If December has crept up on you once again and you’re massively underprepared for the inevitable Christmas madness, the good news is that you’re still not too late to catch the last post (to UK addresses, at least).
If your business does rely on the postal service, it helps to know when the final postal dates are. These dates may be earlier than previous years as they’ll be affected by strike action. Here’s all you need to know.
Although there are a number of delivery services you can use, Royal Mail’s Christmas post dates provide the best indication of whether your letters and packages will be delivered on time over the festive season.
What are Royal Mail’s Christmas posting dates?
The last posting date recommended by Royal Mail for 2022 are:
- Royal Mail Bulk Economy – Wednesday, December 7
- Second class mail – Monday, December 12
- First class mail – Friday, December 16
- Royal Mail Tracked 24 – Monday, December 19
- Special delivery – Wednesday, December 21
The last dates for UK business contract services are:
- Royal Mail Business Mail (Sorted) Economy and Royal Mail Advertising Mail Economy – Wednesday, December 7
- Royal Mail 48 with/without sorting options, Surface Airlift 2nd Class Royal Mail Business Mail (Sorted or Unsorted), 2nd Class Royal Mail Advertising Mail, 2nd Class Royal Mail Publishing Mail – Monday, December 12
- Royal Mail 24 with/without sorting options, 1st Class Royal Mail Business Mail (Sorted or Unsorted), 1st Class Royal Mail Advertising Mail, 1st Class Royal Mail Publishing Mail, Royal Mail Tracked 48, Royal Mail Tracked Returns 48 – Friday, December 16
- Royal Mail Tracked 24, Royal Mail Tracked Returns 24, Royal Mail Publishing Mail Premium (posted by 01:00) – Monday, December 19
- Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed – Wednesday 21 December
The last dates for UK Economy Deferred services are:
- For delivery on/from Wednesday 28 December – Friday, December 9
- For delivery on/from Tuesday 3 January 2023 – Friday, December 16
Remember, there will be no deliveries or collections on the festive Bank Holidays, which means no post on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Normal service will resume on Tuesday, December 28th until New Year’s Day, when there will be no post again. There’ll also be no service in Scotland on Tuesday, January 4, as this is a Bank Holiday north of the border.
What are Royal Mail’s overseas Christmas postage dates?
If you need to get anything overseas before Christmas, you may have missed the boat (or the plane).
Latest arrival dates for Import Mail:
- Inward Surface Mail – Saturday, December 17
- Inward Airmail – Tuesday, December 20
The last postage dates for International Tracked and Signature Services are:
- British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Anguilla – Friday, October 7
- Australia and New Zealand – Thursday, December 1
- China (People’s Republic) – Friday, December 2
- All remaining Caribbean destinations, Africa, Asia (except China,
People’s Republic), Central and South America, Far and Middle East – Monday, December 5 - Cyprus and Malta – Tuesday, December 6
- Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA – Friday, December 9
- Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland – Saturday, December 10 - Belgium, France, Luxembourg – Monday, December 12
The dates for International Standard have also passed for most destinations:
- British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Anguilla – Friday, October 7
- Australia, China (People’s Republic) and New Zealand – Monday, November 28
- Africa, Asia (except China, People’s Republic), Central and South
America, Far and Middle East – Thursday, December 1 - Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia), Turkey – Saturday, December 2
- Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA – Monday, December 5
- Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland – Wednesday, December 7 - Belgium, France, Luxembourg – Friday, December 9
The last dates for International Standard HM Forces Mail for British Forces Post Offices (BFPOs) are Monday, November 29 for operational BFPOs, and Friday, December 6 for static BFPOs.
For more information on Parcelforce Worldwide International posting dates, go to PostOffice.co.uk
Keep in touch via conference call this Christmas
If you need to keep in touch with colleagues or clients over Christmas – maybe some staff members work from home during the school Christmas holidays – then ConferenceCall.co.uk can keep you connected.
Our service is available 24/7 for 365 days a year, and you can dial in up to 100 participants on a single call, from anywhere in the world.
