HM Forces |
Rest of the world latest posting datespdf, 171.65 KB (English version)
Rest of the world latest posting datespdf, 194.44 KB (Welsh version)
Latest posting dates for Christmas (PDFs)
Personal customers posting directly with Royal Mailpdf, 139.32 KB
Customers posting at Post Office Ltd.pdf, 132.02 KB
Business customers posting directly with Royal Mailpdf, 166.04 KB
All customers posting to Rest of the world destinations directly with Royal Mailpdf, 169.76 KB
All customers posting to Rest of the world destinations at Post Office Ltd.pdf, 171.65 KB
Welsh versions
Personal customers posting directly with Royal Mailpdf, 161.18 KB
Customers posting at Post Office Ltd.pdf, 171.56 KB
Business customers posting directly with Royal Mailpdf, 171.68 KB
All customers posting to Rest of the world destinations directly with Royal Mailpdf, 190.56 KB
All customers posting to Rest of the world destinations at Post Office Ltd.pdf, 194.44 KB
Parcelforce Worldwide
Parcelforce Worldwide has a range of international delivery services to over 225 countries across the world
Go to Parcelforce.com
Christmas and New Year deliveries and collections
| Date | Royal Mail Services |
|---|---|
| Monday 16 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Tuesday 17 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Wednesday 18 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Thursday 19 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Friday 20 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Saturday 21 December | Normal deliveries and Saturday collections for customers with a regular Saturday business collection |
| Sunday 22 December | Sunday parcel deliveries. No collections |
| Monday 23 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Christmas Eve Tuesday 24 December |
Normal deliveries and collections for customers with a regular business collection |
| Christmas Day Wednesday 25 December |
No deliveries or collections |
| Boxing Day Thursday 26 December |
No deliveries or collections |
| Friday 27 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| Saturday 28 December | Normal deliveries and Saturday collections for customers with a regular Saturday collection |
| Sunday 29 December | Sunday parcel deliveries. No collections |
| Monday 30 December | Normal deliveries and collections |
| New Year’s Eve Tuesday 31 December |
Normal deliveries and collections |
| New Year’s Day Wednesday 1 January 2025 |
No deliveries or collections |
| Public holiday in Scotland Thursday 2 January 2024 |
Normal deliveries and collections - exception for Scotland |
Download the Delivery and Collection calendar for Christmas and New Year
English versionpdf, 122.04 KB
Welsh versionpdf, 148.53 KB
If you're planning on being away for the Christmas period, or if your business is closing for the break, we can take care of your post for you:
Preparing your post
Getting your parcels and letters to their destination safely is always our priority, especially at this time of year. Use these handy guides to help you get your items to their destinations safe and sound.
Good Addressing Guide
A handy guide to good addressing and packaging.
Some goods are restricted or prohibited from being mailed in the UK and internationally. Check before you send to make sure your item is fit for travel at royalmail.com/prohibitedgoods
Join us this Christmas
